Game Notes in PDF Format
DAYTON LOOKS TO SNAP A FOUR-GAME ROAD LOSING STREAK
Coming off a win against Temple in their last contest, the University of Dayton Flyers look to build upon that momentum in Philadelphia against the La Salle Explorers on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be carried through WHIO Radio and be available over the Internet with Gametracker and a live audio & video stream from DaytonFlyers.com.
Dayton is 17-7 overall and 5-6 in the Atlantic 10. However, UD has lost four straight on the road after starting the season 4-1 away from UD Arena. On Sunday senior guard Brian Roberts was named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week for his efforts against Duquesne and Temple averaging 22.5 points and four assists while knocking down 8-of-13 attempts from three-point range. Roberts has had plenty of help as well. In his last five games sophomore Marcus Johnson has three double-doubles, while senior Andres Sandoval recorded 11 steals in his last four contests.
La Salle enters the contest 11-13 overall, 5-5 at home and have won three of their last four. The Explorers are led senior guard Darnell Harris (16.0 ppg), who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the land (.495). Harris is one of two double-figure scorers for the Explorers, the other being sophomore Rodney Green (13.2 ppg). The Explorers also feature forward Jerrell Williams (9.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg), who is among the candidates for the A-10 Rookie of the Year.
SERIES STUFF
UD leads the all-time series 20-12 and have won 12 of the last 13 meetings. Last year the Flyers hung on for an 82-80 win over the Explorers behind Brian Roberts tying a career-high with 34 points.
POLLING THE ELECTORATE
Flyer opponents who are ranked in the Top 25 of the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls include Xavier at No. 10/12 and Louisville at No. 18/23. Two other Flyer opponents, Rhode Island and Pittsburgh, are also receiving votes.
ROBERTS SELECTED AS A-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR THIRD TIME THIS SEASON
University of Dayton senior guard Brian Roberts was named the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 18 for his efforts against Duquesne and Temple. Roberts averaged 22.5 points and four assists while knocking down 8-of-13 attempts from three-point range. The A-10 honored Roberts on Jan. 13 for the second time after averaging 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 and added 30 points and three assists in the 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.
UD'S ROBERTS A FINALIST FOR COUSY AWARD
On Feb. 1, Brian Roberts was selected as one of 16 finalists for the award that goes annually to the top point guard in college basketball. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in conjunction with The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. announced this year's finalists for the Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford. This honor comes at the end of a week where Roberts was named to three of the most exclusive lists in college basketball. In addition to being a Cousy finalist, he was also named to the mid-season Top 30 lists for the two awards that go to the nation's top player - the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy.
ROBERTS AMONG THE TOP 30 CANDIDATES FOR THE WOODEN AWARD
Brian Roberts was listed among the top candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, the nation's most coveted college basketball award. Composed of the top 30 players who will compete for this season's player of the year award, the midseason list is based on individual player performance and team records during the first half of the season. Roberts is the only player from the Atlantic 10 on the list. 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.
NAISMITH TROPHY LISTS ROBERTS AS ONE OF THE TOP 30 CANDIDATES
The Atlanta Tipoff Club also named Brian Roberts to its midseason Top 30 list for the 2008 Naismith Trophy. This honor comes on the heels of the Toledo native also being named on the mid-season Top 30 for the John R. Wooden Award. Roberts is one of 21 student-athletes named to both lists. The Naismith Top 30 men's list was voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country. Roberts is vying to join Marcus Camby (1996) and Jameer Nelson (2004) as the only A-10 Wooden Award winners.
ROBERTS NAMED TWO-TIME ESPN.COM "WEEKLY WATCH" PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Speaking of a two-time award winner, Brian Roberts earned national notice on Dec. 31 when ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz named him 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.
ROBERTS NAMED AMONG THE TOP 10 FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
The midseason honors continued for Brian Roberts is one of the Top 10 Finalists for the 2007-08 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. 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. 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).
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 20 times this season, 47 of his last 53 games and at least 20 points 14 times.
