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Chris Johnson has scored 20-plus points in three of his last five games. |
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FLYERS SEEK A SERIES SWEEP AGAINST XAVIER ON SATURDAY
Winners of two straight, the University of Dayton Flyers head down I-75 to face the Xavier Musketeers on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network, carried by WHIO Radio and is available with live stats and audio at DaytonFlyers.com.
Dayton is playing better of late, winning two straight. The Flyers, 16-9 overall and 6-5 in the Atlantic 10, are one game back of third place in the conference standings. Dayton’s resurgence has come on the shoulders of senior Chris Johnson. Johnson has been remarkable recently, averaging 17.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and shooting 19-for-20 from the free throw line (.950) in his last six games. Johnson has also scored 20-plus points in three of his last five games. Kevin Dillard quarterbacks the offense and is having an all-conference campaign. Dillard has scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games and ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in assists per game (5.8 apg). Matt Kavanaugh continues to be a force on the offensive glass for Dayton. He’s third in the A-10 in offensive rebounding (3.2) and has 15 offensive boards in his last four games.
ABOUT XAVIER
The Xavier Musketeers are once again in the mix for the Atlantic 10 regular season title. Xavier, 16-9 overall and 7-4 in the Atlantic 10, has won five consecutive conference regular season titles. The Musketeer defense has been tough this year ranking second in the A-10 in field goal defense (.394) and 3-point field goal defense (.308). Taking care of the ball has been critical to Xavier’s success. Xavier’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.19-to-1.00 in its 16 wins and its 0.88-to-1.00 in its nine losses. All-American Tu Holloway leads the team in scoring at 16.4 ppg (4th in the Atlantic 10 Conference) and leads the team in assists at 5.4 apg (4th in the A-10). Holloway is the only A-10 player in the top five in both scoring and assists. Mark Lyons is second on the team in scoring and sixth in the Atlantic 10 at 15.8 ppg.
SERIES STUFF
UD leads the all-time series 84-72 and won the first meeting this year 87-72 at UD Arena. However, the Flyers have not won at Xavier since Jan. 10, 1981, a span of 26 consecutive games. In addition to this series being the most games against any opponent for both schools, the first Xavier varsity basketball game was against Dayton on Feb. 20, 1920 (UD won 24-18). The two teams have met at least once every year since 1946-47. Saturday’s game also features the 56th contest with the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy on the line. Since 1980-81, the winning team receives the “Black/Mac” trophy, which is named after the two legendary coaches who put their two schools on the basketball map - Dayton’s Tom Blackburn and XU’s Jim McCafferty. The trophy series only covers regular season meetings, and XU leads the trophy series 35-20.
NO CRYING FOUL
Dayton has been great at the free throw line (196-of-246, .797) in A-10 play. For the season, UD is shooting .764. The Flyers shot .677 last year and haven’t topped 75 percent since the 1982-83 campaign.
BRINGING YOUR A-10 GAME
Eight players of UD’s nine-man rotation are scoring more points a game in conference play than their season average. Matt Kavanaugh is the best at +4.9.
20/20 VISION
Chris Johnson scored 22 points in each of Dayton’s wins against Fordham and Charlotte. The last Flyer to score 20-plus points in back-to-back games was Brian Roberts during the 2007-08 campaign. Roberts scored 23 versus Temple on Feb. 16, 2008 and 30 at La Salle on Feb. 21, 2008. That was the tail end of a four game, 20-plus point scoring streak for Roberts.
CHRIS CROSSING THE CHARTS
Chris Johnson, a 2010-11 Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention selection, is quickly moving up the charts in the program’s history. CJ became UD’s 43rd member of the 1,000 point club in the final regular season game of 2010-11. Johnson’s 1,353 points place him 24th. Next is Garry Roggenburk with 1,398 points. CJ also ranks fifth on UD’s all-time list for 3-pointers made (217). Ramod Marshall is next at 241. Johnson is also 13th in career rebounding (798) and ranks fifth in career offensive rebounds (292). He has also played in 130 games, good for a tie for fifth with former teammate Devin Searcy.
