Game Notes in PDF Format
FLYERS PUT 13-GAME WINNING STREAK ON THE LINE AGAINST THE MINUTEMEN
The No. 14/18 University of Dayton Flyers look to continue their perfection at home as UD hosts the Massachusetts Minutemen on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be carried through WHIO Radio and be available over the Internet with Gametracker and free video and audio streaming from DaytonFlyers.com.
Dayton, 14-1 overall and 2-0 in the Atlantic 10, matched the best start in the program's history with a 68-57 overtime win at Saint Louis on Saturday. UD has won their last 13 and are 10-0 at UD Arena. The Flyers will be wearing an alternate light blue jersey for the game. On Sunday, the Atlantic 10 honored senior guard Brian Roberts for the second time in the last three weeks with the Player of the Week award. Roberts averaged 26.5 points and five assists while shooting 15-of-28 from the field and 17-of-19 from the line in wins over No. 22/20 Rhode Island and at Saint Louis.
UMass enters the contest 11-4 overall, 0-1 in conference play and on a two-game losing skid. Led by 20.9 points per game from redshirt senior Gary Forbes, the Minutemen showcase one of the best offenses in the NCAA and A-10 averaging 85.6 points per game. On the defensive end UMass has risen to the top of the nation blocked shots once again in 2007-08. The Minutemen have picked it up late with 49 blocks in its last five games (9.8 per game).
SERIES STUFF
UD leads the all-time series 7-6. Dayton has won five of the last seven, but lost to the Minutemen 77-69 last season.
NON-CONFERENCE NEWS
Dayton is nationally-ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 18 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Flyer opponents who are ranked in the Top 25 polls include Pittsburgh at No. 15/16, Xavier at 20 in both and Rhode Island at No. 23/21. One other Flyer opponent, Louisville, is also receiving votes.
ROBERTS NAMED A-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR SECOND TIME THIS SEASON
University of Dayton senior guard Brian Roberts was honored by the Atlantic 10 Conference for the second time in the last three weeks. Roberts was named A-10 Co-Player of the Week for his performances in UD's 2-0 start to the conference season. Roberts averaged 26.5 points and five assists while shooting 15-of-28 from the field and 17-of-19 from the line in wins over No. 22/20 Rhode Island and at Saint Louis. He scored 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting and dished out seven assists in the Flyers' 92-83 win over URI on Wednesday, and added 30 points and three assists in Saturday's 68-57 overtime win at Saint Louis. Roberts also earned the award on Dec. 30, 2007 after he scored a season-high-tying 31 points to lead the Flyers to an 80-55 victory over the then No. 6 Pittsburgh Panthers.
ROBERTS AMONG NCAA'S ELITE
Brian Roberts is one of just seven players also among the Top 50 among all NCAA Division I players in scoring average, 3-pt. FG's per game and 3-pt. FG's made. Included in that list are Indiana's Eric Gordon and Vanderbilt's Shan Foster.
ROBERTS NAMED TWO-TIME ESPN.COM "WEEKLY WATCH" PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Speaking of winning an award twice this season, Brian Roberts earned national notice when ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz on Dec. 31 named the senior guard the national player of the week in his "Weekly Watch" column on ESPN.com. Roberts is the only player in the nation to earn the award twice this season. Roberts first earned the honor on Dec. 10, 2007 after he scored 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting in UD's 70-65 win at Louisville. He added five rebounds, three assists and no turnovers in 37 minutes of play.
ROBERTS AMONG THE A-10'S BEST
Brian Roberts ranks 3rd in the A-10 in points per game (20.1), 3rd in FT% (.875, 63-72), 5th in assists per game (4.5), 5th in 3-pt. FG's per game (2.9), 6th in FG% (.500, 97-194) and 7th in 3-pt. FG% (.458, 44-96). He is the only A-10 player among the conference leaders in scoring, field goal percentage,3-point field goal percentage, 3-pointers made, assists, assists-to-turnover ratio (8th, 1.66) and minutes per game (7th, 34.20). Earlier this year Roberts was named to the Preseason First Team All-Atlantic 10 squad. Roberts was the only player listed among the Atlantic 10's top five in scoring (3rd), minutes (2nd), FT% (2nd), 3-pt. FG% (2nd) and 3-pointers per game (5th) in 2006-07.
