Nearly seven years have passed since Archie Miller coached a game at UD Arena for Dayton.
Miller makes his return to Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday, this time leading Rhode Island (9-8, 3-1 Atlantic 10) into a battle with the No. 21 Flyers (14-2, 4-0), who seek their 12th straight win.
Miller’s successor, Anthony Grant, views Saturday’s matchup as a chance to welcome back a coach who led the Flyers to four straight NCAA Tournaments during his 2011-17 tenure.
“(Archie) is a heck of a coach,” Grant said. “I think for our fans it’s an opportunity to show him appreciation for the time he was here and what he did.”
Miller’s .688 win percentage (139-63) ranks second in Dayton history in the NCAA Tournament era (post 1939).
Grant has yet to lead Dayton to the “Big Dance,” though the Flyers would’ve been a high seed if the 2020 tournament wasn’t wiped out due to COVID-19.
Now, this year’s team is on track to be celebrating on Selection Sunday.
After a loss to then-No. 6 Houston on Nov. 19, Dayton has rattled off 11 victories in a row — the third longest streak in the nation and the fourth longest in program history.
Most recently, the Flyers took down Saint Louis at home Tuesday 70-65 on the back of Preseason Wooden Award Watch List member Daron Holmes II. The junior poured in 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds while shooting 9-for-13 from the field.
“Daron is one of the best players in the country,” Grant said. “I thought he did a great job of understanding where he had an advantage and what needed to be done today.”
Holmes’ 19.4 points per game lead the Atlantic 10 entering Thursday, while his 7.7 rebounds per contest rank him third. Following Holmes’ scoring for Dayton is Pitt transfer Nate Santos (11.5) and Koby Brea (10.9).
Brea’s three triples against Saint Louis propelled him to the top spot nationally in 3-point percentage (47.9) entering Thursday.
Rhode Island (9-8, 3-1) was enjoying a four-game winning streak — its longest since 2020 — before being run out of the gym at Saint Bonaventure in a 99-64 defeat on Wednesday.
The Rams trailed by as many as 45 points in the second half en route to their most lopsided defeat since March 2013, a 37-point loss to Saint Joseph’s.
“I think we’re starting to play the right way, but we’re not anywhere we need to be, defensively, to be a championship-type team,” Miller said. “The only thing we can do is keep working at it and try to get better.”
After a 9-22 debut season in 2022-23 for Miller, the program saw much of its talent jump ship. This seasons’s group returned just under 13 percent of last season’s scoring.
Despite a revamped roster, the Rams have improved their scoring average from 66 points per game to 73.9.
Leading the way for Rhode Island has been High Point transfer Jaden House, who tallies 14.6 points per game, followed by former Louisiana Tech player David Green (14.4).
Rhode Island scored a 75-70 home upset of Dayton last season. The Rams look for their first pair of back-to-back wins over the Flyers since the 2017-18 campaign.
–Field Level Media