PREMIUM PRODUCTION
Chris Johnson has earned Atlantic 10 accolades in each of his previous three seasons – All-Rookie, Chris Daniels Most Improved, Honorable Mention All-Atlantic 10. Johnson leads the team in rebounding (6.3) and is second in scoring (11.8). CJ opened the year with eight points and 10 rebounds versus Western Illinois. He scored 19 against UNC-Wilmington. Johnson scored 12, including the go-ahead 3-pointer versus Wake Forest. He added 18 points and six rebounds against Minnesota. Johnson led UD with 20 points against No. 16/15 Alabama. CJ scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting versus Seton Hall and led all scorers with 16 points against Ole Miss.
WARM IT UP CHRIS
With season highs of 22 points and 13 rebounds at Fordham, Chris Johnson recorded his fourth double-double of the year. He followed that performance up with 22 points and nine rebounds versus Charlotte. In the A-10 opener, CJ had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Saint Louis. He came back with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Temple. Johnson led UD with 17 points and eight rebounds at Saint Joseph’s. He had 20 points and 12 rebounds versus Rhode Island for his third double-double of the year. Johnson added 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals at Saint Louis. CJ has 14 career double-doubles.
SIMPLY THE BEST
Chris Johnson ranks 3rd in the Atlantic 10 in free throw accuracy (.873), 7th in the Atlantic 10 in 3-pointers made per game (2.1) and 12th in rebounding (6.3). In conference only games, Johnson leads in free throw accuracy (.931), 3rd in offensive rebounding (3.5), 5th-best rebounder (8.4 rpg) and 14th in scoring (13.7 ppg). In 15 career starts against BCS opponents, he has 13 double figure efforts.
THAT’S SOME WILL-POWER
Paul Williams has scored double figures nine times this year. He opened the year notching 15 points against Western Illinois. Williams added to that by scoring a career-high 20 points at Miami. In the Wake Forest win, Williams scored 18 points. He scored 12 points at Murray State. He had 10 points and eight rebounds versus USC-Upstate. He had 12 points versus FIU. Williams recorded 12 points and seven boards against Ole Miss. He scored 11 points in the SLU victory. Williams scored 13 points versus Xavier. He had a career-high eight assists without a turnover versus Charlotte.
P-DUBYA
Paul Williams ranks 64th all-time in UD history with 784 career points. He trails Ray Springer for 63rd with 788 points. He is also tied for sixth with Keith Waleskowski in career games with 129.
VALET PARKER
Josh Parker is one of many Flyers who have increased his production in conference action. Parker is averaging 9.0 points in A-10 play. He led UD with 16 points at Temple. He led UD with 19 points, and added a career-high six rebounds, at St. Bonaventure. Parker shot 5-of-7 en route to 16 points versus Xavier. He then scored 14 points, all in the second half and overtime at Fordham.
PARKER BROTHERS
Josh Parker has been another solid veteran presence on the court. He busted out in a big way with 15 points off the bench in UD’s win over Fairfield. Parker came back the next night to score 12 points versus Minnesota. As a starter, Parker finished with 11 points and six assists versus Western Illinois. Parker scored 12 of his 17 points in the first half against No. 16/15 Alabama. Parker added 14 points and five assists against FIU.
COOL HAND LUKE
Luke Fabrizius has been on fire in A-10 play averaging 7.8 points and shooting .435 from the field. After sitting out three games with an injured rib, Fabrizius totalled eight points and five boards against Ole Miss. He added 11 points versus Saint Louis and 13 at Temple. He was 3-of-3 from the field en route to eight points against Western Illinois. Fabrizius added 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting versus Minnesota. Fabrizius scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field against La Salle. He came back with a career-high tying 17 points and six rebounds versus Rhode Island. Fabrizius had six points and a career-tying nine rebounds at Saint Louis.
DILLARD DISHING DIMES
Kevin Dillard not only leads the Flyers in many statistical categories, he is among the NCAA and A-10 leaders as well. Dillard is second in the A-10 and ranks 25th in the NCAA in assists per game (5.8). Dillard is also second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0), ranks 8th in free throw shooting (.810) and 10th in steals (1.5). He has at least one steal in 19 games.
