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NO. 18/21 DAYTON TO BATTLE KANSAS STATE FOR THIRD PLACE IN THE 2009 PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF
The No. 18/21University of Dayton Flyers will play in the third-place game of the 2009 O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off against the Kansas State Wildcats on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET from the Coliseo de Puerto Rico. The contest will be televised on ESPNU and carried by WHIO Radio.

In Dayton's last contest, Luke Fabrizius recorded career-highs of 16 points and eight rebounds, but a Flyer second-half rally came up short in a 71-65 loss to the No. 5/6 Villanova Wildcats. Chris Wright scored 15 points, Chris Johnson added 13 points, all in the second half, and Mickey Perry chipped in with 10. Dayton shot 39 percent from three-point range, but were out-rebounded 38-30 by the Wildcats.

ABOUT KANSAS STATE
Kansas State is 3-1 overall and coming off an 86-74 loss to the Mississippi Rebels on Friday. However, Kansas State has one of the most potent offenses in the nation. K-State is shooting .472 percent from the field, has five players whose scoring average is in double figures and an offense that averages 82.0 points per game. Leading the way is Curtis Kelly with 15.3 points per game. Kelly posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Ole Miss in the Wildcats' last outing.

SERIES STUFF
This is the first meeting between the two programs.

TAKING THE NATIONAL STAGE
On Monday, the Flyers were once again ranked in both major college basketball polls. The Flyers are ranked 18th by the Associated Press, and 21st in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. It is the first time since the 1967-68 season UD was ranked in a major poll in the preseason. With UD being ranked at some point in each of the last three seasons, it is also the first time in 49 years the Flyers have been ranked in three consecutive seasons. The last time that happened was the 1958-59, 1959-60 and 1960-61 seasons.

THE TOP CHOICE IN THE A-10
With four starters and 10 of its top 11 scorers returning from last year's 27-8 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the University of Dayton Flyers have been selected as the team to beat in the Atlantic 10 this season, according to a poll of the conference's head men's basketball coaches and selected media. Leading UD will be preseason first-team all-conference selection Chris Wright, who averaged a team-high 13.3 points and 6.6 rebounds a year ago. Senior guard Marcus Johnson is a preseason second-team selection, while senior guard London Warren is on the preseason All-Defensive Team.

DAYTON SIGNS TOP RECRUITING CLASS OF STATEN, HILL, BERRY, SPEARMAN, & OLIVER
University of Dayton men's basketball coach Brian Gregory and his staff continue to stockpile strong, incoming talent, as another exceptionally talented recruiting class signed National Letters of Intent today to continue their careers at UD. The newest official members of the Flyer family are 6-foot-1 guard Jesse Berry of Lafayette (Ind.) Jefferson High School, 6-foot-6 forward Ralph Hill of Westerville (Ohio) North High School, 6-foot-7 forward Devin Oliver of Kalamazoo (Mich.) Central High School, 6-foot-3 guard Brandon Spearman of Chicago Simeon High School, and 5-foot-11 guard Juwan Staten from Dayton, Ohio who attends powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. Headlined by Staten, who Rivals.com has ranked the 44th-best player in his class, the 2009-10 signing class is ranked as high as 15th in the country.

DAYTON'S WRIGHT NAMED ATLANTIC 10 CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
University of Dayton junior Chris Wright has been named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week after his 25-point performance, including 18 in the second half, to lead the Flyers to a 90-80 win over Creighton in the season opener. Wright shared this year's first A-10 Player of the Week award with Duquesne junior Damian Saunders. This is the second time that both players have been named players of the week, and in an odd coincidence, they also shared co-player of the week honors last season when they were named on November 30.

UD'S Chris Wright NAMED TO NAISMITH TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST
University of Dayton forward Chris Wright was named to the 2009-2010 Preseason Naismith Trophy watch list. The Naismith Trophy is voted on by coaches, administrators and journalists from around the country and is awarded to the nation's top player. This is the second such honor Wright has received, was also named to the John R. Wooden Award Watch List in August. Wright scored 15 points against No. 5/6 Villanova. He is second on the team in scoring averaging 15.7 points per game.

