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FLYERS & MUSKETEERS RENEW RIVALRY ON SATURDAY
In a battle for first place in the Atlantic 10 conference, the University of Dayton Flyers host their long-time rival Xavier Musketeers Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on Tom Blackburn Court. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2, carried by WHIO Radio and is available with live video, stats and audio at DaytonFlyers.com.

Dayton, 13-5 overall and 3-1 in the Atlantic 10, looks to climb back into first place in the Atlantic 10 with a victory.  The Flyers have been successful this season using a balanced offense. In conference play, Dayton has seven players who average 8.3 points or more per game. Kevin Dillard continues his all-conference campaign averaging 12.1 points and 5.7 assists per game. UD is 9-2 at home this year and averaging 70.1 points per game.

ABOUT XAVIER
The Xavier Musketeers are once again at the top of the Atlantic 10 Conference standings. Xavier, 13-5 overall and 4-1 in the Atlantic 10, have won five consecutive conference regular season titles. Xavier is ranked first in the A-10 in rebounding margin (+3.3 rpg.) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.277) and is second in field goal percentage defense (.384). In each of the last four games, XU has held opponents under 40 percent shooting. Senior All-American Tu Holloway is second on the team in scoring at 15.4 ppg and leads the team in assists at 5.6 apg (3rd in the A-10). Mark Lyons leads the team in scoring with 16.4 ppg.

SERIES STUFF
UD leads the all-time series 83-72. Xavier won both regular season meetings last year, but the Flyers prevailed in the Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals. In addition to this series being the most games against any opponent for both schools, the first Xavier varsity basketball game was against Dayton on Feb. 20, 1920 (UD won 24-18). The two teams have met at least once every year since 1946-47. Saturday’s game also features the 55th contest with the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy on the line. Since 1980-81, Franklin Savings of Cincinnati has sponsored the “Black/Mac” trophy, which is named after the two legendary coaches who put their two schools on the basketball map - Dayton’s Tom Blackburn and XU’s Jim McCafferty. The trophy series only covers regular season meetings, and XU leads the trophy series 35-19.

MILLER THE THRILLER
Coach Archie Miller is off to the second-best start for a University of Dayton head coach in his first year through 18 games. Miller’s 13-5 mark trails only Brian Gregory’s 15-3 opening back in the 2003-04 campaign.

NO CRYING FOUL
Dayton has been phenomenal at the free throw line (72-of-91, .791) in A-10 play. For the season, UD is shooting .748. The Flyers shot .677 last year and haven’t topped 75 percent since the 1982-83 campaign.

INSIDE THE RPI
Dayton has the 14th-toughest strength of schedule among all NCAA Division-I teams. UD is rated 32nd in the RPI and has seven wins over Top 100 teams (Alabama, Temple, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Saint Louis, La Salle and Wake Forest).

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
The Flyers lost Josh Benson, UD’s second-leading scorer and rebounder, to a torn ACL before the A-10 opener. Since Benson’s absence, Dayton’s post players (Matt Kavanaugh, Luke Fabrizius and Alex Gavrilovic) have more than doubled their scoring averages and are shooting a combined .667 (40-of-60) from the field.

GET IT ON THE GLASS
Dayton is 11-1 this season when out-rebounding its opponent. UD is fifth in the A-10 with a plus 2.3 rebounding margin.

CHRIS CROSSING THE CHARTS
Chris Johnson, a 2010-11 Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention selection, is quickly moving up the charts in the program’s history. CJ became UD’s 43rd member of the 1,000 point club in the final regular season game of 2010-11. Johnson’s 1,244 points place him 27th. Next is Mike Sylvester with 1,248 points. CJ also ranks sixth on UD’s all-time list for 3-pointers made (201). Norm Grevey is next at 208. Johnson also ranks sixth in career offensive rebounds (267), trailing Mark Ashman’s 269. Johnson will be playing in his 125th career game at UD, good for a tie for ninth.