EVEN BETTER AGAINST THE A-10
Against Atlantic 10 opponents, Kevin Dillard leads the conference in assists per game (6.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4) and is fifth in free throw percentage (. 877). His scoring is also up from non-conference action, averaging 13.9 points versus conference opponents (13th in the A-10).
ON POINT
Kevin Dillard ranks as one of the top point guards in the Atlantic 10. He scored 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting versus UNC-Wilmington. Dillard had nine assists with zero turnovers versus Western Illinois. At Miami he added 11 points, six assists and four steals. He had 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists against No. 16/15 Alabama. Dillard added 14 points versus Seton Hall.
DILL PICKLE
Kevin Dillard had a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists against Saint Louis. Dillard scored all 16 points in the second half at Temple. He was named the Black/Mac MVP after recording 16 points and nine assists versus Xavier. Dillard had 17 points and six assists at St. Joe’s. He had his third double-double of the year with 12 points and a college career high 13 assists versus Rhode Island. The 13 assists in a game were the third-most in UD history. Dillard led all scorers with 22 points versus Duquesne. He scored 11 points at Saint Louis. Dillard had nine points and five assists without a turnover at Fordham. He scored 13 points in 17 minutes against Charlotte.
KD IS AN MVP
Kevin Dillard was named the 2011 Old Spice Classic Most Valuable Player after a spectacular three-game run. In the tournament, Dillard led the Flyers in scoring (15.3 ppg), assists (15), steals (11), blocks (4) and converted 10-of-11 free throws (.909). Against Wake Forest, Dillard scored 12 points. Dillard also scored 12 versus Fairfield. Against Minnesota he dazzled with his first double-double in a Flyer uniform, tallying 19 points and 10 assists.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Kevin Dillard reached the 1,000 point mark in his collegiate career in the Duqusene game on Feb. 1. He scored 734 points in his two years at Southern Illinois and has 318 this season at UD.
DILLARD NAMED A-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
On Nov. 28, Dayton junior point guard Kevin Dillard was named Co-Player of the Week in the Atlantic 10 Conference for his performance in leading the Flyers to the championship of the Old Spice Classic.
KAVAN-AUGHSOME
Matt Kavanaugh is a true road-grader down low. He ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in offensive rebounding with 3.2 per game and seventh in field goal percentage (.549). Kavanaugh opened the year with 15 points and seven rebounds versus Western Illinois. Against UNC-Wilmington, seven of his eight boards were on the offensive glass. Kavanaugh recorded his first career double-double with 15 points & 13 boards versus Wake Forest. He came back with 11 rebounds, seven on the offensive end, against Fairfield. He added 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting against USC-Upstate. He added 14 points and six rebounds at Temple. Kavanaugh scored 10 at St. Bonaventure. In the La Salle win, Kavanaugh set career highs in points (23) and free throws made (13) to go with nine rebounds. He scored 12 points versus Rhode Island. He added 17 points and six rebounds against Duquesne. Six of his eight rebounds at Fordham were on the offensive end. Kavanaugh had nine points against Charlotte.
KAVANAUGH NAMED A-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
On Jan. 23, Dayton’s Matt Kavanaugh was named Co-Player of the Week in the Atlantic 10 Conference for his performance against Xavier. He scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting and had nine rebounds.
TROPIC THUNDER
Since Josh Benson was lost for the season, Matt Kavanaugh is UD’s third-leading scorer (12.0) and second rebounder (6.1). In A-10 action, Kavanaugh ranks sixth in the conference in field goal percentage and fifth in offensive rebounding.
OLIVER TWIST
Devin Oliver continues to show a great ability to provide energy on both ends of the floor. He scored a career-high 14 points and had six rebounds against Charlotte. In his first career start, Oliver had eight points and six rebounds at St. Bonaventure. He corralled seven boards against UNC-Wilmington. Oliver hauled in a team-high seven rebounds against Minnesota. Oliver had a team-high seven rebounds versus Buffalo. He had a career-high 12 points and five rebounds versus USC-Upstate. Oliver added nine points and eight rebounds against UIC. He added five rebounds at St. Joe’s. Oliver scored nine points versus Duquesne.
