NO. 25 DAYTON VISTS SAINT LOUIS TO PLAY THE BILLIKENS
The No. 25 University of Dayton Flyers begin a two-game road swing starting in Saint Louis against the Saint Louis Billikens on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on WHIO-TV, carried through WHIO Radio and be available over the Internet with live stats and streaming audio and video from DaytonFlyers.com.

Dayton has matched the program's best start through 26 games, is 23-3 overall and is first in the Atlantic 10 with a 9-2 record. Defense and rebounding have been the Flyers' calling card all season long. UD is 20-0 when holding opponents to 70 points or less and rank third in the Atlantic 10 in rebounding margin (plus 4.7). The Flyers lead the A-10 in scoring defense at 59.1 ppg and field goal percentage defense at a .384 clip. Offensively, Dayton is shooting .448 from the field in A-10 play, compared to .413 in non-conference action.

Since playing the Flyers to a hard-fought one point loss two weeks ago, Saint Louis has been on a roll winning five of its last six and three straight at home. The Billikens rank second in scoring defense at 60.0 ppg and top the nation and conference in 3-point field goal percentage defense at 26.5 percent. Freshman point guard Kwamain Mitchell recently was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the week after averaging 18 points, 6.3 rebounds and four assists in three contests.

SERIES STUFF
Dayton leads all-time series at 23-18 and has won the last five meetings. The two teams have played in overtime in four of the last seven contests. On Jan. 29, the Flyers won a thrilling 47-46 victory at UD Arena behind 16 points from Chris Wright.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Dayton leads the Atlantic 10 lead in scoring defense and field goal defense allowing a paltry 59.1 points per game and teams to shoot .384 from the field. The Flyers have held all but five teams under their scoring average. Dayton held the No. 14 Xavier Musketeers to 21 percent shooting from three-point range, forced 15 turnovers and tied a school record for blocks with nine. In the Marquette win, UD forced the Golden Eagles to shoot 39 percent from the field. The Flyers held Saint Louis to 23 percent shooting in the second half. Ahmad Nivins was limited to a season-low 12 points against the UD defense, which was eight below his season average. UD is on pace to average the most steals in 17 years and is 19-0 when out-rebounding the opponent. Also, only one team has shot better than 50 percent from the field this year against UD.

BIG ROTATION
Through games of Feb. 17, Dayton is one of six teams with 23 or more wins, and the only one with 12 players averaging at least eight minutes a game.

ARENA ROCK
The Flyers' 18 consecutive home victories stretching back to last season is the longest streak since moving to UD Arena in 1969. UD's homecourt streak is tied for fifth-best in the nation with Pittsburgh through games of Feb. 17 and is the best in the Atlantic 10.

FLYERS RANKED NO. 25 IN LATEST AP POLL
The University of Dayton Flyers are nationally ranked for the first time this season, earning the No. 25 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. This is the first time Dayton has been ranked in the month of February since the 2002-03 season. UD is also five votes out of the 25th spot in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

LITTLE BIG MAN
At 6-foot-6, 247 pounds, Charles Little might be one of the most inaccurately named players in the country. He is leading the team in field goal shooting at .500 (71-140) and is shooting 16-of-28 in his last six games (.571). Little scored 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting, in a win over UNC Greensboro including dunks on three straight possessions. In the Mercer win Little tallied 11 points and five rebounds. He added a season-high nine rebounds against Auburn and was named to the Chicago Invitational Challenge All-Tournament Team. In his 100th career game, Little tallied his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 boards against Troy. Little scored 11 points and hauled in six boards versus Fordham. Little scored 14 points and shot 6-of-6 at the free throw line versus Saint Louis. He added 13 points and shot 7-of-8 at the free throw line against Saint Joseph's. At Charlotte he shot 5-of-8 en route to 11 points. He had seven points versus Richmond. In 15 home games this season, Little averages 8.2 points and is shooting .523 from the field.

CHARLES IN CHARGE
Nobody on the Flyers could be happier for conference play than Charles Little. In his last 44 games against Atlantic 10 competition, Little has averaged 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 175-of-336, (.521) from the floor. Last season against the A-10, Little averaged 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting .527 from the field. In UD basketball history, Little is 51st on the all-time scoring list with 901 career points and needs one point to reach Anthony Grant for 50th.