PREMIUM PRODUCTION
Chris Johnson has earned Atlantic 10 accolades in each of his previous three seasons – All-Rookie, Chris Daniels Most Improved, Honorable Mention All-Atlantic 10. Johnson is third on the team in scoring (10.5) and second in rebounding (5.5). CJ opened the season with eight points and 10 rebounds versus Western Illinois. He broke out against UNC-Wilmington with 19 points. Johnson scored 12, including the go-ahead 3-pointer versus Wake Forest. He added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists against Minnesota. Johnson led all scorers with 20 points against No. 16/15 Alabama. He scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting versus Seton Hall. Johnson led all scorers with 16 points and had five assists against Ole Miss. CJ added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Saint Louis. He came back with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Temple. CJ has 12 career double-doubles.

SIMPLY THE BEST
Chris Johnson ranks eighth in the A-10 in 3-point field goal percentage (.430) and ninth in 3-point field goals made (2.0 per game). In conference only games, Johnson is the A-10’s second-best 3-point shooter (.667) and fourth-leading rebounder (8.3 rpg). He plays his best against BCS opponents. In 15 career starts, he has 13 double figure efforts against BCS opponents.

THAT’S SOME WILL-POWER
Paul Williams ranks fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.2 points per game and has scored double figures eight times this year. He opened the year notching 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting against Western Illinois. Williams added to that by scoring a career-high 20 points at Miami. In the Wake Forest win, Williams scored 18 points. He scored 12 points at Murray State. He had 10 points and eight rebounds versus USC-Upstate. He had 12 points versus FIU. Williams recorded 12 points and seven boards against Ole Miss. He scored six of his 11 points in overtime during the SLU victory. Williams ranks 67th all-time in UD history with 740 career points. He trails Don Lane for 66th with 754 points.

PARKER BROTHERS
Josh Parker has been another solid veteran presence on the court. He busted out in a big way with 15 points off the bench in UD’s win over Fairfield. Parker came back the next night to score 12 points versus Minnesota. As a starter, Parker scored 11 points and had six assists to one turnover versus Western Illinois. Parker scored 12 of his 17 points in the first half against No. 16/15 Alabama. Parker added 14 points and five assists against FIU.

VALET PARKER
Josh Parker is one of many Flyers who have increased his production in conference action. Parker is averaging 12.0 points in A-10 play. He led UD with 16 points at Temple. Parker led UD with 19 points, and added a career-high six rebounds, at St. Bonaventure. Parker is 10th in the conference in free throw percentage (.800).

COOL HAND LUKE
Luke Fabrizius has been on fire in A-10 play averaging 11.0 points and shooting .533 from the field. After sitting out the three games with an injured rib, Fabrizius totalled eight points and five boards against Ole Miss. He added 11 points versus Saint Louis and 13 at Temple. He was 3-of-3 from the field en route to eight points against Western Illinois. He added nine points against UNC-Wilmington. Fabrizius added 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting versus Minnesota. He hit 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc in the USC-Upstate win. Fabrizius scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field against La Salle.

ON POINT
Kevin Dillard not only leads the Flyers in many statistical categories, he is among the NCAA and A-10 leaders as well. Dillard ranks 30th in the NCAA and third in the A-10 in assists (5.7). In the conference, he is also fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9) and sixth in steals per game (1.9). Dillard has converted 17 straight free throws and is 15-of-15 in A-10 play. He has at least one steal in 16 of his last 17 games.

EVEN BETTER AGAINST THE A-10
Kevin Dillard against Atlantic 10 opponents leads the conference in assists per game (7.8) and free throw percentage (15-15, 1.000). His scoring is also up from non-conference action averaging 13.3 points versus conference opponents.

DILLARD DISHING DIMES
Kevin Dillard is quickly making a name for himself as one of the top point guards in the Atlantic 10. He scored 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting versus UNC-Wilmington. In the opener against Western Illinois, Dillard had nine assists with zero turnovers. He then added 11 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals at Miami. He had 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists against No. 16/15 Alabama. He scored 10 points, all in the second half, against USC-Upstate. Dillard added 14 points versus Seton Hall. Dillard had a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists against Saint Louis. Dillard scored all 16 points in the second half in the Temple win. He added 10 points and eight assists at St. Bonaventure. Dillard followed up with nine points and seven assists versus La Salle.