ROBERTS AMONG THE A-10'S BEST
Brian Roberts is fourth in the A-10 in points per game (19.0), 2nd in FT% (.874, 90-103), 5th in 3-pt. FG's per game (2.8), 5th in FG% (.493, 149-302), 7th in assists per game (3.7) and 4th in 3-pt. FG% (.444, 68-153). 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 (12th, 1.35) and minutes per game (5th, 34.17). Roberts seven 20-point games in A-10 play are the most in the league. Earlier this year Roberts was named to the Preseason First Team All-Atlantic 10 squad.
THE TOLEDO RIFLE
Already having scored 1,791 career points, Brian Roberts is projected to finish in the Top Five in Flyer scoring. He is a virtual lock to be the first UD player to lead the team in scoring three times since Jim Paxson did it in 1978-79. Paxson was also the last Flyer to be named an All-American. Roberts needs 15 points to reach Negele Knight for seventh on the all-time scoring list.
MR. ROBERTS = MR. EFFICIENCY
Over his career, Brian 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 73 times in his career. This season Roberts has tallied double-figures in a half 23 times. His career scoring average away from UD Arena of 16.5 is better than his home average of 14.5. Against SMU, Roberts was 10-of-12 from the floor and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc en route to 24 points. In the final 64 seconds at 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 Roberts converted all 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 line in a win over Rhode Island. In the first Saint Louis meeting he scored seven of his game-high 30 points in overtime in a Flyer victory. Roberts recorded 19 of his 21 points in the second half against UMass thank in part to hitting 7-of-8 free throws. Recovering from flu-like symptoms, Roberts poured in 17 of his team-high 20 points in the second half at Richmond. He scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor and 4-for-4 from three-point range over Saint Louis. At Rhode Island, Roberts scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the second half. At George Washington, scored a team-high 20 points. Roberts led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting and four assists versus Duquesne. He shot 7-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc to finish with 23 points over Temple.
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 four games this season against ranked competition, Roberts averages 21.8 points, 4.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game. He is shooting 29-of-50 from the floor (.580), 11-of-23 (.478) from beyond the arc and 18-of-20 at the free throw line (.900). For his career, he averages 16.2 points (eight games) and 19.5 as a starter (seven starts).
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. Roberts is also the only UD player in the school's top five in career 3-pt. FG% and FT%. His .436 (261-598) from behind the arc is first at UD and his .851 FT% (344-404) is third.
MIDSEASON MARVEL
Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis wrote a midseason award column, and named Brian Roberts a Second Team All-American. Davis also categorized Dayton as one of this college basketball season's surprise teams. In five career overtime games he is averaging 22.8 points a game, including 27 points during the 40 minutes of overtime played. Roberts was the only player listed among the A-10's top five in scoring (3rd), minutes (2nd), FT% (2nd), 3-pt. FG% (2nd) and 3-pointers per game (5th) in 2006-07.
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.
THE WRIGHT STUFF
An MRI examination on Jan. 10 revealed that forward Chris Wright had a fractured bone in his right ankle. He underwent a surgical procedure to assist the healing of the fracture and will be out approximately two more 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), and FG% (.605, 52-86). Wright is second on the team in scoring (10.4), blocked shots (11) and FT% (.811, 30-37). At the time of his injury, he was the top is top freshman in the A-10 in scoring, free throw and field goal percentage, blocks and rebounding.
WRIGHT PLACE, WRIGHT TIME
Chris Wright's 26 points in the Toledo win tied the second-most points by a Flyer freshman. Only Shawn Haughn scored more in his freshman year when he scored 30 against Saint Louis in 1993-94. Jim Rhoden (1977-78) and Tony Stanley (1997-98) previously also scored 26 as freshmen for UD. Wright's 26-point, 12-rebound effort was his second double-double in three career games. His first, 22 and 13 in the season opening win over East Tennessee State, marked the first time a Flyer freshman had a double-double in his college debut.
THE COMPANY YOU KEEP
Forward Chris Wright, a preseason Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection, was one of the top 20 high school basketball players in the country selected to play in the 2007 Jordan Brand All-American Classic at Madison Square Garden. Wright performed well with a 10-point, 10-rebound performance. Recent participants include NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.