THE WRIGHT STUFF
Displaying an NBA-like level of athleticism, Chris Wright looks to lead the Flyers back to the postseason. The sophomore forward is a Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Second Team selection. Wright tied for a game-high 17 points in UD's win over Wofford. He scored a game-high 18 points against Delaware State. Wright recorded his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 boards against Mercer. He added another double-double with a career-best 14 rebounds and 10 points versus Auburn. Wright then posted his third double-double in as many games with 13 points and 13 boards over No. 15 Marquette. At Akron, Wright led all scorers with 18 points. Against Marshall, Wright recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards. Wright scored a game-high 14 points versus Miami. Wright had 15 points and eight boards at Duquesne. At GW, he had 15 points and six boards. Wright then soared for four dunks en route to 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks against St. Bonaventure. Wright led all scorers with 16 points to go with seven rebounds versus Saint Louis. Wright then had 14 points and seven boards against Saint Joseph's. He added another 14 points and eight rebounds at La Salle. Wright scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the second half against No. 14 Xavier and was named the Blackburn-McCafferty MVP. Against Richmond he netted his fifth double-double with game-highs of 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Flyers are 36-5 overall, 26-0 at home and 5-0 against ranked opponents with Wright in the lineup during his UD career.

FIGHT FOR YOUR WRIGHT
Last season, Chris Wright earned a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie team even though he played 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. He played eight minutes in conference action before fracturing a bone in his ankle that required surgery. Before that, he was chosen A-10 Rookie of the Week four times in the first six weeks of the season (the last player to do that was Jameer Nelson).

TAKING FLIGHT WITH WRIGHT
Highlighted by a season-high four slams against St. Bonaventure, Chris Wright leads Dayton with 38 dunks this year. That puts him second on Dayton's all-time, single-season list just behind Sean Finn with 43 slams.

THE PRICE IS WRIGHT
Sophomore Chris Wright leads the Flyers in scoring (13.0), rebounding (6.8), field goals made (121), offensive rebounds (70), defensive rebounds (107), blocks (34), free throw attempts (128) and double-doubles (5). After a slow start Wright has regained his shooting touch at the free throw line. He shot .645 in non-conference play, but has made 38-of-52 (.731) in Atlantic 10 action including 26 of his last 36.

WRIGHT NAMED THE ATLANTIC 10 CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK ON DEC. 1
Chris Wright was named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 1 for his efforts after leading UD to a Chicago Invitational Challenge title. Wright averaged a double-double (12.0 ppg., 10.5 rpg.) and was named tournament Most Valuable Player. This was Wright's first A-10 Player of the Week Award. In the championship game against No. 15 Marquette, Wright had 13 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.

THIS IS SPORTSCENTER
Highlight reel plays are the norm for UD's Chris Wright. Wright has been on ESPN SportsCenter's Top Plays three times this season. Wright had a dunk in the Marquette win and blocks against Saint Louis and Xavier.

MARVELOUS MARCUS
Over the previous month, Marcus Johnson has been the most consistent scorer for UD with 14 games in double figures. He has averaged 12.2 points while shooting .496 (70-141) from the field. He tied for a game-high 17 points in a season-opening win over Wofford. Johnson then scored 15 of his team-high 16 points in the first half over Bethune-Cookman. Against Auburn he sank all eight free throw attempts with six of them in overtime en route to 16 points. Johnson added 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor against Troy. Johnson scored 15 points versus Coppin State, tallied 10 points versus UNC Greensboro and scored 11 against Marshall. In the George Mason win he had 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting. He posted a season-high 21 points at Akron, hitting four 3-point attempts. Johnson added 12 points against Miami. At UMass, he recorded 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Johnson scored nine of his 11 points in the second half at Duquesne. At GW, he scored six of his team-high 17 points in the final 2:05 of play, including the game-winning free throws. Johnson tallied 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting versus St. Bonaventure. His string of double-figure games ended with Saint Louis, but he executed a perfect alley-oop dunk to score the game-winning points over the Billikens. Johnson came back to score 13 points against Saint Joseph's. He finished with 16 points and swooped in for a tip-dunk with 1.2 seconds to go to help the Flyers win at La Salle. Johnson recorded 13 points and five assists in the win over No. 14 Xavier. Battling foul trouble, he had six points versus Richmond.