TURNING IT ON LATE
The phrase “letting the game come to him” could not describe Kevin Dillard’s game any better this season. Dillard averages 7.6 points and 3.4 assists in the second half and overtime this year. In the first half, his numbers are 4.4 points and 2.3 assists per game. Dillard has been held scoreless three times in the first half this year and only once in the second half.

KD IS AN MVP
Kevin Dillard was named the 2011 Old Spice Classic Most Valuable Player after a spectacular three-game run.  In the tournament, Dillard led the Flyers in scoring (15.3 ppg), assists (15), steals (11), blocks (4) and converted 10-of-11 free throws (.909). Against Wake Forest, Dillard scored 12 points. Dillard also scored 12 versus Fairfield. Against Minnesota he dazzled with his first double-double in a Flyer uniform, tallying 19 points and 10 assists.

DILLARD NAMED A-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
On Nov. 28, Dayton junior point guard Kevin Dillard was named Co-Player of the Week in the Atlantic 10 Conference for his performance in leading the Flyers to the championship of the Old Spice Classic.

KAVAN-AUGHSOME
Matt Kavanaugh is a true road-grader down low. He ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in offensive rebounding with 3.2 per game. Kavanaugh opened the year with 15 points and seven rebounds versus Western Illinois. Against UNC-Wilmington, seven of his eight boards were on the offensive glass. Kavanaugh recorded his first career double-double with 15 points & 13 boards versus Wake Forest. He came back with 11 rebounds, seven on the offensive end, against Fairfield. He added 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting against USC-Upstate. He added 14 points and six rebounds at Temple. Kavanaugh scored 10 at St. Bonaventure. In the La Salle win, Kavanaugh set career highs in points (23) and free throws made (13) to go with nine rebounds.

TROPIC THUNDER
Since Josh Benson was out for the season, Matt Kavanaugh is UD’s leading scorer (15.7) and second-leading rebounder (5.7). The Centerville, Ohio native is also shooting .667 (18-of-24) from the field and .882 (15-of-17) at the free throw line. Against A-10 opponents, Kavanaugh ranks eighth in field goal percentage (.667).

OLIVER TWIST
Devin Oliver continues to show a great ability to rebound the basketball. In his first career start, Oliver had eight points and six rebounds at St. Bonaventure. He corralled seven boards against UNC-Wilmington. Oliver hauled in a team-high seven rebounds in just 14 minutes against Minnesota. Oliver had a team-high seven rebounds against Buffalo. He had a career-high 12 points and five rebounds versus USC-Upstate. Oliver added nine points and eight rebounds against UIC.

KING OF THE HILL
Ralph Hill will get more playing time after the season-ending injury to Josh Benson. He connected on a 3-pointer and had two assists against UNC-Wilmington. He sank a 3-pointer against USC-Upstate and had an offensive rebound against FIU. Hill had a career-best six rebounds at St. Bonaventure. He added two points and three rebounds versus La Salle.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Alex Gavrilovic was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Dec. 19 after he had 14 points and six rebounds versus Florida International. He topped his season point total of 13 in one night. Gavrilovic finished with four points and five rebounds against UNC-Wilmington. Gavrilovic scored six points versus UIC and had five rebounds against Ole Miss. He tallied 12 points and seven rebounds in the win over SLU. Gavrilovic was 3-of-3 from the floor and hauled in six rebounds at Temple. He added 10 points and five boards at St. Bonaventure. Gavrilovic shot 4-of-5 from the field en route to nine points versus La Salle.

FRENCH VANILLA
In conference play, Alex Gavrilovic averages 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds, while in non-conference those numbers drop to 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Gavrilovic leads the A-10 with a .800 field goal percentage against conference opponents.