B-ROB B-GOOD
A two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection and UD Most Valuable Player, Roberts is just the eighth Flyer to earn MVP honors as a sophomore and junior. Last season, he led UD in scoring (18.5), assists (2.7), minutes (35.6), 3-pt. FG's per game (2.7), FT% (.899, 133-148) and 3-pt. FG% (.458, 82-179). Roberts is also the only UD player in the school's top five in career 3-pt. FG% and FT%. His .438 (237-541) from behind the arc is first at UD and his .850 FT% (317-373) is third.
THE TOLEDO RIFLE
Already having scored 1,634 career points, Brian Roberts is projected to finish in the Top Five in Flyer scoring. He has a more than solid chance to be the first UD player to lead the team in scoring three times since Jim Paxson did it in 1978-79. It just so happens that Paxson was also the last Flyer to be named an All-American. Roberts moved into the Top Twenty in UD career scoring during the Toledo win, and needs eight points to reach Mike Kanieski in 11th place and 21 points to reach Donald Smith in 10th. Against Saint Louis, Roberts reached two milestones recording his 300th career assist and passing former All-American Bill Uhl on the all-time scoring list.
ESPN THE MAGAZINE RECOGNIZES ROBERTS
In the 2007-08 college basketball preview, ESPN the Magazine's Dick Vitale selected Dayton's Brian Roberts as the best player that few have heard about. Roberts has scored in double figures 13 times this season and in 40 of his last 44 games.
MR. ROBERTS = MR. EFFICIENCY
Over his career, Roberts has demonstrated a knack for two things: scoring his points in short amounts of time, and playing well on the road. He scored at least 10 points in a half 25 times in 2006-07, and has done it 66 times in his career. This season Roberts has tallied double-figures in a half 16 times. Over his college career, Roberts' road scoring average of 15.9 points is actually better than his home average of 14.3.
Against SMU, Roberts enjoyed one of his most efficient games shooting 10-of-12 from the floor and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc en route to 24 points. In the final 64 seconds against Miami, Roberts netted 12 of his team high 20 points, and a game-winning 3-pointer in UD's 63-62 victory. At Louisville, Roberts shot 10-of-17 from the field and had no turnovers in 37 minutes of play. Against Loyola Md., Roberts converted 12-of-12 free throws en route to a game high 20 points. In the Pittsburgh contest, Roberts knocked down 10-of-17 shots, including 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. Roberts scored 23 points and went 7-of-11 from the floor and 6-of-7 at the charity stripe in a win over Rhode Island. At Saint Louis Roberts scored seven of his game-high 30 points in overtime and connected on 11-of-12 free throws in a Flyer victory.
LIFE OF BRIAN
One of the most impressive aspects of Brian Roberts' senior season has been his ability to come up big against ranked opponents. In UD's three games this season against ranked competition, Roberts averages 27.3 points, 5.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game. He is shooting 27-of-45 from the floor (.600), 10-of-20 (.500) from beyond the arc and 18-of-20 at the free throw line (.900). For his career, he averages 17.5 points (seven games) and 21.0 as a starter (six starts).
STUMPING FOR ROBERTS
ESPN.com featured Brian Roberts in its last two ESPN SportsNation polls. He was selected by fans as the top senior in the country and is one of five players being voted on as "Big Men on Campus" for this year's college basketball season.
YEAR-TO-YEAR COMPARISON
Here is a quick comparison of Brian Roberts stats through 15 games from last season to this year.
Points - (17.7 in 2006-07) / (20.1 in 2007-08)
Rebounds - (3.5 in 2006-07) / (2.7 in 2007-08)
Assists - (3.2 in 2006-07) / (4.5 in 2007-08)
FG % - (84-188, 45% in 2006-07) / (97-194, 50% in 2007-08)
3-pt FG% - (37-87, 43% in 2006-07) / (44-96, 47% in 2007-08)
AMONG THE TEAM LEADERS
Serving as one of the team captains this season Brian Roberts leadership on-and-off the court has served well for Dayton. On the court he leads UD in points, minutes played, three-point shooting, three-point field goals made, free throw percentage and assists. Off the court, Roberts and seniors Jimmy Binnie and Andres Sandoval matched the program's best start at 14-1 when the Flyers had the same record in 1955-56. UD's 12-1 non-conference record marked just the fourth time in school history the Flyers reached 10 wins before January 1.