DOUBLING THE FUN
Marcus Johnson, a 6-3 guard from Cleveland, has scored in double figures 36 times in his 90-game career, with 34 in his last 50 games. In fact, Johnson has also reached double figures in scoring 19 times this season, including 14 of his last 17 contests. In Atlantic 10 action, Johnson has done most of his damage in the second half averaging 6.7 points (out of his game average 11.6) and shooting 28-of-57 (.491) from the floor.

MORE ON MJ
Quietly, Marcus Johnson has moved up the charts in UD basketball history ranking 54th on the all-time scoring list with 841 career points. He needs 34 points to reach Norm Grevey for 53rd.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
Marcus Johnson has scored in double figures in 14 of his last 17 games, but what's even more critical to UD's success is his defense. He has guarded the opposition's top scorer in 14 of those 17 contests and matched his career best with four steals in the win at Duquesne and at La Salle.

BEING `KURT' TO THE OPPOSITION
Kurt Huelsman continues to be a steady presence on both ends of the floor. Huelsman opened the season with five points and five rebounds versus Wofford. He came back to snag seven rebounds in a victory against Delaware State. Huelsman added a team-high seven boards over Bethune-Cookman. He tallied eight rebounds and three blocks versus Auburn. Huelsman came back with eight points versus No. 15 Marquette. Huelsman shot 3-of-3 from the floor at Creighton. Against George Mason, Huelsman tied his career-high with four blocks and added eight points and seven boards. At Toledo, he had six points and seven rebounds and scored seven points versus Fordham. He shot 3-of-4 and dished out three assists at Duquesne. Huelsman matched his career-best with three assists versus St. Bonaventure. He snagged five rebounds versus Saint Louis and added six points against Saint Joseph's. At Charlotte he had five points and five rebounds. Hulesman added eight points and seven rebounds against Richmond. This year Huelsman is third on the team in rebounding (4.0) and second with 21 blocks.

THE IRON MAN
As a freshman Kurt Huelsman was the only player to start every game during the 2006-07 season. He started all 34 games in 2007-08 and the first 26 in 2008-09. Huelsman is tied for the longest active streak of consecutive starts in the Atlantic 10 Conference with 91 games. Huelsman was also nominated for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America.

GET DOWN AND DIRTY
Kurt Huelsman is a big fan of the hit TV show "Dirty Jobs." In his personality profile, Huelsman said one day he would like to take over for host Mike Rowe, which is a perfect role for him. Huelsman does all of the dirty jobs for UD like playing physical, boxing out, battling on the boards and making the hustle plays. Against St. Joe's Ahmad Nivins, Huelsman helped in limiting him to 12 points, which was eight below his season average.

THE JACKSONVILLE JET
Known as the "Jacksonville Jet," London Warren is an explosive point guard who has outstanding quickness on the offensive and defensive ends. Warren opened the 2008-09 season with three points, four assists and a steal in the season opener over Wofford. Against Bethune-Cookman, Warren had five assists to only one turnover. In the triumph over No. 15 Marquette, Warren added seven points and two assists. Warren came back with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and six assists versus Troy. Warren recorded a season-high seven rebounds and dished out six assists versus Coppin State. At Toledo, Warren was flawless with eight assists and zero turnovers to go with 11 points and three steals. He picked up six assists and four boards at GW. After not hitting a field goal in three games, Warren broke out with six points and five assists in the win over St. Bonaventure. Warren had seven points and four assists at La Salle and six points and five assists at Charlotte. Warren added five points, four rebounds and three steals against No. 14 Xavier. He tallied 10 points, six assists and just one turnover versus Richmond.

LONDON CALLING
London Warren's defense has certainly provided a spark for the Flyers. Warren has at least one steal in 22 out of 26 games. Warren leads UD in steals (39) and assists (100).Warren has 111 steals in his Flyer career.