BOOM BOOM BENSON
Josh Benson is out for the year with a torn ACL in his left knee. Prior to the injury, he was one of UD’s most pleasant surprises averaging 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds per game and shooting .610 from the field. Benson scored a career-high 21 points (8 more than his previous career best) on 10-of-13 shooting in the opener against Western Illinois.  Benson added 10 points and eight rebounds against Wake Forest. He added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Minnesota. He scored 17 points, all in the second half, on 8-of-8 shooting from the floor at Murray State. Benson was just as good against No. 16/15 Alabama with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Benson was just shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine boards against Seton Hall. He added 13 points and eight rebounds versus UIC. Benson was third in the A-10 in field goal percentage (.610) at the time of his injury and scored in double figures in five of his last seven.

COACHING TREE HOUSE
Archie Miller is part of the most prolific active coaching tree in college basketball. A total of nine of Arizona State coach Herb Sendek’s former full-time assistant coaches (not former players, managers or GA’s) are currently Division I head coaches. They are Jim Christian (TCU), Charlie Coles (Miami of Ohio), John Groce, (Ohio), Larry Hunter (Western Carolina), Ron Hunter (Georgia State), Thad Matta (Ohio State), Archie Miller (Dayton), Sean Miller (Arizona) and Mark Phelps (Drake). Rick Pitino has seven branches on his coaching tree, while Jim Calhoun and Mike Montgomery each have six.

UD ADDS SANFORD & DERENBECKER
Continuing to add to the Flyers’ talent pool, head coach Archie Miller added transfers Vee Sanford (Georgetown) and Matt Derenbecker (LSU). At Georgetown, Sanford played in 27 games in his sophomore year. Derenbecker, a two-time Louisiana High School Gatorade Player of the Year, played in all 32 of LSU’s games in 2010-11. He started 16 games and averaged 6.5 points and 2.1 rebounds a game.

MILLER ANNOUNCES 2011 RECRUITING CLASS
Head Coach Archie Miller has announced the signing of three top high school players to letters of intent. They are 6-foot-9 high school teammates Jalen Robinson and Devon Scott from Ohio powerhouse Columbus Northland High School, and coveted 5-foot-11 point guard Jevon Thomas from Queens, N.Y. by way of Quality Education Academy in Winston-Salem, N.C.

YOUNG GUN
Dayton’s Archie Miller is the fith-youngest NCAA Division I head coach. At age 33, Miller is behind UNC-Greensboro’s interim head coach Wes Miller (28), Robert Morris’ Andy Toole (31), Appalachian State’s Jason Capel (31) and Wisconsin Green Bay’s Brian Wardle (32). Tony Jasick at IPFW is 33 as well, but has an earlier birthday than Miller.

ATLANTIC 10 OVERALL RANKINGS
UD is among the A-10’s best in many categories. Dayton is third in free throw percentage (.746) and defensive rebounding (31.9), fourth in scoring defense (65.2), fourth in 3-pointers made (7.4) and sixth in assists (14.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1).

AGAINST CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
Dayton’s numbers against A-10 opponents jump. The Flyers are leading the conference in scoring (79.5 ppg) and defensive rebounding (29.8). The Flyers rank second in free throw percentage (.791), rebounding margin (+7.5) and are third in 3-point field goal shooting (.415).

THIRD IS THE WORD
Dayton has hit at least one 3-point shot in 99 straight games.

LINE THEM UP
Shooting at a .748 clip, the Flyers are among the Atlantic 10 leaders in free throw percentage. UD has five players who are shooting better than 70 percent at the charity stripe. Matt Kavanaugh (.833), Chris Johnson (.829), Paul Williams (.811),  Josh Parker (.800) and Kevin Dillard (.793) and lead the way. Last season, the Flyers shot .677 at the free throw line.

EYE 75 ON THE SCOREBOARD
The Flyers are 59-8 in the last nine seasons when they score 75 or more points. The Flyers are 6-0 this season and went 7-2 in 2010-11 when reaching the 75-point mark. UD has a 29-4 record the previous four seasons.

PACK YOUR BAGS
Dayton is 4-3 away from UD Arena this season. In those games on road and neutral sites, the Flyers average 72.3 points per game and force an average of 15.7 turnovers. Kevin Dillard is Dayton’s top scorer averaging 13.5 points, while Matt Kavanaugh is UD’s top rebounder with 7.5 per game.