WRIGHT NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50 LIST
University of Dayton forward Chris Wright is one of the top college basketball players named to the John Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list. Wright led the University of Dayton to the NCAA tournament and a 27-8 record last season. He was First Team All-NABC All-District, Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and the MVP of the Chicago Invitational Challenge in 2008-09, his first full season in a Dayton uniform. After missing 19 games with a fractured ankle as a freshman, Wright came back to lead UD in scoring (13.3), rebounding (6.6) free throws made (121), dunks (a school-record 54), double-doubles (6) and SportsCenter Top Ten Plays (3).

THE WRIGHT STUFF
A charismatic player whose work ethic matches his athleticism, it took Chris Wright just eight minutes to become one of the top players in the Atlantic 10 Conference. That's all the league action he saw before fracturing his ankle in the A-10 opener. Yet he was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team in 2007-08, and was a Preseason Second Team All-Atlantic 10 choice in 2008-09.

BEST AGAINST THE BCS
The proud owner of a 43-and-a half inch vertical leap, the high-flying Chris Wright seemed to save his best efforts for the best competition. Three of his six double-doubles came have come against BCS schools, including 13 points and 13 rebounds last November against No. 15 Marquette to lead UD to the 2008 Chicago Invitational Challenge championship, and a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds in the Flyer win over West Virginia in the First Round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. This season Wright scored 15 points and had two blocks against No. 5 Villanova.

DUNK TANK
Chris Wright possesses 74 career dunks in a Flyer uniform. After just 53 career games, Wright already ranks third on UD's all-time dunk list behind Sean Finn (98) and Charles Little (102).

CAMP CONFIDENTIAL
Chris Wright has achieved numerous accolades in his first two years at UD. However, the Trotwood native is on a never-ending quest to improve. He made several trips around the nation for individual training and to play against other top collegians as a counselor at summer camps. Wright worked at LeBron James' camp in San Diego and in Cleveland matching up against the superstar in nightly pickup games. Wright also participated in the Vince Carter Skills Academy in Orlando. Among the NBA players Wright competed against during the summer include: LeBron James, Vince Carter, Mo Williams, JJ Hickson, Tarance Kinsey and Danny Green.

WRIGHT EARNS FIRST TEAM, ALL-ATLANTIC 10 PRESEASON SELECTION
Junior forward Chris Wright earned a preseason First Team, All-Atlantic 10 selection after leading the Flyers last season to a 27-8 overall record.

FIGHT FOR YOUR WRIGHT
In his freshman season, Chris Wright earned a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie team even though he logged just eight minutes in conference play. Wright was the fifth Dayton player to be selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. Tony Stanley (1998), Brooks Hall (2000), Keith Waleskowski (2001) and Brian Roberts (2005) are the previous Flyer A-10 Rookies.

TAKING FLIGHT WITH WRIGHT
In the March 2009 meeting against Xavier, Chris Wright set Dayton's all-time, single-season record for dunks. He finished the 2008-09 season with 54, including five against West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. Wright passed the previous record holder, Sean Finn, who tallied 43 slams during the 2003-04 season.

WRIGHT TO KNOW
The Dayton Flyers are 42-10 overall, 29-0 at home and 6-3 against ranked opponents with Chris Wright in the lineup during his UD career. In fact, he is undefeated at home (48-0) over his last four years of organized basketball in high school and college.

WRIGHT NAMED NABC FIRST TEAM ALL-DISTRICT
Chris Wright was named First Team All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches on March 5, 2009. Wright was the 11th player in UD history and the first Flyer sophomore to be named First Team NABC All-District. Previous first-team selections were Brian Roberts (2008), Tony Stanley (2001), Roosevelt Chapman (1984), Jim Paxson (1979), Don May (1967 & 1968), Henry Finkel (1966), Bill Uhl (1955), Jack Sallee (1954 & 1955), John Horan (1955) and Don Meineke (1952).

THAT FIGURES
Chris Wright has scored in double figures in 12 of his last 14 contests. He has also scored 20 points or more in three of his last 10 games. Wright ranks 73rd on Dayton's all-time scoring list with 667 career points. Wright needs four points to reach Gene Klaus for 72nd.