WRIGHT'S REPUTATION PRECEDES HIM
Chris Wright also earned a spot on the Preseason A-10 All Rookie Team. Three respected ranking services - HoopScoop, Rivals.com and Scout.com - rate UD's group of three incoming freshmen the best in the Atlantic 10. Considered by many experts to be the top incoming freshman in the A-10, Wright was ranked as high as the 18th-best prospect in the country. He averaged 19.2 points and 12.8 rebounds for Trotwood-Madison High School while earning First Team All-Ohio Division I honors.
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 is second in offensive rebounds (43), second in rebounding (5.0) and fourth on the team in scoring (8.3). Little has also scored in double-figures in four of his last seven games. Over his last 11 games Little is shooting 38-of-68 from the floor (.559).
In his first game of the year, Little tallied 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. He added 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting against Charlotte. Little recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds at George Washington. Little then chipped in with nine points, four rebounds and four assists versus Duquesne. 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 24 games against Atlantic 10 competition, Little averages 11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 123-of-232, (.530) from the floor. 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. Little's 34 dunks (32 over in the last 23 games of the 2006-07 season) were more than twice as many as anyone else on the team, and more than half of UD's 55 dunks last year.
This season against the A-10, Little averages 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting .533 from the field. In UD basketball history, Little has 653 career points and needs four to tie Dan Obrovac for 72nd on the all-time scoring list.
MARVELOUS MARCUS
Marcus Johnson has quietly put together a solid sophomore campaign averaging 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. The sophomore guard has scored in double figures 12 times this season and in 10 of his last 14 games. He leads the team with 119 total rebounds, ranks third on the team free throw percentage at .713, second on the team in minutes played (29.3) and tied for third in steals (13). Against Duquesne, Johnson tallied his team-leading third double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds to go with a career-best three blocks. Johnson recorded his third career double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds against UMass. He added double-double game (15 points, 11 rebounds) in a victory over then No. 6 Pitt.
MORE ON MJ
Marcus Johnson has been at his best from the line in the clutch, making 13-of-17 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. 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. At Xavier, Johnson led all UD scorers with 12 points. At Richmond, he netted 10 points and four rebounds. Johnson added 10 points and five boards at Rhode Island. He added six points and five rebounds in a win over Charlotte. Johnson dished out a career-best four assists to go with eight points and five rebounds at George Washington. In the Temple win, Johnson had 14 points and three rebounds. In A-10 play this season, Johnson averages 9.5 points, 6.1 rebounds. Johnson has been also productive in 15 home games this season averaging 10.9 points and 5.7 rebounds 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 second on the team in 3-pt FG % at .383 (31-81). The senior is averaging 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 43 percent from the field. Binnie scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor over Akron. Before that he tallied 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. When Saint Louis came to UD Arena, he added seven rebounds. At Rhode Island, Binnie recorded 10 points and five rebounds. Binnie added a career-high 15 points and seven rebounds over Charlotte. He chipped in with five points, four rebounds and two steals at GW. He added five points and two assists versus Duquesne. Binnie had seven points and five rebounds over Temple. Binnie has knocked down a 3-point shot in all but four games this season and ranks second on the team with 31 made 3-pointers.
ENTER SANDMAN
Senior Andres Sandoval quickly raised his level of play since being inserted as a starter averaging 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. At Richmond, Sandoval netted career-bests nine rebounds and two blocks to go with a season-high 17 points. He followed that up with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting against Saint Louis. Sandoval scored 12 points to go with three assists in the win over Rhode Island. Against Charlotte, Sandoval added four steals to go with 10 points. He added 15 points, seven rebounds and a career-high four steals over Temple.
ANDRES THE GIANT
One of the most underrated aspects of senior Andres Sandoval has been his defensive effort of late. Sandoval has 11 steals in his last four games. Sandoval's 19 steals on the season is second on the team with 12 of those in conference play.