BALL CONTROL OFFENSE
One of the building blocks to coach Archie Miller’s offense is sharing and taking care of the basketball. In the Flyers’ opener against Western Illinois, Dayton dished out 25 assists with only eight turnovers. In Dayton’s loss at Miami, the Flyers committed 22 turnovers. That’s the most UD has turned the ball over since their 22 miscues against Georgia Tech on Nov. 19, 2009. In the Minnesota win, UD had 18 assists. The 74 points against Alabama, who had the 8th-best scoring defense in the NCAA, are the most the Crimson Tide allowed this season. UD had 17 assists and five players score in double figures against USC-Upstate. Dayton had 18 assists in the Ole Miss win and at St. Bonaventure. This season the Flyers are 6-2 when forcing more turnovers than their opponents.  

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
While UD’s offense has garnered the headlines, the defense has been impressive as well. Against Western Illinois, the Flyers clamped down in the second half limiting the Leathernecks to 5-of-26 shooting from the floor and 0-for-7 from 3-point range. The Flyers held UNC-Wilmington to 4-for-20 shooting in the opening 12 minutes. Fairfield went 2-of-11 (.182) on 3-point attempts. Dayton held No. 16/15 Alabama to 4-of-16 (.250) shooting from 3-point range. In the FIU win, UD held the Panthers to 10 second half points, the third-fewest allowed in Flyer history (modern era) and fewest since they gave up eight points to Richmond in the first half on Jan. 20, 2007. It also matched the lowest scored by a Flyer opponent in the second half (Roanoke on Jan. 9, 1978). The Flyers limited Ole Miss to 1-of-10 shooting from 3-point range in the victory.

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE, DOUBLE THE FUN
Numerous players scoring in double figures has been a regular occurrence for Dayton this season. In the Wake Forest win, all five starters reached double figures in points. Against No. 16/15 Alabama, the Flyers had four reach double figures. Five Flyers achieved that feat in the Saint Louis victory and again in the win at Temple. Nine of Dayton’s 10-man rotation have scored in double figures this season. Dillard leads the team in double-figure scoring efforts with 13. Next up are Chris Johnson (9), Josh Benson, and Paul Williams (8), Josh Parker (7), Matt Kavanaugh (6), Luke Fabrizius (4), Alex Gavrilovic (3) and Devin Oliver (1).

ATLANTIC 10 ROCKING THE RPI
In games through 1/18/12, the Atlantic 10 is the only conference with seven teams in the Top 100 RPI.

CONQUERING GOLIATH
The Flyers have proved they can handle the big-name programs. Dayton is 16-6 in the last five years against BCS programs. They have won 10 of the last 12 overall and five of the last eight games against BIG EAST opponents. Dayton’s 16 victories have come against Ole Miss (thrice), Alabama, North Carolina, Minnesota, Illinois, Louisville, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Marquette, Auburn, Cincinnati, Seton Hall, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh. UD has won their last five versus the SEC and the last three against the ACC. Dayton is 4-1 this season against BCS opponents with wins against No. 16/15 Alabama, Ole Miss, Wake Forest and Minnesota.

NON-CONFERENCE NOTORIETY
For the sixth consecutive season, Dayton finished with 10 or more non-conference victories. This season the Flyers won the 2011 Old Spice Classic Championship, defeated four of the five BCS opponents they faced and finished non-conference play with wins in five of its last six contests.

TEAM TRENDS
Although the Flyers dealt with injuries all season to top players, Dayton has not missed a beat. Under head coach Archie Miller, the Flyers have a potent attack that features balance, strong outside shooting and an ability to score points in bunches. Top team trends include:

• 11-1 record out-rebounding its opponent.
• 6-0 when holding opponents to under 60 points.
• 7-1 when they have four or more players score in double figures.
• 9-1 when scoring 70 points or more.
• 5-0 on Saturdays

THE EUROPEAN UNION
This summer, Dayton went on an 11-day European exhibition tour, where the Flyers went 4-0 in games against the Netherlands National U-23 team and three professional teams from the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Dayton had four players who averaged in double figures: Kevin Dillard (13.0 ppg), Chris Johnson (11.8 ppg), Josh Parker (11.5 ppg) and Luke Fabrzius (11.0 ppg).