BETTER MAKE THE WRIGHT DECISION
Chris Wright is not just climbing UD's charts offensively, but defensively as well. Wright has 62 career blocks, tying him with Dave Colbert for 10th on the Flyer all-time list.

MARVELOUS MARCUS
An athletic guard with shutdown defender talent, Marcus Johnson hopes the strong finish he had last year will propel him into the 2009-10 campaign. Johnson tallied 13 points and three assists against Creighton to open the season. Johnson tallied six rebounds and four steals versus No. 5/6 Villanova. On March 9, Marcus Johnson earned a spot on the 2009 Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention team and was named the co-winner of the White Allen MVP award with Chris Wright. Johnson scored in double figures 26 times in the 2008-09 campaign.

JOHNSON NABS PRESEASON ALL-ATLANTIC 10 SECOND TEAM SELECTION
Senior Marcus Johnson was one of three Dayton Flyers to earn preseason, All-Atlantic 10 honors. Johnson earned a spot on the preseason All-Atlantic 10 Second Team.

MORE ON MJ
Marcus Johnson has moved up the charts in UD basketball history, ranking 44th on the all-time scoring list with 970 career points. He needs 13 points to reach Kevin Conrad for 43rd.

SHUTDOWN CORNER
Marcus Johnson scored in double figures in 21 of his last 26 games to close the 2008-09 season, but was even more critical to the Flyers' success was his defense down the stretch. He guarded the opposition's top scorer in 21 of those 26 contests as well and matched his career-best with four steals in the wins at Duquesne and at La Salle. Johnson had the primary defensive responsibility to guard four of the five 2008-09 First Team All-Atlantic 10 selections and West Virginia's Alex Ruoff, a 2008-09 Big East Honorable Mention selection.

YOU LOOK MAHVELOUS
Since the calendar turned to 2009, Marcus Johnson was one of the most consistent scorers for UD. Counting last season, Johnson has scored in double figures in 22 of the last 29 games.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Marcus Johnson, a 6-3 guard from Cleveland, scored in double figures 44 times in his 102-game career, including 42 in his last 62 games. Johnson also reached double figures in scoring 26 times during the 2008-09 season which led the team.

BEING `KURT' TO THE OPPOSITION
As one of the most team-oriented players to wear a Flyer uniform, Kurt Huelsman looks to be counted upon more as a leader on both ends of the floor. A starter and leader from the moment he hit campus, Huelsman is a two-time winner of the prestigious John L. Macbeth Scholar Athlete Award. Last season Huelsman ranked second on the team in blocks with 22 and third in rebounding at 4.1. Huelsman had three blocks, two points and five rebounds against No. 21/19 Georgia Tech. He came back with three rebounds versus No. 5/6 Villanova.

THE IRON MAN
Senior Kurt Huelsman has started every game in his UD career. Huelsman possesses the longest active streak of consecutive starts in the Atlantic 10 Conference with 103 games. Nate Green holds the all-time record with 133 games played and Mark Ashman holds the UD record for starts with 119.

LONG-LASTING FRESHNESS
Kurt Huelsman has started every one of his 103 career games at UD. Only one college player -- Clemson's Trevor Booker -- has started every game of his college career and started more games than Huelsman. Booker has started all of 104 games for Tigers. Oakland's Johnathan Jones has also started all 103 games of his career. Damion James of Texas is the active career leader in overall starts (108), followed by Tulsa's Ben Uzoh (107, Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (107), Booker, Texas's Justin Mason (104) and Huelsman and Jones.

LONDON CALLING
Known as the "Jacksonville Jet," London Warren is an explosive point guard who has outstanding quickness on the offensive and defensive ends. In his first year as a starter, London Warren led the Flyers in assists (4.5), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4) and steals (1.6), and was in the Top 20 in the Atlantic 10 in all three categories. He was named to the 2009 Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team. Warren dished out eight assists and hauled in five rebounds against Creighton. He added five points, four assists and three rebounds against No. 21/19 Georgia Tech. Warren scored four points versus No. 5/6 Villanova.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
Named to the 2009 preseason Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team, London Warren's defense provides a huge spark for the Flyers. Last season, Warren had at least one steal in 29 out of 34 games, including three against Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. Warren led UD in steals (55) and assists (145).Warren has 132 steals in his Flyer career, good for 10th all-time in UD history.