KING OF THE HILL
Ralph Hill has taken advantage of increased playing time. After scoring 10 total points in his first seven games, Hill has 26 in his last 11 (2.4 ppg). At Saint Joseph’s, Hill recorded career highs of seven points and seven rebounds. He tallied four points and five rebounds versus Xavier. Hill hauled in six rebounds at St. Bonaventure. He dished out a season-best three assists versus URI. Hill added four rebounds against Duquesne. He had five points, three rebounds and two blocks at Fordham.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Alex Gavrilovic was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Dec. 19 after he had 14 points and six rebounds versus Florida International. He topped his season point total of 13 in one night. Gavrilovic finished with four points and five rebounds against UNC-Wilmington. He tallied 12 points and seven rebounds in the win over SLU. Gavrilovic was 3-of-3 from the floor and hauled in six rebounds at Temple. He added 10 points and five boards at St. Bonaventure. Gavrilovic shot 4-of-5 from the field en route to nine points versus La Salle. He added seven points versus Xavier and six against URI.
BOOM BOOM BENSON
Josh Benson is out for the year with a torn ACL in his left knee. Prior to the injury, he was one of UD’s most pleasant surprises averaging 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds per game and shooting .610 from the field. Benson scored a career-high 21 points (8 more than his previous career best) on 10-of-13 shooting against Western Illinois. He added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Minnesota and 17 points, all in the second half, at Murray State. Benson was just as good against No. 16/15 Alabama with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. He was just shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine boards against Seton Hall. Benson was third in the A-10 in field goal percentage (.610) at the time of his injury and scored in double figures in five of his last seven.
MILLER ANNOUNCES 2011 RECRUITING CLASS
Head Coach Archie Miller has announced the signing of three top high school players to letters of intent. They are 6-foot-9 high school teammates Jalen Robinson and Devon Scott from Ohio powerhouse Columbus Northland, and coveted 5-foot-11 point guard Jevon Thomas from Queens, N.Y. by way of Quality Education Academy in Winston-Salem, N.C.
UD ADDS SANFORD & DERENBECKER
Continuing to add to the Flyers’ talent pool, head coach Archie Miller added transfers Vee Sanford (Georgetown) and Matt Derenbecker (LSU). At Georgetown, Sanford played in 27 games in his sophomore year. Derenbecker, a two-time Louisiana High School Gatorade Player of the Year, played in all 32 of LSU’s games in 2010-11. He started 16 games and averaged 6.5 points and 2.1 rebounds a game.
ATLANTIC 10 OVERALL RANKINGS
UD is among the A-10’s best in many categories. Dayton is 2nd in free throw percentage (.764) and rebounding margin (+3.2), 3rd in defensive rebounding (32.2), 4th in 3-pointers made (7.6) and offensive rebounds (12.3).
AGAINST CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
Dayton’s numbers against A-10 opponents jump. Dayton leads the conference free throw shooting (.797) and three pointers made (8.3). The Flyers are second in rebounding margin (+6.5) and offensive rebounding (14.3) and third in defensive rebounding (31.9) and rebounding margin (+6.5).
LINE THEM UP
Shooting at a .764 clip, the Flyers are among the Atlantic 10 leaders in free throw percentage. UD has five players who are shooting better than 70 percent at the charity stripe. Chris Johnson (.873), Kevin Dillard (.810), Matt Kavanaugh (.803) and Paul Williams (.807) and Josh Parker (.789) lead the way. Last season, the Flyers shot .677 at the free throw line.
THE CLOSERS
Dayton is shooting .849 (90-106) from the free throw line in the last two minutes of games this season. Paul Williams has made 17-of-18 (.944), Chris Johnson is 15-of-17 (.882), Josh Parker is 17-of-21 (.810) and Kevin Dillard made 21-of-26 (.808). In the Charlotte win, UD went 10-for-10 with under two minutes remaining.