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 leads UD with 33 steals, with 32 of them in his last 21 games. However, Warren has also been great lately on the offensive end. Warren tallied career-bests 13 points and 10 rebounds to go with five assists at Rhode Island. At Richmond he added 11 points and matched that point total the following game against Saint Louis. 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. His layup and two free throws with less than a minute remaining gave UD the lead over Charlotte. Warren had five poitns, three assists and two steals over Temple. In A-10 play this season, Warren averages 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from the floor.
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 three-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. At Rhode Island, Huelsman tallied 12 points and six rebounds. In foul trouble most of the game, he added six points and five rebounds over Charlotte. Huelsman tallied seven points and five rebounds at GW. After being held scoreless in his first three games, Huelsman has 144 points thanks to 56 percent (55-of-102) shooting during that span and scoring in double figures in six games. Last year Huelsman did not score in double figures in any contest. Through 24 games, he already has career highs in points and assists (18).
HUELSMAN GETS IT DONE
Kurt Huelsman was the only player to start every game last year for UD and has started all 24 games this season. The 6-10 big man averages 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Huelsman has five or more rebounds in 11 games this year. He earned UD's Best Defender Award for 2006-07. Against ranked teams, Huelsman averages 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and in his last five games has 12 offensive rebounds.
DIAL IN WITH DEVIN
Freshman Devin Searcy averages 1.1 points and 1.3 rebounds this season. He got going on both ends of the floor in UD's win over SMU by hauling in five rebounds (three on the offensive glass) and picked up his first two points as a Flyer. 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. At Xavier, Searcy hauled in four defensive rebounds.
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 16 games, he is averaging 2.5 points and 1.7 rebounds, shooting .577 (15-26) FG and blocked 15 of his season's 16 shots. He had a season-high 11 points against American. The 6-9 big man came off the bench to add seven points and three rebounds at Xavier. Cordeiro added a career-best four blocks to go with four points and six rebounds. Cordeiro is third on the team in FG% (.535, 23-43) and leads in blocked shots (16).
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 3-pointer, grabbed two rebounds and recorded a block in the Flyers win against Coppin State. He added seven points and six boards against UMass. Against Temple he knocked down both three-point shots and finished with six points, one rebound and one assist. In 13 games this season Perry is shooting 12-of-34 (.353) from the floor and averages 2.8 points. The Flyers are 5-1 this season when Perry knocks down a three-point basket.
THOMAS THE TRAIN
Freshman Stephen Thomas has appeared in all but five games this season. Thomas averages 0.9 points and 0.5 rebounds per game. Against Akron, Thomas gave quality minutes off the bench and hit his only field goal attempt. Thomas connected on a three-pointer, added an assist and steal at Xavier. He dished out a career-best two assists versus Charlotte.
FILLING UP THE STAT SHEET
Dayton has had five different players lead the team in scoring this season - Brian Roberts (18 times), Chris Wright (twice), and Jimmy Binnie, Kurt Huelsman, Marcus Johnson and Charles Little (once each). In rebounding, nine players have taken honors in at least one game - Little (six), Binnie and Wright (five each), Huelsman and Johnson (four each), Andres Sandoval (twice), and Thiago Cordeiro, Devin Searcy and London Warren (once). (Note: rebounding numbers add up to more than 24 due to four games where more than one player tied for the team-high.).
BALANCING ACT
The Flyers have eight players who are averaging four points or more this season. Against Louisville, all nine players who saw the court scored at least a field goal in UD's win. All 11 scholarship players who played in the win at Holy Cross scored at least two points, and all 10 that saw action against High Point grabbed at least two rebounds. In fact, every scholarship player who played has scored in six games this season.
BLOCK PARTY
Although UD is 13th in the A-10 in blocks, UD tied the school record for blocks in a single game with nine against Duquesne. The Flyers have at least one block in the last four games.
THE FLIGHT CLUB
The Flyers have 49 dunks so far in 2007-08. Charles Little leads the team with 22, followed by Chris Wright (16), Marcus Johnson (9), Kurt Huelsman (1) and Andres Sandoval (1). Dayton had 55 in 31 games last season. The five dunks by Wright in the SMU game is he second-most by an individual at UD (by one) and the most by a freshman.