THE JACKSONVILLE JET
Last season London Warren's 2.33 assist-to-turnover ratio was tied for fifth-best in the program's history. Speaking of program history, Warren has 335 career assists, good for 14th on the Dayton's all-time list and just three behind Roosevelt Chapman.

RL BACK FROM THE DL
Senior Rob Lowery is known as a strong, hard-nosed guard that will find a way to win. Sidelined by a knee injury that cost him the final 11 games of his junior season, Lowery averaged 7.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Still recovering from the knee injury, Lowery sat out the first three games of the season.

BIG SHOT ROB
Prior to the injury Lowery made a name for himself as a clutch performer. In the 72-71 win over Fordham, Lowery drove the length of the floor for a basket with 5.4 seconds to go. In the win over No. 15 Marquette, Lowery scored 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor. With UD protecting a two-point lead, Lowery, who missed his first five shots, drilled a 15-foot field goal with 48 seconds to go to push the lead back to four and swished two free throws with 15 ticks left to seal the decision versus Wofford. He tied for the team-high with 13 points and had the steal and dunk that tied the game, the assist on the go-ahead three-pointer and the free throw that made it a two-possession game against George Mason. Lowery averaged 6.1 points a game at home, but 9.6 away from UD Arena.

HEY MICKEY
Known as a contributor in all facets who steps up everyone's game when he is on the floor, Phillip "Mickey" Perry looks to close his Dayton Flyer career with a strong finish. In the final nine games of the 2008-09 season, Perry turned it on averaging 7.7 points per game. He scored a career-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting versus Duquesne in the A-10 Semifinals. Perry tallied 10 points against Kansas in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Perry finished with double-figure scoring efforts in his four of his last seven games, after only having three in his year-and-a-half UD career. Perry opened the year with four points and a career-best four assists in the win over Creighton. He had three points and two assists against No. 21/19 Georgia Tech. Perry bounced back with a 10-point effort against No. 5/6 Villanova.

HANGING TEN
When Rob Lowery got injured, Mickey Perry eventually filled in at the point guard position behind London Warren and played the best basketball of his Flyer career. Perry stepped up his production to average 7.1 points per game in the final 10 contests of the year.

DIAL IN WITH DEVIN
Junior forward Devin Searcy is back to patrol the paint and provide the Flyers with versatility and athleticism in the post. Searcy is a perfect 5-for-5 in field goal attempts this season. Last season Searcy was second on the team in field goal percentage (.493) and averaged 2.8 and 2.4 rebounds per game. He started off this season shooting 3-of-3 from the field in the win over Creighton. Searcy connected on his only field goal attempt and added four rebounds against No. 21/19 Georgia Tech. He added two points against No. 5/6 Villanova.

SEARCY TRAVELS WITH ATHLETES IN ACTION
Over the summer, Devin Searcy was chosen to be part of an Athletes In Action team that traveled to New Zealand for two weeks in August. The AIA team played four games against the top professional team in that part of the world, the New Zealand Breakers, and two more games against New Zealand's Under-20 National Team. Searcy opened the trip scoring a team-high 17 points.

CHRIS-CROSSING
Sophomore Chris Johnson joined the Flyers with a reputation as a high-flying, explosive scorer and a rebounder with a non-stop motor. He showed that explosiveness with an 18-point, 15 rebound performance in the opener against Creighton. Johnson then led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting and added seven boards in the victory over No. 21/19 Georgia Tech. Johnson then tallied 13 points versus No. 5/6 Villanova. His freshman season, he did not disappoint. Johnson moved into seventh all-time for most rebounds by a freshman in a season with 177. He led the team in free throw shooting (.772) and was second on the team with 71 offensive rebounds.