EYE 75 ON THE SCOREBOARD
The Flyers are 61-9 in the last nine seasons when they score 75 or more points. The Flyers are 8-1 this season and went 7-2 in 2010-11 when reaching the 75-point mark. UD has a 31-5 record the previous four seasons.
80 PROOF
UD has scored at least 80 points five times this season. The Flyers have not done that since the 2002-03 season, when they also did it six times.
PACK YOUR BAGS
Dayton is 5-5 away from UD Arena this season. In those games on road and neutral sites, the Flyers average 69.8 points per game. Kevin Dillard is Dayton’s top scorer (12.2 ppg), while Chris Johnson is UD’s top rebounder (7.0 rpg).
THIRD IS THE WORD
Dayton has hit at least one 3-point shot in 110 straight games.
DOUBLE THE PLEASURE, DOUBLE THE FUN
Numerous players scoring in double figures has been a regular occurrence for Dayton this season. In the Wake Forest win, all five starters reached double figures in points. Against No. 16/15 Alabama, the Flyers had four reach double figures. Five Flyers achieved that feat in the Saint Louis victory and again in the win at Temple. Against Xavier, the Flyers had four players reach double figures. Nine of Dayton’s 10-man rotation have scored in double figures this season. Dillard leads the team in double-figure scoring efforts with 19. Next up are Chris Johnson (14), Paul Williams and Matt Kavanaugh and Josh Parker (9), Josh Benson, Luke Fabrizius (5), Alex Gavrilovic (3) and Devin Oliver (2).
GET IT ON THE GLASS
Dayton is 14-5 this season when out-rebounding its opponent. UD is second in the A-10 with a plus 3.2 rebounding margin. The Flyers are 6-3 in conference play when out-rebounding opponents. Another fun statistic is when Chris Johnson grabs at least five rebounds, Dayton is 14-3 this season.
CONQUERING GOLIATH
The Flyers have proved they can handle the big-name programs. Dayton is 16-6 in the last five years against BCS programs. They have won 10 of the last 12 overall and 5 of the last 8 games against BIG EAST opponents. Dayton’s 16 victories have come against Ole Miss (thrice), Alabama, North Carolina, Minnesota, Illinois, Louisville, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Marquette, Auburn, Cincinnati, Seton Hall, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh. UD has won their last five versus the SEC and the last three against the ACC. Dayton is 4-1 this season against BCS opponents with wins against No. 16/15 Alabama, Ole Miss, Wake Forest and Minnesota.
NON-CONFERENCE NOTORIETY
For the sixth consecutive season, Dayton finished with 10 or more non-conference victories. This season the Flyers won the 2011 Old Spice Classic Championship, defeated four of the five BCS opponents they faced and finished non-conference play with wins in five of its last six contests.
INSIDE THE RPI
Dayton has the 45th-toughest strength of schedule among all NCAA Division-I teams. UD has seven wins over Top 100 teams (Alabama, Temple, Minnesota, Xavier, Ole Miss, Saint Louis, La Salle) with three of those against Top 50 opponents.
TEAM TRENDS
Although the Flyers dealt with injuries all season to top players, Dayton has not missed a beat. Under head coach Archie Miller, the Flyers have a potent attack that features balance, strong outside shooting and an ability to score points in bunches. Top team trends include:
- 11-1 when controlling the tip
- 14-5 record out-rebounding its opponent
- 6-1 when holding opponents to under 60 points
- 8-2 when they have four or more players score in double figures
- 12-3 when scoring 70 points or more
- 7-2 on Saturdays
- 8-1 when Josh Parker scores in double figures
- 9-1 when Luke Fabrizius scores at least 7 points
- 6-2 when Matt Kavanaugh scores at least 11 points
- 12-2 when Matt Kavanaugh grabs at least six rebounds
POSTSEASON STRING OF SUCCESS
Dayton has advanced to the postseason in four consecutive seasons. UD went to the NIT three times and NCAA Tournament once. The last time that happened was when the Flyers made it to the postseason in five straight seasons from 1999-2000 to 2003-04.
