Archie Miller: ‘Big moments ahead’ for Dayton Flyers

UD plays Davidson, VCU and GW in last three games

The Dayton Flyers fans who cover themselves in blue paint, wear red wigs and sit in the front row of the student section posed with the NCAA championship trophy before a game Tuesday at UD Arena. They crossed their arms over their chests and wore serious looks, as if they were used to hanging around famous trophies.

The NCAA’s top prize made a cameo in Dayton. Fans stood in line to take photos with it before a game against George Mason. No Atlantic 10 team has ever won a national championship, so the odds of that trophy returning to Dayton anytime soon, unless on another publicity tour, are slim.

WATCH: Highlights from Dayton’s 20-0 run vs. George Mason

However, there is a trophy within Dayton’s grasp. With three games to play in the regular season, the Flyers (22-5, 13-2) lead Virginia Commonwealth (22-5, 12-2) by a half game. The Rams can pull even if they beat Saint Louis in Richmond, Va., on Wednesday.

Here are seven things to know about where UD stands with March looming:

1. Century mark: Dayton's senior class improved to 100-33 with an 83-70 victory over George Mason. Coach Archie Miller wants to them add to that mark.

“There’s a lot of big moments ahead for them,” Miller said. “To get 100 wins and keep going is something they should feel very proud of. I know I am of them. There’s very few classes that have been able to do all they’ve done. To be 22-5 with all we’ve dealt with, 13-2 in conference, a lot of credit goes to their maturity level and experience. I’m trying to get them to finish the best they can.”

2. Road ahead: Dayton plays on the road at two middle-of-the-pack A-10 teams in its last three games. It plays Davidson (14-12, 7-8) at 9 p.m. Friday and George Washington (14-13, 6-8) at 8 p.m. March 4. It lost at both those schools the last time it visited in 2015.

In between those two games is the game of the year, an 8 p.m. home game March 1 against VCU.

3. Staying focused: The Flyers have won seven straight games. That doesn't mean they're perfect. Scoochie Smith had 16 points, three assists and three steals against George Mason. Miller still saw moments when Smith wasn't as energetic as he should have been.

“We need these guys to stay engaged,” Miller said. “It’s a long year. They’ve played a lot. We expect a lot from them as well. We ask them to do a lot. The big thing for those guys is to enjoy it. Don’t worry about anything but playing hard and trying to win as many as we can. At the end of the day, when they tell them their season is over, we’ll look back and celebrate.”

4. Tired legs: Dayton has to be careful of conserving its energy. It will play its third game in six days Friday.

Charles Cooke was the only starter to play more than 30 minutes Tuesday. That will help Friday. Davidson is also playing three games in six days, and its top player, Jack Gibbs, has played all but one minute in the last two games.

5. Avoiding injury: Staying healthy down the stretch will be key for Dayton, which suffered one scare in practice this week and another in the game Tuesday.

“Kendall (Pollard) was out basically for 48 hours with an ankle,” Miller said. “We weren’t sure he was going to play tonight. I didn’t think he was particularly good.”

Kyle Davis left the game in the final minutes after a collision. He returned to the bench at the end of the game but didn’t play again.

“He turned his ankle right before he took the shot (to the head),” Miller said. “I think that’s what’s more painful than the shot. I think he’ll be OK as we get ready to go to Davidson.”

6. Offense peaking: The Flyers have scored 75 points or more in the last seven games. In the seven games prior to that, they topped 75 points four times.

Dayton committed a season-low five turnovers vs. the Patriots. They had not turned it over fewer than 10 times in their first 14 A-10 games.

"I think the game is just slowing down for us," said sophomore point guard John Crosby, who scored a career-high 12 points. "In February, you play your best basketball. Guys are just comfortable out there. we know what we need to do to win each game."

7. Defense could be better: Dayton had nine blocks and eight steals against George Mason. The Patriots shot 8 of 23 from 3-point range (34.8 percent). That's below their season average (35.9) but wasn't good enough for Miller.

“We were active, but we weren’t very intelligent at times when the ball was in the post,” Miller said. “We gave up some threes. We were also very soft at times in the middle of the floor, allowing their guards to come downhill. We’re only as good as our defense. We’re not going to score 83 points every night. We’ve got to pick up our defense in the next couple of weeks. We’ve got to start playing March defense. Right now I don’t think we’re doing that as well as we can.”


FRIDAY’S GAME

Dayton at Davidson, 9 p.m., ESPN2, FM 95.7, AM 1290 WHIO

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