ROBERTS AMONG CANDIDATES FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD & BOB COUSY AWARD
University of Dayton senior guard Brian Roberts is one of 30 initial candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for the 2007-08 basketball season. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student athletes in four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. In addition, Roberts is a candidate for the Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford. The Cousy award is given to the top collegiate male basketball point guard annually spanning across all divisions within the game by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Roberts, a two-time White Allen Most Valuable Player, is the only Flyer men's basketball player to be named all-conference and academic all-conference in the same season (2006-07).
WRIGHT OUT 4-TO-8 WEEKS WITH ANKLE INJURY
An MRI examination on Jan. 10 revealed that freshman forward Chris Wright has a fractured bone in his right ankle. He will undergo a surgical procedure to assist the healing of the fracture on Monday. A typical rehab program for an injury like this is four-to-eight weeks. After 13 games Wright has four Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors and three double-doubles. He first earned the award on Nov. 11 after netting the first double-double in a Flyer freshman debut with 22 points and 13 rebounds against East Tennessee State. Wright earned the honor again on Nov. 25 behind 26 points and 12 rebounds over Toledo. Wright had a double-double in the first half against High Point and finished the contest with 16 points and 13 boards. On Dec. 16, Wright earned the Rookie of the Week honor for the fourth time this season. The last player to get four A-10 Rookie awards in his first six weeks was Jameer Nelson. Wright leads the team in rebounding (6.0), blocked shots (11) and FG% (.605, 52-86) and is second on the team in scoring (10.4) and FT% (.811, 30-37). He is tied for 19th in the conference rebounding and the top freshman in the A-10 in scoring, FT%, FG%, blocks and rebounding.
LITTLE BIG MAN
At 6-foot-6, 237 pounds, junior Charles Little might be the most inaccurately named player in the country. This season Little leads UD in offensive rebounds (29), is fourth on the team in scoring (7.9) and tied for second in rebounding (4.9). Over his last six games Little is shooting 22-of-39 from the floor (.564). In his first game of the season, Little hauled in 13 rebounds to go with seven points in the Flyers win over ETSU. His 20 points in the Toledo win almost doubled what he had in the season's first two games. Against High Point, Little dished out a career-high five assists. In the Loyola win he shot 5-of-7 from the floor to finish with 12 points. Little added nine points off the bench in a win over Rhode Island. At Saint Louis Little scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. The junior finished last season second on the team in scoring (10.5), led the team in rebounding (5.2) and was named the 2007 A-10 Sixth Man of the Year.
CHARLES IN CHARGE
In his last 18 games against Atlantic 10 competition, Charles Little averages 13.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and is shooting 102-191 from the field (.534). Little posted a career-high 28 points last season against Xavier, hauled in 16 rebounds at Temple and picked up three steals this season over Rhode Island. This season against the A-10, Little averages 12.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting .579 from the field.
MARVELOUS MARCUS
With four consecutive double-digit scoring performances, Marcus Johnson has quietly put together a solid sophomore campaign. Johnson averages 9.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He ranks third on the team free throw percentage at .719, second on the team in minutes played (29.4) and second in steals (10). The sophomore guard has scored in double figures six times this season, all at UD Arena, and in four of his last five games.
COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
Johnson has been at his best from the line in the clutch, making 12-of-15 in the final minute of regulation. He nailed two in the final minute against Louisville and 4-of-4 to seal the win over American. Johnson scored 16 points versus Loyola and then Johnson sparkled with his second career double-double behind 15 points and 11 rebounds against then No. 6 Pittsburgh. Against Akron Johnson filled every stat column by recording 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot. In the Rhode Island game, Johnson finished with 14 points and five rebounds. His three-pointer with the shot clock winding down and 58 seconds gave UD a seven-point lead and was the last field goal of the game. At Saint Louis, Johnson recorded five of his game-high eight rebounds in the final minute of regulation and overtime.