COOL HAND LUKE
A versatile player that can play either the two guard or the wing, Luke Fabrizius has come alive offensively this season. He netted career-highs of 16 points and nine rebounds versus No. 5/6 Villanova. Fabrizius netted nine points in the win over Creighton. He came back to hit four three pointers en route to 12 points against No. 21/19 Georgia Tech. Fabrizius is averaging 12.3 points per game and shooting12-of-24 (.500) from three-point range this season.

P-DUBYA
Sophomore Paul Williams, one of the top prep recruits out of Michigan, had his best game of the season in the win over No. 21/19 Georgia Tech. Williams scored seven of his 13 points in the final minute to help UD to the victory. He was a member of the A-10's Preseason All-Newcomer team. After being slowed by a foot injury and a hamstring injury, Williams averaged 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. This season Williams is fully healthy and it showed with a nine-point effort against Creighton in the opener.

BENSON'S BACK
Redshirt freshman Josh Benson, the second in a line of highly-anticipated local talents who made the decision to "stay home" and committed early to the Flyer program, returns to the squad looking to pay dividends in the front court. Benson had a torn right labrum that he injured in November 2008. Following surgery, he underwent a long rehab program and redshirted in 2008-09. Benson connected on his first career field goal attempt in the win over Creighton and played two minutes versus No. 5/6 Villanova.

WELCOME MATT
With only one scholarship available, University of Dayton men's basketball coach Brian Gregory and his staff landed their third top local product in as many years when Centerville High School star Matt Kavanaugh signed his letter of intent to attend UD and play basketball for the Flyers. Kavanaugh made his first collegiate appearance against No. 21/19 Georgia Tech.

PARKER TRANSFERS TO DAYTON
In April 2009, guard Josh Parker transferred to the University of Dayton from Drake University. Parker, a 6-0 guard who graduated in 2007 from Thornton High School in suburban Chicago, has already begun classes and will redshirt the 2009-10 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Parker appeared in 33 games last season for Drake, with nine starts. He averaged 10.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 rebounds, while shooting .432 (57-132) from three-point range and .720 (67-93) from the free throw line. He was third on the team in scoring, and led the team in 3-pt. FG%.

FLYERS TO PLAY AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
The University of Dayton Flyers men's basketball program will play the Fordham Rams at one of the most storied arenas in the nation, Madison Square Garden in New York City. The game will be on Jan. 13 at 9:15 p.m. ET as the second part of a double header. The first game will be between Cincinnati and St. John's. This will be Dayton's first appearance at Madison Square Garden since 1991. UD has a 37-24 all-time record at the Garden. The Flyers have the most victories in Madison Square Garden (37 wins) of any non-New York metropolitan area school.

UD COACH Brian Gregory's CONTRACT EXTENDED THROUGH 2018
University of Dayton Vice President and Director of Athletics Tim Wabler announced in May that the University has extended head men's basketball coach Brian Gregory's contract for an additional five years, and that it will run through the 2017-18 season. Since taking over as Dayton's head coach in 2003, Gregory has a record of 125-68. His original contract term was five years. He signed a new agreement in 2005 that originally ran through 2013. He is one of just 25 coaches who have been at their current school at least five years. That list includes Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, UConn's Jim Calhoun, Florida's Billy Donovan, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Duke's Mike Kryzewski, Louisville's Rick Pitino, Kansas' Bill Self, Maryland's Gary Williams and North Carolina's Roy Williams, average at least 20 wins a season.

GREGORY SELECTED TO TOUR WITH USO'S OPERATION HARDWOOD VI
In August, University of Dayton men's basketball head coach Brian Gregory had the opportunity to travel to the Persian Gulf and visit troops as part of the sixth installment of "Operation Hardwood," a USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour. The tour featured a week-long basketball tournament and championship game with some of the best military players stationed overseas. It was the second straight year Gregory toured overseas.

NCAA TOURNAMENT RETURNING TO UD ARENA THROUGH 2013
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has announced preliminary round sites for the 2011, 2012 and 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championships, and the tournament is returning to the University of Dayton Arena in each of those years. The NCAA First and Second Rounds will come back to Dayton in 2013. In addition, the NCAA Opening Round Game will remain at UD Arena through the 2013 tournament.