BIG SHOT ROB
Junior Rob Lowery will miss the rest of the season following successful surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. The injury was suffered against Xavier and a typical rehab for an injury of this type is five-to-six months. Prior to the injury Lowery quickly 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 posted a team-high 15 points at Creighton. In the win at Toledo, Lowery scored 13 points. He shot 6-of-9 from the field en route to a team-high 16 points at Duquesne. He added 15 points and seven assists against St. Bonaventure. Lowery scored all eight of his points in the second half at Charlotte. Lowery was averaging 6.1 points a game at home, but 9.6 away from UD Arena.

CHRIS-CROSSING
Freshman Chris Johnson has a knack for knowing where the ball will come off the glass, particularly on the offensive end. He is second on the team with 60 offensive rebounds, even though he plays almost nine minutes a game less than the teammate he trails, Chris Wright. He nailed the go-ahead shot on a three-pointer with 1:05 to go against George Mason. Johnson recorded his first career double-double adding 12 points and 11 rebounds versus No. 15 Marquette. In the Coppin State win Johnson led UD with 20 points and 12 rebounds. He was just short of a double-double with 12 points and eight boards versus UNC Greensboro. Johnson scored in double-figures for the first time in a UD uniform with 14 points over Bethune-Cookman. At Akron, Johnson connected on 4-of-5 free throws, including two technical shots, to help seal the win. In the Miami win he snagged a team-high seven rebounds. Against Fordham, he had nine points and eight rebounds and came up just short of a double-double at Duquesne with 10 points (3-3 FG, 4-4 FT) and nine boards. Against St. Bonaventure, Johnson recorded 17 points and eight rebounds. Johnson tallied 13 points and seven rebounds, all in the first half, at Charlotte. Johnson recorded five points and six rebounds in 14 minutes against Xavier. During A-10 play, Johnson is shooting .605 (23-38) from the field and averaging 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.

JOHNSON NAMED A-10 CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK ON JANUARY 18
On Jan. 18, freshman Chris Johnson earned the Atlantic 10's Rookie of the Week award. Johnson averaged 9.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, and shot .545 (6-11) from the field and 1.000 (6-6) from the line for the week. During UD's recent seven-game winning streak, Johnson averaged 7.9 points and 6.0 rebounds, and shot .577 (15-26) from the field, .462 (6-13) from three-point range) and .950 (19-20) from the line. The scoring is tied for fourth, the rebounding was second, and all of the shooting percentages were first on the team during the streak.

HEY MICKEY
Mickey Perry is continuing to build upon a promising sophomore season. Perry was flawless against Bethune-Cookman knocking down both three-point attempts. Perry sank 3-of-4 shots versus No. 15 Marquette. Perry scored 10 points against Troy. Perry then tallied 10 points and a career-best three steals at Creighton. Perry added six points at Duquesne. Perry had three points and two boards versus St. Bonaventure and three against Saint Joseph's and one three-pointer at La Salle. Perry added six points at Charlotte. He had seven points versus No. 14 Xavier. Dayton is 18-4 when Perry knocks down a three-pointer in his career, and 11-3 this season.

DIAL IN WITH DEVIN
Devin Searcy has been one of the most pleasant surprises this year for UD. Searcy ranks second in field goal percentage (.500, 27-54). Against Wofford, Searcy recorded two rebounds and two assists, which equaled his assist total from all of last year. Searcy broke free with eight points and three rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting against Bethune-Cookman. Searcy had three points and an assist in 12 minutes against Mercer. He chipped in with six points and four rebounds in a win over Auburn. Searcy had four rebounds and two blocks versus No. 15 Marquette. In the Troy win, Searcy had five rebounds and another five at Akron. He was 2-for-2 apiece against UNC Greensboro, Marshall and George Mason. At Toledo, Searcy had six points, hitting all four free-throw attempts. He added five rebounds in the win over Miami and four points at UMass. Against Fordham, Searcy had four points and five rebounds. Searcy snagged a career-best two steals versus St. Bonaventure. He gave big minutes early on to help hold Saint Joseph's Ahmad Nivins to 12 points. Speaking of minutes, he played a career-high 21 minutes and added six points against then No. 14 Xavier. He had three points and two rebounds against Richmond.

