Dick Vitale: Anthony Grant a candidate for national coach of the year

On Saturday, ESPN analyst Dick Vitale wrote on Twitter he would include Grant on his list of five coach of the year candidates, along with Baylor’s Scott Drew, San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher, Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton and West Virginia’s Bob Huggins.

Grant’s seventh-ranked Flyers improved to 18-2 and 7-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference on Saturday with an 87-79 victory against Richmond at the Robins Center. Reporters tried to get Grant to put this season in perspective after the game. He continues to stay focused on the next game — at Duquesne on Wednesday — and has been careful not to heap too much praise on his team.

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“We’re still in the middle of this, man,” Grant said. “here’s nothing been decided. I know that’s the typical thing. Everyone wants to put the cart before the horse, but we’re seven games into conference play. We’re still a work in progress. We’re still trying to get better. We’re still learning.”

Dayton’s nine-game winning streak is its longest since 2016. It has not won 10 games in a row since the 2007-08 season when it won 13 straight games from November into January.

Dayton’s 7-0 start in A-10 play is its best since a 9-0 start in 2004.