Xavier’s Elite Eight run similar to Dayton’s in 2014

Musketeers, Flyers last two 11 seeds to advance this far

Credit: Sean M. Haffey

Credit: Sean M. Haffey

It will come as no surprise that fans of the Dayton Flyers still hate their old rival Xavier, even if the teams have played only once in the last four seasons and may not play again until who knows when.

“I hate Xavier,” one fan wrote Thursday on Twitter. “I couldn't care less that we don't play them anymore. Fight me.”

“I respect Xavier but I will continue to hate them forever,” wrote another.

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Xavier beat Arizona 73-71 on Thursday in San Jose, Calif., to advance to the Elite Eight for the third time in school history. Dayton coach Archie Miller watched the game from behind Arizona’s bench. He wore an Arizona shirt in support of his brother Sean, the head coach at Arizona.

While it was not a good night for the Millers, Archie couldn’t have been surprised to see the Musketeers win. There are some similarities between Dayton’s Elite Eight run in 2014 and Xavier’s run in 2017.

1. Same seed: Until Xavier's win Thursday, Dayton was the last No. 11 seed to reach the Elite Eight. The other 11 seeds to do so were: Virginia Commonwealth (2011); George Mason (2006); Temple (2001); Loyola Marymount (1990); and Louisiana State (1986). Missouri made the Elite Eight as a No. 12 seed in 2002.

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VCU, George Mason and LSU are the only 11 seeds to reach the Final Four. Xavier will seek its first Final Four appearance Saturday when it plays Gonzaga, another team that has never played in the Final Four.

2. Coaching connection: Xavier's Chris Mack coached under Sean Miller at Xavier until Miller left for Arizona. Archie Miller also had to beat a former boss, Ohio State's Thad Matta, on the way to the Elite Eight.

3. Big turnaround: Dayton lost four times in five games in January of 2014 before turning its season around and making a tournament run. Xavier had an even worse stretch this season, losing six games in a row in February. It has since won six of its last seven games.

“Honestly the main thing is we stuck together,” Xavier’s J.P. Macura said Thursday. “We're all tough guys. We stuck together. And we've been playing tough together. And we're not really backing down from anybody. And if you have that mentality, you can beat a lot of teams.”

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