Now may be the ideal time to do what Dayton coach Archie Miller officially did today: sign a long contract (until 2018, financial terms not disclosed) with a school from a mid-major conference, ESPN reported. With schools jumping leagues every year, the creation of the hybrid AAC, and the annual tournament emergence of second tier programs like Dayton, it's become less of a disadvantage to be outside the majors.

Even without the first two factors, Miller's situation is further buoyed by the suddenly stout -- and sustainable -- Atlantic 10, which had six teams qualify for the tournament this year (St. Joseph's, Saint Louis, VCU, George Washington, Massachusetts, and Miller's Dayton Flyers) - tied for second most in the country. VCU's Shakha Smart signed a long term deal last year; St. Joseph's Phil Martelli has been in Pennsylvania forever. Adding Miller to the mix is another coach who figures to keep his team close to tournament eligibility every season.

Why stay? Miller is only in his third year in Ohio (born in Pennsylvania and a former assistant at Arizona, meaning he may not be especially settled into the area), however, he actually penned the deal in February, but didn't want it announced until now so as not to distract the team (which makes today's timing seem even more odd to me, given the team's current status in the tournament). Back in February, the Flyers were scarcely on the bubble. Even if Miller was open to bigger name programs, he likely wasn't getting any offers at that point.

Miller is the younger brother of Arizona coach Sean Miller. After a four-year playing career at North Carolina State (1998-2002), he took an assistant coaching gig under his brother. In 2011, he won the top spot at Dayton.

"It's a privilege to be the head coach at the University of Dayton," Miller said in a statement. "We are thrilled about our future. The University of Dayton has everything it needs to be among the best. We have great fans, a totally committed administration, and the key pieces are in place."

"The University of Dayton is committed to a national-level basketball program, and this contract extension demonstrates our belief that Archie Miller is the right leader for our program," athletic director Tim Wabler said in a statement. "We are proud of the academic and competitive success he has led over the last three years, and the momentum of the program is on the path we expect."