STEVIE WONDER
After not playing more than seven minutes in a single outing since December and his team in need against No. 14 Xavier, Stephen Thomas came up big in a pressure situation. Thomas, who hadn't scored in the last seven games, added five points and four rebounds against Xavier. Thomas filled in for London Warren, who was in foul trouble for most of the game, and Rob Lowery, who injured his right knee in the first half. The Xavier game wasn't the only time Thomas saved the Flyers. Against Auburn, with teammates Warren & Lowery in foul trouble, Thomas netted a career-high eight points. He had four points, four rebounds and numerous hustle plays against Marshall. Thomas also recorded five points and a steal versus then-No. 15 Marquette. He had four points, two rebounds and two assists versus Richmond.

P-DUBYA
Freshman Paul Williams, one of the top prep recruits out of Michigan, brings a reputation as a clutch shooter and lockdown defender to the Flyer backcourt. Williams is a Preseason Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection. He added two rebounds against Delaware State. Williams broke out with three 3-pointers against Troy. He then added four points and three boards versus Coppin State. Against George Mason, he had two points, two boards and a steal. At Toledo, he had two rebounds and a steal. He had four rebounds versus Miami. Against Saint Louis, he snagged a career-best six rebounds, including a defensive rebound to secure the victory. He added five rebounds versus Saint Joseph's and two points and two boards at La Salle. Williams sank a three-pointer and dished out two assists versus No. 14 Xavier. Against Richmond, he nailed a three with 1:04 to go to extend the Flyer lead and finished with six points.

COOL HAND LUKE
Although it didn't show up on the box score, freshman Luke Fabrizius had a memorable Flyer debut. His mom, Julie Fabrizius, is a breast cancer survivor for five years and, thanks to her son, she was honored at halftime of the Flyers' home opener against Wofford as a part of the "Real Men Wear Pink" campaign. Fabrizius hitting 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc en route to nine points against Bethune-Cookman. He then connected on three 3-pointers to finish with nine points and four rebounds against Mercer. Fabrizius then had eight points against Troy. He reached double-figures for the first time with 10 points against UNC Greensboro. At UMass, he had six points and two rebounds. Fabrizius tallied 11 points at Duquesne. He hit a three at La Salle and one at Charlotte. Fabrizius had three points against Richmond.

CLOSE SHAVE
Dayton is 11-0 in games decided by six points or less, the best record in close games in the nation.

GIVEN THE COLD SHOULDER
Freshman Josh Benson, the second in a line of highly-anticipated local talents, will be out 3-to-6 months following shoulder surgery performed on Nov. 3. The 6-foot-10 big man was an ESPN Top 150 recruit where he averaged of 18.9 points, 11 boards and four blocks during his senior year. Benson has been cleared to do lower body conditioning and is expected to be redshirted for this season.

SUITCASE SUCCESS
The Flyers are 7-3 this season away from UD Arena going 5-3 on the road and 2-0 at neutral site contests. Four of the five UD starters shoot a better field goal percentage on the road than at home, led by Chris Wright's .569 (37-65).

EYE 75 ON THE SCOREBOARD
The Flyers are 36-4 under head coach Brian Gregory when they score at least 75 points and 7-0 this season.

CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS
UD is third in the Atlantic 10 in rebound margin at plus 4.7. Against Mercer, a team that had upset Alabama and Auburn by pounding the boards, the Flyers out-boarded Mercer 48-31. UD followed that up corralling 60 rebounds in an overtime win over Auburn. UD held a 44-33 advantage on the glass against Coppin State thanks in part to 17 on the offensive end. Dayton then out-rebounded Marshall 42-32, George Mason 42-29 and Miami 38-30. The Flyers had 13 offensive rebounds against Richmond. Since being out-rebounded by a much smaller Wofford squad in the opener, UD has gotten at least ten more rebounds than 10 opponents.