MULTIPLICITY
For the 15th time in conference history and sixth since 2000, the Atlantic 10 earned multiple at-large berths to the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. League champion Temple was joined by Dayton and Xavier in the field of 65. The league received two of just four at-large bids awarded to non-BCS conferences and over the previous two years, the A-10 leads all non-BCS conferences with six NCAA berths.

NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER
Dayton had won 11 consecutive games in November dating back to the 2007-08 season. In that stretch Dayton has defeated Marquette, Georgia Tech, Creighton and Auburn.

EARLY SEASON TESTS
The Dayton-Creighton game was the nation's only season-opener that features two teams that received votes in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Top 25 poll. Dayton was ranked 22nd in the preseason poll, while Creighton received seven votes. UD's next game against No. 21/19 Georgia Tech featured the first time during the 2009-10 season two ranked opponents squared off against each other. The next night the Flyers battled the No. 5/6 Villanova Wildcats, giving the Flyers the best strength of schedule in the NCAA through its first three games.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Dayton finished last season second in the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage defense (.396) and scoring defense (61.5). UD held then-No. 14 Xavier to 21 percent shooting from three-point range, forced 15 turnovers and tied a school record for blocks with nine. Saint Joseph's Ahmad Nivins, the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, was limited to a season-low 12 points against the UD defense, which was eight below his season average.

DEFENSE MECHANISMS
Just how good was Dayton's defense last season. Consider the Flyers set single-season records for offensive rebounds (484) and blocks (124). The 61.4 points per game was the best since the 1959-60 season and the opponent's field goal percentage of .397 was the best since the 1968-69 campaign.

STEAL OF A DEAL
Dayton's 6.5 steals per game last season was UD's best average in 17 years and ranks as the fifth-best steal-per-game average in school history. UD opened the 2009-10 season with four swipes against Creighton and had eight against No. 21/19 Georgia Tech led by three from Chris Johnson. In the Villanova game, Marcus Johnson matched his career-best with four.

CLOSE SHAVE
In 2008-09, Dayton was 11-1 in games decided by five points or less, the best record of close games in the nation. The Flyers were also 19-0 last season when leading with five minutes left in regulation. This season Dayton is 1-0 in games decided by five points or less.

ARENA ROCK
The Flyers' 21 consecutive home victories stretching back to the 2007-08 season is tied for the school record. UD's homecourt streak is third-best in the nation through games of November 19 and is the best in the Atlantic 10.

HOME SWEET HOME
Over the last three years on Tom Blackburn Court, the Flyers are 49-5. The 49 victories are the eighth-most in the NCAA since the 2006-07 season. Just ahead of the Flyers are Kansas (56), UNLV (54), Florida (53), Ohio State and Pittsburgh (52), Texas A&M and Syracuse (51). UD has started at home 10-0 for the last three seasons. The Flyers have a home all-time winning percentage of .779 (750-213).

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Dayton's 18 victories last season at UD Arena set the program record for home wins and eclipsed the old mark set by the 2002-03 team that went 17-1 and the 1977-78 squad that went 17-3. Only two other Flyer squads, the 1949-50 team at the Fairgrounds Coliseum (16-0) and the 1959-60 squad in the UD Fieldhouse (14-0), have ever been unbeaten at home.

SPARK OFF THE BENCH
With such a deep team, it was no surprise Dayton's bench was a big part of the team's success last year. The Flyers went 21-3 in 2008-09 when their bench out-scored the opponents. UD held an 855-520 edge in bench scoring. That trend continued in 2009-10 as Dayton held a 42-27 advantage in bench scoring against Creighton. The Flyers then out-scored No. 21/19 Georgia Tech's bench 47-24. In the loss to No. 5/6 Villanova, UD's bench out-scored the Wildcats 39-25.

BIG ROTATION
Last season UD was one of 15 teams with at least 27 wins, but was the only one with 12 players averaging eight minutes per game. Dayton played 10 players in the opener against Creighton. The Flyers then wore down No. 21/19 Georgia Tech by closing the contest on a 13-4 run to win.

