Everyone is talking about Sean Miller, and rightfully so after his Arizona squad beat Duke to win the NIT Season Tip-Off, but younger brother Archie Miller’s Dayton squad is going to a big-time matchup problem for every team they play this year. The Flyers are 6-1 with wins at Georgia Tech and over Gonzaga and California on a neutral court. The Flyers have not been in the NCAAs since 2009 and it is hard to believe they have just one victory in the NCAA Tournament in the past 23 seasons. I think that changes this year, although Miller’s team is in a tough league. Tons of great matchups now with George Washington, VCU and Saint Louis, to name a few. Junior Jordan Sibert and senior Devin Oliver anchor a squad that, when you look at their schedule, could be around 13-1 come January. Dayton Arena is one of the neatest places college basketball has to offer, and this could be the year where they go undefeated at home.
More Aztec Talk
Every year I sit here and say how proud I am of my good friend Steve Fisher and the job he has done at San Diego State. I don’t even need to tell you about it anymore. What a great weekend he had with wins over Creighton, Marquette and College of Charleston. Steve has been doing this at San Diego State for 12 seasons. Senior guard Xavier Thames is shooting 59.3 percent from three-point range, while. J.J. O’Brien and freshman Matt Shrigley are 40.0 and 56.5 percent. As a team, the Aztecs are shooting 44.8 percent from three-point range this season. Not bad for a team that isn’t supposed to be able to shoot. With UNLV struggling a bit early with a tough schedule, I think Boise State, New Mexico, SDSU and Utah State will be the four teams representing the Mountain West in the Big Dance come March.
Wichita State are good again… no Shock there.
It’s early in the season and many things are left to be sorted out and unwrapped as we head into Christmas and the New Year. And although it’s certainly a mistake to get too emotional about the results of any one team this early in the season, it’s also a mistake to just gloss over these same results and act as if little matters until conference play starts. It sure feels like most of the national buzz has centered around Michigan State, Arizona, Kentucky and a handful of the traditional contenders and players that we all suspected would be good right out of the gate. It’s probably not possible for a team fresh off a Final Four to sneak up on anybody (and definitely not with a #11 ranking in the AP poll), but I wonder if people realize just how good Wichita State can be this year. Forward Cleanthony Early returns for his senior year after averaging 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds a game last season. Although Early will have to improve even more this season for the Shockers to contend for a national title, I believe the key to their success is Ron Baker. The sophomore guard is off to a great start, averaging 16.1 points, 4.1 boards, and 3.5 assists a game. A foot injury cost Baker a chunk of last season, but he showed his talent in the NCAA tourney and has improved on every aspect of his game so far this year. Baker was recently named MVC player of the week as the Shockers improved to 8-0 with wins over Saint Louis and BYU.
– Bill Frieder
Former Michigan and Arizona State head coach Bill Frieder is an analyst for WestwoodOne’s coverage of NCAA Basketball. In his weekly blog Boxed Out, Bill scours the box scores to bring you interesting stories from the world of college basketball.