STEAL OF A DEAL
Dayton's 6.6 steals per game is UD's best average in 17 years and is on pace to be the fifth-best steal-per-game average in school history. Six different Flyers had a steal in the opener against Wofford. Dayton followed that with seven different players tallying a steal over Delaware State. UD tallied six swipes against No. 15 Marquette. At Akron the Flyers had 11 steals and at Creighton UD tallied seven swipes. UD added nine steals against UNC Greensboro, eight at Toledo and had 10 versus UMass. The Flyers swiped nine in the win over St. Bonaventure with no player grabbing more than two. Dayton swiped nine in the win over then No. 14 Xavier.

TAKE IT AWAY
Dayton has forced as many turnovers as made field goals by its opponent eight times this year. Dayton leads the A-10 with 406 forced turnovers and ranks sixth in turnover margin at plus 1.7.

WANT THE GOOD NEWS, OR THE BAD NEWS?
The bad news was that UD set an NCAA record in the Auburn game with 24 three-point attempts without a make. The good news was that UD won, relying on defense, rebounding and clutch free throw shooting. The bad news early in that game was that the Flyers made just 5-of-16 free throw attempts in the first 32 minutes of the contest, but finished with 15 straight made free throws, including 7-for-7 in overtime. Dayton is the only team to go 0-fer from three-point range twice and win both games this year (minimum of 10 shots), yet the Flyers have also shot better from three-point range than two-point range in six games this year.

INCONTHREEVABLE!
The odds a team that was making 39.5 percent of its three-pointers going 0-for-24 in a game are six-in-one-million, according to Texas Tech professor Dr. Alan Reifman.

PUTTING IN THE TIME
Players get better in the off-season, and it's obvious that the Flyers did just that over the summer. Aside from the W-L record, seven of eight returning players from last year are shooting a better percentage from the free throw line in 2008-09. Leading the way are London Warren (.548 to .644), Marcus Johnson (.593 to .688) and Charles Little (.462 to .642).

FLYERS SIGN KAVANAUGH TO 2008 CLASS
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. As the newest official member of the Flyers family, the 6-foot-9, 225 pound power forward, follows in the footsteps two other local standouts who will be his teammates in 2009-10. Chris Wright of Trotwood-Madison High School was the first as he signed with the Flyers in November of 2006. Dayton Dunbar graduate Josh Benson followed Wright and signed with UD last year.

ELITE COMPANY
Dayton coach Brian Gregory became just the fourth coach in Flyer basketball history to record 100 career victories. 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.

WELCOME TO FLIGHT CLUB
Dayton set a new single-season record for dunks just 19 games into the 2008-09 season. The Flyers' current total of 89 is 28 more than the 61 slams performed by the 2003-04 team in 33 games. Dayton had a program-record nine against UNC Greensboro and matched that one month later with nine against St. Bonaventure. In the Wofford contest Chris Wright had two slams and Marcus Johnson dunked in one. Then against Delaware State, Wright had four dunks including one where Mickey Perry threw it off the backboard. Three Flyers, Charles Little, Chris Johnson and Devin Searcy, each had a dunk over Bethune-Cookman. Wright added three dunks and Little with one against Mercer. At Akron, Wright had four of the Flyers' five slams. The Johnsons (Chris and Marcus) had two apiece in the Coppin State win. UD had four slams against George Mason and hammered home five at UMass. Dayton had eight flushes at Duquesne, four versus Saint Joseph's and four at La Salle. Wright leads UD with 38 dunks.

HANGING WITH THE ATLANTIC 10
The Flyers hold an all-time 261-189 edge over Atlantic 10 conference opponents and have finished .500 or better in eight of the previous nine seasons. UD's seven-game winning streak from Jan. 14 through Feb. 4 against A-10 opponents was the longest since winning nine straight during the 2003-04 campaign.

HOT, HOT, HOT
UD has won its last 28 non-conference home games. Included are games against members of the Big East, Conference USA, Mid-American and Missouri Valley conferences.

HOME SWEET HOME
Over the last three years on Tom Blackburn Court, the Flyers are 46-5. The 46 victories are tied for ninth most in the NCAA since the 2006-07 season. Just ahead of the Flyers are Memphis (53 wins), Kansas (51), UNLV (50), Ohio State and Florida (49), Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Texas A&M (48). UD has started at home 10-0 for the last three seasons. The Flyers have a home all-time winning percentage of .778 (747-213).