POSTSEASON STRING OF SUCCESS
Dayton has advanced to the postseason in four consecutive seasons. UD went to the NIT three times and NCAA Tournament once. The last time that happened was when the Flyers made it to the postseason in five straight seasons from 1999-2000 to 2003-04.

UD LOCKED IN TO REGULAR SEASON INVITATIONALS THROUGH 2013
Continuing a commitment to enhancing the non-conference schedule and increased national exposure, the University of Dayton Flyers were announced as a part of the 2012 DIRECTV Charleston Classic eight-team field. Dayton will be a part of a competitive field that includes Baylor, Boston College, Charleston, Colorado, St. John’s and Southern Illinois. An eighth team will be announced at a later date. The Flyers will return to the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational in 2013, 10 years after the Flyers won the event.

OLD SPICE CLASSIC NOTES
Dayton defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 86-70 to capture the 2011 Old Spice Classic championship. In that game, Dayton rewrote program records for in-season tournaments. The Old Spice Classic was Dayton’s 14th in-season tournament championship. UD has won three of the last five it has participated in and this is the first since taking the 2008 Chicago Invitational Challenge. In the program’s history, Dayton had also never beaten a Big Ten team by double-figures before the Minnesota win.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
The national college basketball media took notice of the recent success with Dayton men’s basketball after the Flyers defeated Saint Louis and Temple. ESPN’s Andy Katz with ESPN named the Flyers the “Team of the Week” after wins over Saint Louis and Temple. Brett Edgerton also mentioned Kevin Dillard and his performance to open Atlantic 10 play. The national coverage continued as Mike DeCourcy at The Sporting News wrote about Dayton’s resilient team after losing Josh Benson for the year. Additonal national coveraged included Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com having the Flyers in his “Power Pyramid,” Boston Globe sports editor Joe Sullivan  calling the Flyer Faithful as “the best basketball fans in America,” Jeff Eisenberg from Yahoo! Sports talking about Dayton’s two big wins over Saint Louis and Temple.

100TH SELLOUT AT UD ARENA
This year’s annual home game against Xavier will be the 100th sellout in UD Arena history. Since UD Arena opened in 1969, Dayton has been in the NCAA`s top 35 in attendance every season.

AMONG THE BEST IN NCAA ATTENDANCE
The University of Dayton finished in the Top 30 in men’s basketball attendance for the 14th straight season in 2010-11. The Flyers finished 27th in the NCAA in attendance with an average of 12,567 fans a game, after averaging 12,259 in 2009-10. The Flyers led the Atlantic 10 in attendance for the 14th straight season. UD averaged more than 2,400 fans a game better than any other team in the conference.

AND THE CROWD GOES WILD
More than 8 million fans have attended UD Arena in the last 43 seasons. UD’s last 196 regular season home games have had attendance of at least 11,000 fans. In the last 15 years, 99% of UD’s home games have drawn at least 10,000 (435 of 438), including the last 234 regular season games.

HOME SWEET HOME
Over the last six years on Tom Blackburn Court, the Flyers are 87-14. The 86 victories are the eighth-most in the NCAA since the 2006-07 season. Just ahead of UD are Ohio State (100), Kansas (99), Syracuse (97), Pittsburgh (92), UNLV (90), Florida and Texas A&M (89). Dayton won its 500th game at UD Arena on Dec. 29, 2009 and is 529-189 in 41 seasons at the Arena. The Flyers have a home all-time winning percentage of .780 (786-221).

THE FLYER FAITHFUL
For years, UD has claimed it has had the best fans in the nation. In 2001, The Sporting News conducted an unscientific poll of college basketball coaches, media and SIDs. In the Jan. 8, 2001 issue of the magazine, UD’s fans were tabbed as college basketball’s best. And they prove it to everyone the Flyers play. UD Arena has had 99 sellouts in its 43-year history. The record for sellouts is eight in the Arena’s first season (1969-70). The Flyers finished the 2010-11 regular season averaging 12,567 fans a game.