MORE ON MJ
Dayton's top freshman honor, the Thomas Luppe Memorial Award, went to Marcus Johnson last year after he averaged 6.6 points and 3.7 rebounds a game and set a UD record with the most points scored by a Flyer freshman in their first-career game with 23. Fast forward to 2007-08 where Johnson has been productive in 10 home games this season averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. In his last five games, Johnson averages 12.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 32.8 minutes per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
THE JACKSONVILLE JET
London Warren (a.k.a. the "Jacksonville Jet," as dubbed by the WHIO Radio team of Larry Hansgen and Bucky Bockhorn), has been one of the best defensive players for UD this season. Warren ranks 12th in the Atlantic 10 with 24 steals. The sophomore guard has 23 steals in his last 12 games. Warren scored all six of his points in double overtime in UD's win over Akron. At Louisville, Warren snagged a career-high four steals in UD's win and matched that number with four steals to go with six points and eight rebounds versus Loyola. This year Warren averages 3.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.
SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM
Jimmy Binnie, along with classmate Brian Roberts, are the first Brian Gregory players to live the college basketball experience from start to finish - recruiting, verballing, signing, playing and, come spring, graduating. This season Binnie ranks first in the A-10 in 3-pt FG % at .511 (23-45). The senior is averaging 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the field. Binnie scored a career-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor over Akron. Before that he scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor in a win at Holy Cross. At Saint Louis he knocked down 2-of-3 three-point attempts en route to seven points. In his last 11 games, Binnie is averaging 7.5 points per game and shooting 57 percent (25-of-44) from the floor. Known as one of the better perimeter shooters on the team, Binnie has knocked down a three-point shot in all but one game this season. He ranks second on the team with 23 converted three-point shots.
ENTER SANDMAN
Andres Sandoval increased his scoring average over the previous 10 games and excelled in a starting role. Sandoval scored a season-high 12 points to go with three assists in the win over Rhode Island. He scored six points in 10 minutes of action against American and added 10 points in a win over Loyola. At Holy Cross he scored five points after hitting a 3-pointer and converting two free throws in UD's win. After tallying just six points in his first three games, Sandoval has scored 62 in his next 12. During the 13-game winning streak, Sandoval has converted 11-of-31 (36%) of his three-point attempts.
BEING "KURT" TO THE OPPOSITION
Sophomore Kurt Huelsman continues to improve as the season rolls along. Huelsman battled against DeJuan Blair, the Big East's two-time Rookie of the Week, by recording 12 points and eight rebounds in UD's win over then No. 6 Pittsburgh. Not to be outdone, he responded with a career-best 18 points against Akron and 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting over Rhode Island. Huelsman scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field in the Miami win, came up big again with a team-high seven rebounds and five points in the victory at Louisville and added another career-high with 11 boards over American. After being held scoreless in his first three games, Huelsman has 94 points thanks to 58 percent (34-of-59) shooting during that span and scoring in double figures in five games. His 15 assists this season already surpassed last year's total of 12.
HUELSMAN GETS IT DONE
Kurt Huelsman was the only player to start every game last year for the Flyers and has started all 15 games this season. The 6-10 big man averages 6.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Huelsman has five or more rebounds in eight of his last 11 games.
ON THE GO WITH THIAGO
After leading all junior college players in blocked shots per game last season, Thiago Cordeiro has started to get comfortable at UD. In his last seven games, he is averaging 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds, shooting .667 (10-15) FG and blocked nine of his season's 10 shots. He had a season-high 11 points against American. Cordeiro is second on the team in FG% (.563, 18-32) and blocked shots (10).
HEY MICKEY
Redshirt sophomore Mickey Perry broke out in a big way with eight points in nine minutes against Rhode Island to open A-10 play. He enjoyed a memorable UD debut when he knocked down a three-pointer, grabbed two rebounds and recorded a block in the Flyers win against Coppin State. In six games this season Perry is shooting 6-of-13 (.462) from the floor and 5-of-12 (.417) from beyond the arc.
DIAL IN WITH DEVIN
Freshman Devin Searcy got going on both ends of the floor in UD's win over SMU. Searcy came off the bench and hauled in five rebounds (three on the offensive glass) and picked up his first two points as a Flyer in eight minutes of play. He followed that up with a career high six points against High Point in 11 minutes of action. In eight minutes of action against then No. 6 Pittsburgh, Searcy tallied three rebounds. The freshman is averaging 1.3 points and 1.4 rebounds this season.
THOMAS THE TRAIN
Freshman Stephen Thomas has appeared in all but three games this season for UD. The point guard averages 1.2 points and 0.8 rebounds per game. Against Akron Thomas gave quality minutes off the bench hitting his only FG attempt and adding a rebound.