ELITE COMPANY
Dayton coach Brian Gregory became just the fourth coach in Flyer basketball history to record 100 career victories when the Flyers defeated Delaware State on Nov. 18, 2008. Gregory joined Don Donoher, Tom Blackburn and Oliver Purnell as the only Dayton coaches to reach the 100-win plateau. Gregory reached 100 wins faster than any Dayton coach except the two icons of Flyer basketball: Donoher and Blackburn.

THIRD IS THE WORD
Dayton won 27 or more games for just the third time in school history. Brian Gregory and the legendary Tom Blackburn are the only coaches to accomplish that feat at UD.

WELCOME TO FLIGHT CLUB
Dayton set a new single-season record for dunks just 19 games into the 2008-09 season. The Flyers' total of 117 was 56 more than the 61 slams performed by the 2003-04 team in 33 games. This season UD continued that same pattern slamming home three against Creighton and four against No. 5/6 Villanova.

FILLING UP THE STAT SHEET
Dayton has shown early on that their offense is not a one-man show. Three Flyers, Chris Wright, Luke Fabrizius and Chris Johnson, each have led the team in scoring this season. Chris Johnson has led the team in rebounding twice and Fabrizius once.

EYE 75 ON THE SCOREBOARD
The Flyers are 37-5 under head coach Brian Gregory when they score at least 75 points and were 7-1 last season, 1-0 in 2009-10.

WHAT SOPHOMORE SLUMP?
Dayton's sophomore class of Chris Johnson, Paul Williams and Luke Fabrizius are enjoying a tremendous start to the 2009-10 campaign. The trio combined for 36 points, 17 rebounds and shot 13-of-30 (.433) from the floor against Creighton. In the Georgia Tech win, the trio added 44 points, on 13-of-29 shooting from the floor (.448). In the Villanova contest, Johnson and Fabrizius combined for 29 points thanks in part to eight three-pointers.

IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT NOTES
The University of Dayton has won two of the three early-season basketball tournaments it has played in since Brian Gregory took over as head coach in 2003. The Flyers became the only team to win the EA Sports Maui invitational under the guidance of a first-year coach when UD won Maui in 2003. Last season, Dayton defeated No. 15 Marquette in the finals of the Chicago Invitational Challenge. Chris Wright was named MVP of the tournament after getting three double-doubles in the four-game event. Current seniors Marcus Johnson and Rob Lowery joined Wright on the all-tournament team. The Flyers' in-season tournament history goes all the way back to 1949 when they placed second in the National Catholic Invitational in Denver. In addition to the 2003 Maui Invitational, UD has won 11 other in-season tournament championships, including the 1955 University of Kentucky Invitational and the 1999 CoSIDA Classic played at The Pit in Albuquerque.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME...
The Flyers played three consecutive BCS programs? You have to go all the way back to the 2002-03 season when the Flyers played Villanova, Duke and Marquette. Dayton went 2-1 during that stretch.

LIGHT UP THE SCOREBOARD
Dayton's 90 points scored in the season opener against Creighton were the most since posting 90 at Pepperdine during the 2003-04 season, Brian Gregory's first season at UD.

RANK AND FILE
As the No. 18 team in the country in the Associated Press poll, UD has a 7-1 all-time record. The last time Dayton was ranked 18th was on Jan. 21, 1955.

OTHER NATIONAL RANKING NOTES
As a ranked team Dayton has an all-time overall record of 126-39, 19-15 on neutral sites, 114-29 during the regular season, 20-16 against ranked opponents and are 114-26 as the higher ranked team.

CONQUERING GOLIATH
In recent years the Flyers have proved they can handle the big-name programs. The Flyers are 7-3 in the last three years against BCS programs and have won three of its last four games against Big East opponents.

TO BE THE BEST YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST
During the 2008-09 campaign, Dayton defeated five teams that advanced to the 2009 NCAA Tournament (West Virginia, Marquette, Xavier, Temple, Akron).