TO BE THE BEST, YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST
Thirteen of the first 24 teams on Dayton's schedule this season were their respective conference pre-season favorites, played in last year's NCAA or NIT tournament, or both.
THAT'S A CATCH-22
UD has held opponents to 22 points or less in a half five times this season. In 2006-07, UD achieved that mark seven times.
HEAD OF THE A-10 CLASS
UD placed 93 student-athletes on the 2007 Fall Semester A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll that was announced on Feb. 13. That was the fifth-most in the league, even though the Flyers play fewer A-10 sports than all but one Atlantic 10 school.
UD SIGNS TOP RECRUITING CLASS OF BENSON, FABRIZIUS, 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 members of the Flyer family are 6-10 forward 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 26-3 under head coach Brian Gregory when they score at least 75 points.
DOING IT WITH DEFENSE
This season the Flyers rank third in the A-10 in scoring defense, allowing 64.2 points per game. UD is 8-1 when holding opponents to 59 points or less this year.
ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Dayton defeated three 2007 NCAA teams on their home courts this season (Louisville, Miami, Holy Cross). The Flyers have already surpassed the number of road games the Flyers won all of last year.
DOUBLE THE FUN
Through 24 games this season Chris Wright, Marcus Johnson, Charles Little and London Warren are the only 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)
1/16/08 - Marcus Johnson vs. UMass (15 points, 13 rebounds)
2/2/08 - London Warren vs. Rhode Island (13 points, 10 rebounds)
2/9/08 - Charles Little vs. GW (12 points, 11 rebounds)
2/13/08 - Marcus Johnson vs. Duquesne (11 points, 12 rebounds)
GREGORY NAMED PHELAN MID-SEASON AWARD WINNER BY COLLEGEINSIDER.COM
On Jan. 9, a 20-person panel of college basketball experts selected UD head coach Brian Gregory as the winner of the mid-season Jim Phelan Coach of the Year Award. CollegeInsider.com renamed its mid-season and end-of-the-year coach of the year awards after Phelan, the long-time coach of Mount St. Mary's University, in 2003.
RAISING ITS LEVEL
Through Feb. 19, only 12 teams had three wins against Top 25 RPI teams: Duke 4-1; Purdue 4-2; Texas 4-2; Memphis 3-0; UCLA 5-1; Arizona State 4-3; Louisville 3-2; Wisconsin 3-2; Connecticut 4-3, Marquette 3-5, Stanford 3-1 and Dayton 3-3.
STARTING OFF STRONG
UD's 12-1 non-conference record marked just the fourth time in school history the Flyers reached 10 wins before January 1.
GLASS CLEANERS
The Flyers have out-rebounded their opponent in the last six games and in 14 of the last 16 contests. Dayton has allowed the fewest rebounds in the A-10 and have the second best rebounding margin in the conference at plus 5.5. This coming with no Dayton player listed in the Top 20 in the conference.
SAILING THE ATLANTIC
The Flyers hold an all-time 253-186 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.
REWARDING RESERVES
The Flyers' reserves have stepped up this season out-scoring the opponent's bench in 14 of 24 games. UD's bench holds a 451-410 edge in scoring this season.
SECRET SMILES AUCTION A SUCCESS
UD's seventh annual "Flyer Feedback Auction" to benefit the charity "Secret Smiles" was a great success raising $18,000. Coach Brian Gregory's dedicated cause is a charity called "Secret Smiles," a program that delivers beds and bedding to children of families who cannot provide for them. In the last two years, "Secret Smiles" has raised $37,000.
UD TEAMS UP WITH ADVENTURES FOR WISH KIDS 2007 SHOT-A-THON
The University of Dayton teamed up once again with Adventures for Wish Kids to raise money for the organization by hosting the 2007 AFWK Shot-a-Thon. UD and Adventures for Wish Kids raised close to $10,000 this year.