UD SIGNS TOP RECRUITING CLASS OF BENSON, FABRIZUS, JOHNSON AND WILLIAMS
Coach Brian Gregory and his staff landed their fifth strong recruiting class at UD, as the Flyers received National Letters of Intent Nov. 14 from their 2008 incoming freshman class. The newest official members of the Flyer family are 6-10 forward/center Josh Benson of Dayton Dunbar High School, 6-9 forward Luke Fabrizius of John Hersey High School (Arlington Heights, IL), 6-5 guard/forward Chris Johnson of Columbus (OH) Brookhaven High School and 6-3 guard Paul Williams of Detroit Renaissance High School. The 2007-08 signing class is ranked as high as 37th in the country (HoopScoopOnline.com) and features three Street & Smith's High School All-Americans.
EYE 75 ON THE SCOREBOARD
The Flyers are 25-3 under head coach Brian Gregory when they score at least 75 points.
REWARDING RESERVES
The Flyers' reserves have stepped up this season out-scoring the opponent's bench in 12 of 15 games. Led by 7.9 points per game from junior Charles Little, UD's bench this season holds a 310-206 edge in scoring this season.
BALANCING ACT
The Flyers have 10 players who are averaging three points or more this season. Against Louisville, all nine players who saw the court scored at least a field goal in UD's upset win. All 11 scholarship players who played in the two-point win at Holy Cross scored at least two points, and all 10 that saw action against High Point grabbed at least two rebounds. In the game against Pittsburgh every scholarship player saw action. In fact, every scholarship player who played has scored in six games this season.
SAILING THE ATLANTIC
The Flyers hold an all-time 250-180 edge over Atlantic 10 conference opponents and have finished .500 or better in seven of the previous eight seasons. After a 19-12 season in 2006-07, the Flyers were picked to finish sixth in the league according to a poll of the Atlantic 10's head coaches and media. Last season the Flyers went 8-8 in conference play.
DIAL LONG DISTANCE
UD is first in the A-10 and 8th in the NCAA in 3-pt shooting knocking down 94-of-223 (.422) from beyond the arc. In their last five games the Flyers have converted 39-of-84 (.464) shots from beyond the arc, while holding opponents to a .333 clip from 3-pt range (40-120) during that span. The Flyers have two players, Jimmy Binnie and Brian Roberts, who rank in the A-10's top 10 in 3-pt FG%. At UD Arena this season, the Flyers are shooting .501 from beyond the arc (67-152)
DOING IT WITH DEFENSE
This season the Flyers rank third in the A-10 in scoring defense, allowing 62.8 points per game and having held seven of their last 12 opponents below 60 points.
RAISING ITS LEVEL
The Atlantic 10 is ranked 7th out of 31 conferences thru games of Jan. 14 by collegerpi.com. The A-10 has four teams ranked in the top 30 overall as Dayton is fourth followed by Xavier (12th), Rhode Island (14th) and Massachusetts (28th).
TO BE THE BEST, YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST
10 of the first 15 teams on Dayton's schedule this season were their respective conference pre-season favorites, played in last year's NCAA tournament, or both. UD is 3-0 this season against nationally-ranked opponents and 7-1 against teams with a record of .500 or better.
DOUBLE THE FUN
Through 14 games this season Chris Wright and Marcus Johnson are the only two Flyers to have recorded double-doubles this season. Here are UD's double-double performances during the 2007-08 campaign.
11/10/07 - Chris Wright vs. ETSU (22 points, 13 rebounds)
11/21/07 - Chris Wright vs. Toledo (26 points, 12 rebounds)
12/5/07 - Chris Wright vs. High Point (16 points, 13 rebounds)
12/29/07 - Marcus Johnson vs. Pittsburgh (15 points, 11 rebounds)
POLLING THE ELECTORATE
Dayton has moved up to 14th in the latest Associated Press poll and 18th in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. It's the highest UD has been ranked since the Flyers were No. 6 in the first two weeks of the 1967-68 season.
UD's 14-1 start has been a reflection of its body of work to this point. The last time the Flyers defeated three ranked teams in the same season was the 2002-03 when UD knocked off No. 21 Cincinnati, No. 13 Marquette and No. 25 Saint Joseph's twice in the Top 25.
QUICK HITS - UD IN THE AP TOP 25