DAYTON PICKED SIXTH IN ATLANTIC 10 MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
The University of Dayton men’s basketball team was picked to finish sixth in the Atlantic 10 this season in a poll of coaches and media. Senior forward Chris Johnson was a preseason Second Team All-Atlantic 10 pick.

IT’S ALL ABOUT WINNING
The 2010-11 Dayton Flyers recorded 22 victories. That team became just the 19th squad in the program’s history to have won 22 or more games. The Flyers also reached the postseason in four consecutive seasons. The last time that happened was during a stretch between the 1999-2000 and 2003-04 campaigns.

CHRIS WRIGHT BEGINS NBA CAREER
Former Flyer great Chris Wright is one of four rookies on the Golden State Warriors roster. Wright, who graduated from the University last May, had one of the best four years in Flyer basketball history. The greatest above-the-rim player to ever wear the Red & Blue, Wright is the school career record holder in dunks (177) and blocked shots (162). He is only the third UD player to be named All-Atlantic 10 conference three times. He made his first NBA appearance and had three rebounds in a 107-79 loss to Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve.

ANALYZING THE ATLANTIC 10
The Flyers are playing in their 17th season in the Atlantic 10 and possess a 146-178 overall record in conference play. Dayton has finished .500 or better in 10 of the previous 12 seasons. The Flyers clinched a bid to the 2011 A-10 Championship for the 16th consecutive season. Dayton also advanced to the A-10 Championship Final last year.

YOUNG & THE RESTLESS
With UD’s 2011 Old Spice Classic Championship, coach Archie Miller (age 33) became the third youngest to win an in-season tournament title. UMass’s John Calipari (Great Alaska Shootout 1991, age 32) and Butler’s Brad Stevens (Great Alaska Shootout 2007, age 31) are the only coaches younger than Miller to achieve this feat.

FORTUNE 500
The Flyers celebrated their 500th win at UD Arena on Dec. 29, 2009. The Arena opened in 1969. UD Arena is one of just 27 active facilities to have hosted at least 500 wins for its home team, and only one of two built since 1969. The list includes Cameron Indoor Stadium, The Palestra, Pauley Pavilion, Freedom Hall, Allen Fieldhouse, The Pit and Hinkle Fieldhouse. Only four facilities – Pauley Pavilion, The Pit, Freedom Hall and the Huntsman Center – had 500 wins faster than UD Arena.

GRADUATION SUCCESS AT UD
The NCAA Graduation Success Rate report on Division I student-athletes released places the University of Dayton in familiar territory – among the nation’s best. UD’s 95 GSR in this year’s report places the University tied for 21st in the nation and tied for first in the Atlantic 10. The Flyer men’s and women’s basketball teams both have 100 GSR scores. UD’s men’s team is the only one in the Atlantic 10 with a perfect GSR, while the women are one of five. Dayton is one of just four institutions whose men’s and women’s basketball programs have perfect GSR numbers and both won at least 20 games last year.

DAYTON THE HOST FOR THE NCAA FIRST FOUR ONCE AGAIN
The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee announced that the Road to the Final Four will begin once again at the University of Dayton Arena this year. In fact, it will begin in Dayton for at least the next two years as the NCAA’s “First Four” event will be held in at the Arena March 13-14, 2012 and March 19-20, 2013. UD served as the host for the inaugural First Four last March. The games drew more than 10,000 fans each night to UD Arena, and a national viewing audience of over five million people.

MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
The University of Dayton Arena has hosted NCAA tournament events in 25 of the 42 years since opening its doors in 1969. The NCAA First Four games made UD Arena the most-used tournament venue in NCAA history. To date, UD Arena has hosted 86 NCAA men’s tournament games, tying it with Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium.

DID YOU KNOW?
UD won more games than any other school in both the 1950s and `60s. UD won 435 games between 1950 and 1969 and ranks among the top teams of the 1950s and 1960s in Division I history. The Flyers’ .763 (228-71) winning percentage in the 1950s ranks fifth in the decade. Their .729 (207-77) winning percentage ranks eighth in the 1960s.