HEAD OF THE CLASS
UD's seniors, the Class of 2010, have tied the best mark in UD history for wins in their first four seasons on campus. The Flyers' 71 wins inform 2007-09 tied the freshman-sophomore-junior wins by the Class of 1955 and the Class of 2005. The 71 wins are also the third-best four-year period, regardless of class year, in school history. Dayton won 79 games between 1949 and 1952, and 75 games between 1953 and 1956.

NATION'S BEST
Last year the Flyers finished tied for 17th nationally in winning percentage (.771), 25th in the NCAA in field goal defense (.397), 30th in three-point field goal defense (.312) and tied for 35th in scoring defense (61.4).

DEPTH CHARGE
UD was the only top team playing 12 players at least eight minutes a game, and one of the products of that is simply wearing down the opposition. In the last five minutes of the game this season, Dayton held its opponents to just .333 (6-of-18) from the field and .143 (1-7) from three.

HOT, HOT, HOT
UD has won its last 29 non-conference home games. Included are games against members of the Big East, Conference USA, Mid-American and Missouri Valley conferences.

SPECIAL DELIVERY
This year's Dayton Flyer basketball marketing theme is "We're All Flyers," once again signifying the bond between UD and Miami Valley residents. For the second year in a row, head coach Brian Gregory and every UD player hand-delivered season tickets to 20 season ticket-holders around Dayton on Oct. 19.

DAYTON TEAMS' ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATES AMONG THE NCAA'S BEST AGAIN
In April 2009, eight athletics programs at the University of Dayton were honored by the NCAA with Public Recognition Awards for their latest Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores. The Flyer men's basketball team was one of 10 NCAA teams listed (BYU, Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan State, North Carolina, Texas, Villanova and VCU are the others) that posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads. The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester or quarter by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.

102 FLYERS NAMED TO A-10 HONOR ROLL
The University of Dayton Division of Athletics continued its long tradition of success in the classroom by placing 102 student-athletes on the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll for the Spring 2009 semester. The A-10 Honor Roll, which was released in June by Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade, honors each student-athlete with a 3.5 grade-point average or higher during the Spring 2009 semester. Dayton was third among the 14 Atlantic 10 Conference institutions in number of student-athletes recognized, despite sponsoring fewer sports than all but one school in the league.

AND THE CROWD GOES WILD
The Flyer Faithful set a UD record for regular season total attendance during the 2008-09 campaign. The sellout crowd that saw UD defeat Duquesne pushed the season total attendance up to 229,768, the best in the regular season and the third-best overall.

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. In 2007-08 UD had the second-best average home attendance in school history (12,801). UD Arena has 89 sellouts in its 38-year history and sold out the opener against Creighton. The record for sellouts is eight held in the Arena's first season 1969-70. UD's last 152 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 (390 of 393), including the last 189 regular season games.

UD AMONG THE BEST IN NCAA ATTENDANCE
The University of Dayton finished in the Top 30 in men's basketball attendance for the 11th straight season in 2007-08. The Flyers led the Atlantic 10 in attendance for the 12th straight season. UD averaged more than 2,400 fans a game better than any other team in the conference.

TOURNEY TOWN
The NCAA Division I Tournament made its start at UD Arena for the eighth year in a row as the University of Dayton Arena host the NCAA Opening Round Game in 2009. This year the UD Arena will serve as a regional site for the 2010 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. UD has hosted the Opening Round game since its inception in its current form in 2002. When the 2010 NCAA Tournament is over, UD Arena will have been an NCAA site in 24 of the last 41 years and will have hosted 87 NCAA Tournament games. It makes UD Arena the most prolific NCAA Tournament venue ahead of Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City (83) and the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City (81).

DAYTON AMONG TOP 10 IN NCAA GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE
The University of Dayton's 96 percent Graduation Success Rate leads the Atlantic 10 Conference and ties it for 10th in the NCAA. In addition, this year's GSR Report shows that UD graduated 100 percent of its student-athletes that participated in women's basketball, men's cross country, women's cross country/track & field, men's golf, women's golf, women's rowing, women's soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis and volleyball. The UD's men's basketball team's GSR was the best in the A-10.

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.