UD LOCKED IN TO REGULAR SEASON INVITATIONALS THROUGH 2013
Continuing a commitment to enhancing the non-conference schedule and increased national exposure, the University of Dayton Flyers were announced as a part of the 2012 DIRECTV Charleston Classic eight-team field. Dayton will be a part of a competitive field that includes Baylor, Boston College, Charleston, Colorado, St. John’s and Southern Illinois. An eighth team will be announced at a later date. The Flyers will return to the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational in 2013, 10 years after the Flyers won the event.
OLD SPICE CLASSIC NOTES
Dayton defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 86-70 to capture the 2011 Old Spice Classic championship. In that game, Dayton rewrote program records for in-season tournaments. The Old Spice Classic was Dayton’s 14th in-season tournament championship. UD has won three of the last five it has participated in and this is the first since taking the 2008 Chicago Invitational Challenge. In the program’s history, Dayton had also never beaten a Big Ten team by double-figures before the Minnesota win.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
The national college basketball media took notice of the recent success with Dayton men’s basketball after the Flyers defeated Saint Louis and Temple. ESPN’s Andy Katz with ESPN named the Flyers the “Team of the Week” after wins over Saint Louis and Temple. Brett Edgerton also mentioned Kevin Dillard and his performance to open Atlantic 10 play. The national coverage continued as Mike DeCourcy at The Sporting News wrote about Dayton’s resilient team after losing Josh Benson for the year. Additonal national coverage included Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com having the Flyers in his “Power Pyramid,” Boston Globe sports editor Joe Sullivan calling the Flyer Faithful as “the best basketball fans in America,” Jeff Eisenberg from Yahoo! Sports talking about Dayton’s two big wins over Saint Louis and Temple. Miller was also profiled by WCBS.com in New York and by ESPN two weeks later.
BAND OF BROTHERS
Duke’s Plumlee brothers are the first three brothers to be college teammates on a Division I basketball team since current Flyer radio analyst Arlen “Bucky” Bockhorn and his brothers Harold and Terry were Dayton teammates during the 1957-58 season.
100TH SELLOUT AT UD ARENA
This year’s annual home game against Xavier was the 100th sellout in UD Arena history. Since UD Arena opened in 1969, Dayton has been in the NCAA`s Top 35 in attendance every season. More than 8 million fans have attended UD Arena in the last 43 seasons.
200 HUNDRED AND COUNTING
During Dayton’s game against Charlotte, it marked a stretch of the last 200 regular season home games with an attendance of at least 11,000 fans. In the last 15 years, 99% of UD’s home games have drawn at least 10,000 (439 of 442), including the last 238 regular season games.
AMONG THE BEST IN NCAA ATTENDANCE
The University of Dayton finished in the Top 30 in men’s basketball attendance for the 14th straight season in 2010-11. The Flyers finished 27th in the NCAA in attendance with an average of 12,567 fans a game, after averaging 12,259 in 2009-10. The Flyers led the Atlantic 10 in attendance for the 14th straight season. UD averaged more than 2,400 fans a game better than any other team in the conference.
THE FLYER FAITHFUL
For years, UD has claimed it has had the best fans in the nation. In 2001, The Sporting News conducted an unscientific poll of college basketball coaches, media and SIDs. In the Jan. 8, 2001 issue of the magazine, UD’s fans were tabbed as college basketball’s best. And they prove it to everyone the Flyers play. UD Arena has had 100 sellouts in its 43-year history. The record for sellouts is eight in the Arena’s first season (1969-70). The Flyers finished the 2010-11 regular season averaging 12,567 fans a game.
DAYTON PICKED SIXTH IN ATLANTIC 10 MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
The University of Dayton men’s basketball team was picked to finish sixth in the Atlantic 10 this season in a poll of coaches and media. Senior forward Chris Johnson was a preseason Second Team All-Atlantic 10 pick.