DRIVE 75 COMPETITION KICKS OFF
Drive 75, an annual service event sponsored by Red Scare to benefit The Dayton Area Food Bank and Secret Smiles Organization, kicks off this week. Drive 75 is a competition to see who can raise the most money and pounds of food between University of Dayton and Xavier University student organizations. During this week-long event, groups are divided according to size and are challenged to see who can collect the most money and food. At the end of the competition, the top groups in each category will be announced at the UD/Xavier game on Feb. 24. The group that collects the most food and money will receive an engraved plaque.
FLYER FANS CAN VOTE FOR ROBERTS IN POSTSEASON AWARDS
Flyer fans can show their support for senior Brian Roberts by voting online for the senior guard in the Cousy Award and Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Fans can also vote for Roberts via text messaging for the Naismith Trophy.
Fans can vote for Roberts in the Cousy Award by clicking on:
Cousy Award Voting
Fans can vote for Roberts in the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, clicking on:
Senior CLASS Award Voting
The Naismith Trophy is unique because it allows fan voting to count for an unprecedented 25 percent of the final tally. No other major award involves this much fan influence. Voting runs through 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 5, 2008. Fans can participate in the voting by texting "VOTE" to 87654.
GAME #24 - EARLY LEADS SLIPS AS DUQUESNE EDGES FLYERS 63-61
Senior Brian Roberts scored a game-high 23 points to help Dayton defeat the Temple Owls, 77-66. Senior Andres Sandoval chipped in 15 points and a game-high seven rebounds for UD. Sophomore Marcus Johnson added 14 points as Dayton shot 57 percent from the field and 60 percent from beyond the arc.
UD A NATIONAL LEADER IN LATEST GSR REPORT
The University of Dayton Division of Athletics maintained its position as one of the top academic achievers in the NCAA in the latest breakdown of the Graduation Success Rate data released in November. UD has an institutional GSR of 95 percent which ranks first among the Atlantic 10 Conference and 16th overall in the nation. The men's basketball team had the second highest GSR in the Atlantic 10 Conference at 82 percent. Success in the classroom is nothing new for UD student-athletes. The Flyers combined cumulative grade point average is above a 3.0. In addition, UD has had 27 Academic All-Americans in the last six years. Also, at least one Dayton student-athlete has been named an Academic All-American for 22 straight years.
TOURNEY TOWN
The NCAA Division I Tournament will make its start at UD Arena this season for the seventh year in a row. The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee has announced that the University of Dayton Arena will host the NCAA Opening Round Game in 2008. UD has hosted the game since its inception in its current form in 2002. When the 2008 NCAA Tournament is over, UD Arena will have been an NCAA site in 22 of the last 39 years and will have hosted 77 NCAA Tournament games. That will make UD Arena the third-most prolific NCAA Tournament venue behind Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City (83) and the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City (81). The Arena will be a First and Second Round site for the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, and a Regional site for the 2010 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Flyers' started off the season 10-0 at home for the second consecutive year. Last year UD's 15-2 record at home matched the 4th-best efforts in UD Arena history in home court wins in a season and home court winning percentage in a season (.882). Dayton won its first 14 home games during the 2006-07 season, the second-best streak in UD Arena history (behind only the 15 from December 17, 1984 to March 3, 1985).
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 83 sellouts in its 38-year history and five so far this year. The record for sellouts is eight held in the Arena's first season 1969-70. UD's last 133 regular season home games have had attendance of at least 11,000 fans. In the last 14 years, 99% of UD's home games have drawn at least 10,000 (371 of 373), including the last 170 regular season games. Also UD finished in the Top 30 in men's basketball attendance for the tenth straight season in 2006-07, according to a report by the NCAA. The Flyers finished 28th in the NCAA in attendance with an average of 12,266 fans a game. Since UD Arena opened in 1969, Dayton has been in the NCAA`s top 35 in attendance every season. The Flyers led the Atlantic 10 in attendance for the 11th straight season. UD averaged more than 2,300 fans a game better than any other team in the conference.
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.
