DAYTON -- The University of Dayton men's basketball team will return to UD Arena to host Virginia Tech on Sunday.  Game time is 2 p.m. ET.

The Flyers had a five-game winning streak snapped at SMU Wednesday. UD trailed by 15 midway through the second half, cut it to three with 44 seconds left, but SMU made seven of eight free throws to win 77-69.  Three players scored double figures -- DaRon Holmes II (15), Elijah Weaver (14) and Malachi Smith (13). Smith had six assists with no turnovers.

Saturday's game will be carried by WHIO Radio televised on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.  Streaming audio, video and stats will be available at DaytonFlyers.com.

#TRENDING 
• Dayton and Gonzaga are the only two schools to win the Orlando title more than once. 
• Dayton's win over No. 4/3 Kansas was its first over a Top 5 team since the Flyers beat No. 3 DePaul 72-71 at the buzzer on Feb. 18, 1984.  Anthony Grant was a freshman on that team.
• For the first time in UD Arena history, all season and single game tickets were sold before the season even began.  That announcement was made on Nov. 4.  
• Two Flyers were named Preseason All-Atlantic 10.  Forwards Toumani Camara and Mustapha Amzil were both named to the third team.  
• Camara, a transfer from Georgia, is the first immediately-eligible transfer to earn preseason accolades in Atlantic 10 Conference history.  He saw action in 57 games in two seasons at Georgia, and started his last 48 games as a Bulldog.  Last year, Camara averaged 12.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 28.4 minutes of action. Camara had 14 points in the Kansas win.
• Amzil joined the team mid-year and exactly 50 days after he signed, he earned the first of his three Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week awards.  In 19 games (15 starts), Amzil was third for UD in scoring (9.9 points a game), rebounds (5.6), FG% (.496, 68-137) and 3-pt. FG% (.382, 26-68).  The Helsinki native's game-winning floater vs. Kansas has been dubbed "The Finnish."
• The Covid year has complicated "the clock" for college student-athletes.  With that in mind, the Flyers' 12 players who are listed as freshmen or redshirt freshmen are the second -most in NCAA Division I men's basketball.  Only Arizona (13) has more.  Next is Air Force (11) with Marquette and Vanderbilt (10 each) right behind.
• Dayton's incoming freshman class is ranked 21st-best in the nation.  DaRon Holmes II, a consensus Top 50 recruit, is the highest-rated prospect to ever come to UD.  Among freshmen in Division I, Holmes is fourth in blocked shots per game (2.4).
• Malachi Smith is the first Flyer freshman to been named an in-season tournament MVP since Roosevelt Chapman was MVP of the University of Dayton Invitational in 1980. He leads the team in 3-pt. FG% FT%, assists and steals, is second in minutes, is third in rebounding and FG%, and fourth in scoring. He is the current (and back-to-back) A-10 Rookie of the Week.
• Over his last four games, 50 of Elijah Weaver's last 64 points have come in the second half.

UP NEXT 
• After semester exams, the Flyers will be at Ole Miss on Saturday, Dec. 18. Tip is 6:30 p.m. ET.
• UD ends non-conference play vs. Southern at home on Tuesday, Dec, 21 at 7 p.m. ET.