IT’S ALL ABOUT WINNING
The 2010-11 Dayton Flyers recorded 22 victories. That team became just the 19th squad in the program’s history to have won 22 or more games. The Flyers also reached the postseason in four consecutive seasons. The last time that happened was during a stretch between the 1999-2000 and 2003-04 campaigns.
CHRIS WRIGHT BEGINS NBA CAREER
Former Flyer great Chris Wright is one of four rookies on the Golden State Warriors roster. Wright, who graduated from the University last May, had one of the best four years in Flyer basketball history. The greatest above-the-rim player to ever wear the Red & Blue, Wright is the school career record holder in dunks (177) and blocked shots (162). He is only the third UD player to be named All-Atlantic 10 conference three times. He made his first NBA appearance and had three rebounds in a 107-79 loss to Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve.
YOUNG GUN
Archie Miller is the fifth-youngest NCAA Division I head coach. At age 33, Miller is behind UNC-Greensboro’s interim head coach Wes Miller (28), Robert Morris’ Andy Toole (31), Appalachian State’s Jason Capel (31) and Wisconsin Green Bay’s Brian Wardle (32). Tony Jasick at IPFW is 33 as well, but has an earlier birthday than Miller.
COACHING TREE HOUSE
Archie Miller is part of the most prolific active coaching tree in college basketball. A total of nine of Arizona State coach Herb Sendek’s former full-time assistant coaches (not former players, managers or GA’s) are currently Division I head coaches. They are Jim Christian (TCU), Charlie Coles (Miami of Ohio), John Groce, (Ohio), Larry Hunter (Western Carolina), Ron Hunter (Georgia State), Thad Matta (Ohio State), Archie Miller (Dayton), Sean Miller (Arizona) and Mark Phelps (Drake). Rick Pitino has seven branches on his coaching tree, while Jim Calhoun and Mike Montgomery each have six.
FORTUNE 500
The Flyers celebrated their 500th win at UD Arena on Dec. 29, 2009. The Arena opened in 1969. UD Arena is one of just 27 active facilities to have hosted at least 500 wins for its home team, and only one of two built since 1969. The list includes Cameron Indoor Stadium, The Palestra, Pauley Pavilion, Freedom Hall, Allen Fieldhouse, The Pit and Hinkle Fieldhouse. Only four facilities – Pauley Pavilion, The Pit, Freedom Hall and the Huntsman Center – had 500 wins faster than UD Arena.
GRADUATION SUCCESS AT UD
The NCAA Graduation Success Rate report on Division I student-athletes released places the University of Dayton in familiar territory – among the nation’s best. UD’s 95 GSR in this year’s report places the University tied for 21st in the nation and tied for first in the Atlantic 10. The Flyer men’s and women’s basketball teams both have 100 GSR scores. UD’s men’s team is the only one in the Atlantic 10 with a perfect GSR, while the women are one of five. Dayton is one of just four institutions whose men’s and women’s basketball programs have perfect GSR numbers and both won at least 20 games last year.
DAYTON THE HOST FOR THE NCAA FIRST FOUR ONCE AGAIN
The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee announced that the Road to the Final Four will begin once again at the University of Dayton Arena this year. In fact, it will begin in Dayton for at least the next two years as the NCAA’s “First Four” event will be held in at the Arena March 13-14, 2012 and March 19-20, 2013. UD served as the host for the inaugural First Four last March. The games drew more than 10,000 fans each night and a national viewing audience of over five million people.
MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
The University of Dayton Arena has hosted NCAA tournament events in 25 of the 42 years since opening its doors in 1969. The NCAA First Four games made UD Arena the most-used tournament venue in NCAA history. To date, UD Arena has hosted 86 NCAA men’s tournament games, tying it with Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium.
DID YOU KNOW?
UD won more games than any other school in both the 1950s and `60s. UD won 435 games between 1950 and 1969 and ranks among the top teams of the 1950s and 1960s in Division I history. The Flyers’ .763 (228-71) winning percentage in the 1950s ranks fifth in the decade. Their .729 (207-77) winning percentage ranks eighth in the 1960s.