SPARK OFF THE BENCH
With such a deep team, it's no surprise Dayton's bench has been a big part of the team's success. The Flyers are 19-2 this season when their bench out-scores the opponents. UD holds a 663-373 edge in bench scoring this season.

CONQUERING GOLIATH
In recent years the Flyers have proved they can handle the big-name programs. The Flyers are 5-2 in the last three years against BCS programs and have won three consecutive games against Big East opponents.

FILLING UP THE STAT SHEET
Dayton has had five different players lead the team in scoring this season - Chris Wright (12), Marcus Johnson (seven), Rob Lowery (five) Charles Little and Chris Johnson (twice). In rebounding, six players have taken honors in at least one game - Wright (12), Chris Johnson (10) Kurt Huelsman (four), Little (twice) and Devin Searcy and Rob Lowery (once). (Note: scoring and rebounding numbers add up to more than 26 due to games where more than one player tied for the team-high).

NATION'S BEST
Through Feb. 19, the Flyers rank sixth in winning percentage (.885), 14th in the NCAA in field goal defense (.384) and 15th in scoring defense (59.1).

EXIT POLLING
The Flyers are nationally ranked for the first time this season, earning the No. 25 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. This is the first time Dayton has been ranked in the month of February since the 2002-03 season. UD's schedule features two top 25 teams from the Associated Press Poll and USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll. The Flyers beat No. 16/17 Xavier in February and will play the Musketeers once more in March. UD defeated No. 9/11 Marquette in November.

RPI UPDATE
According to RealTime RPI, the Dayton Flyers are ranked 24th in the latest RPI. Dayton has seven Top 100 RPI victories this season: Marquette, Xavier, George Mason, Saint Joseph's, Duquesne, Auburn and Miami.

FIVE FOR FIGHTING
Dayton has won 23 of its first 26 games for just the fifth time in school history. Brian Gregory and the legendary Tom Blackburn are the only coaches to accomplish that feat at UD.

THAT'S A CATCH-22
UD has held opponents to 22 points or less in a half 10 times during the 2008-09 campaign. Last year the Flyers accomplished that feat six times.

DEPTH CHARGE
UD is one of two top teams playing 12 players at least seven minutes a game, and one of the products of that is simply wearing down the opposition. In the George Mason win, UD out-scored the Patriots 11-2 in the last 4:41 of the game. In the Miami game, UD out-scored the Redhawks 10-4 over the last 4:31. Against Marshall, UD held the Thundering Herd scoreless for exactly nine minutes late in the second half. In the Saint Louis game, the Flyers held SLU without a field goal in the last 7:18 of play. In the last five minutes of the game, Dayton is holding its opponents to just .344 (62-180) from the field and .253 (19-75) from three.

SPREADING THE WEALTH AROUND
The Flyers have nine players who are averaging three points or more and 12 who play eight minutes or more this season. One other Atlantic 10 team has 11 players who play eight minutes or more. Dayton forces an average of 15.6 turnovers per game.

NAIL BITERS
Dayton is 9-0 in games decided by five points or less. That's the best record in games decided by five or less in the country. The Flyers are also 16-0 this season when leading with five minutes left in regulation.

COACHES VERSUS CANCER
In the Saint Joseph's game, Dayton head coach Brian Gregory joined hundreds of coaches nationwide in the national Coaches vs. Cancer event. Coaches and their staff wore sneakers along with their game attire. By wearing sneakers with their suits, participating coaches will call attention to the importance of cancer prevention and early detection and that the American Cancer Society can help by providing free, lifesaving information, resources, and services.

20/20 VISION
Dayton's meeting versus Xavier on Feb. 11 was the first meeting between two 20-win teams this season. Ironically, in previous 148 meetings between UD and XU, it was the first time the two teams played each other with 20 wins apiece.

NATIONAL CITY'S "THINK PINK" PROGRAM WITH UD A SUCCESS
The Flyers and National City teammed up to honor breast cancer survivors during an on-court ceremony at halftime of the Wofford game. The 10 survivors, including Luke Fabrizius' mom Julie and UD women's tennis coach Linda O'Keefe, were chosen from more than 200 nominees. Both coaching staffs wore matching pink ties to show support for the fight against breast cancer. The activities were a part of National City's "Real Men Wear Pink" campaign, featuring UD coach Brian Gregory.

GREGORY A PART OF OPERATION HARDWOOD
After the 2007-08 season, coach Brian Gregory was selected as one of eight college basketball coaches to travel to the Persian Gulf and visit troops as part of the fifth 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. Joining Gregory on the tour were Fran Fraschilla (ESPN Basketball Analyst and former St. John's head coach), Jeff Jones (American), Reggie Minton (National Association of Basketball Coaches Deputy Director and former Air Force head coach), Tom Pecora (Hofstra), Barry Rohrssen (Manhattan), Tom Schuberth (Texas-Pan American) and Jerry Wainwright (DePaul). Among the coaches and basketball figures who have participated in previous tours are Jay Bilas, Mike Brey, Bobby Cremins, Karl Hobbs, Tom Izzo, Bobby Lutz, Dave Odom, the late Skip Prosser, Tubby Smith and Gary Williams.

DANCE TO THE MUSIC
Dance is well known as a beautiful art form. Dancers will attest to the physical demands of the profession. But dancers are not the only ones doing ballet. Many athletes use dance and ballet to cross-train and improve their physical skills. Two Flyers can attest to that as Charles Little took a ballet class during the first semester while Chris Wright studied tap dance.

SPECIAL DELIVERY
This year's Dayton Flyer basketball marketing theme is "Your Team & Your Town," signifying the bond between UD and Miami Valley residents. As a token of their appreciation for the fan support they have received, head coach Brian Gregory and several UD players hand-delivered season tickets to 20 season ticket-holders around Dayton on Oct. 20.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
According to RealTime RPI, the Atlantic 10 ranks eighth among Division I conferences in strength of schedule. A-10 teams have already faced 18 ranked opponents thru Feb. 16. A-10 teams have amassed 15 wins over BCS conference teams thus far, the most of any non-BCS league and good for 4th nationally.

EVERYBODY WAS KUNG FU FIGHTING
Looking for a way to break up the monotony of offseason workouts, Mike Bewley, the University of Dayton's strength and conditioning coach, wanted to train the men's basketball team in jiujitsu, a popular martial arts form often seen during those rugged Ultimate Fighting Championship clashes. Bewley kept a record board, and junior Kurt Huelsman and sophomore Devin Searcy were the unofficial winners among the players, beating each other once but losing to no one else.

SECRET SMILES AUCTION TO BE HELD MARCH 7
UD's eighth annual "Flyer Feedback Auction" to benefit the charity "Secret Smiles" will be held on Saturday, March 8. 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.

FLYERS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN A-10 POLL
After a 23-11 season in 2007-08, the Dayton Flyers were picked to finish third in the league according to a poll of the Atlantic 10's head coaches and media. Xavier was the preseason favorite, with 44 of the 61 first-place votes. Temple garnered 12 first-place votes and placed second in the preseason poll. Dayton garnered three first-place votes and was tabbed third. Saint Joseph's was fourth, while Charlotte earned a pair of first-place votes and was fifth. Massachusetts was selected sixth in the poll followed by Saint Louis, Richmond, Rhode Island, La Salle, George Washington, Duquesne, Fordham and St. Bonaventure.

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 87 sellouts in its 38-year history and two in 2008-09. The record for sellouts is eight held in the Arena's first season 1969-70. UD's last 149 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 (387 of 390), including the last 186 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 will make its start at UD Arena for the eighth year in a row as the University of Dayton Arena hosts the NCAA Opening Round Game in 2009. In addition, 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. UD has hosted the Opening Round game since its inception in its current form in 2002. When the 2009 NCAA Tournament is over, UD Arena will have been an NCAA site in 23 of the last 40 years and will have hosted 84 NCAA Tournament games. That will make 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. In addition to the ten programs listed above, the football program had a GSR of 95 followed closely by men's soccer (93), baseball (92), softball (92) and men's basketball (89). 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.