DAYTON -- The  University of Dayton men's basketball team goes back on the road for ESPN's first A-10 Friday Night Showcase of the year, when the Flyers play at Duquesne.  Game time is 7 p.m. ET.  

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

Dayton, 12-2 overall, improved to 2-0 in the Atlantic 10 Saturday with a gritty 64-60 win over UMass.  DaRon Holmes II (18 points) and Enoch Cheeks (11) led UD in the scoring column.  Zimi Nwokeji added a season-high nine points with three rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.  Javon Bennett struggled from the field but was four-for-four at the line in the last 26 seconds. 

 #TRENDING 
• Dayton is the preseason favorite in the Atlantic 10 in the annual vote of the league's coaches and selected media.  The Flyers received 20 of the 25 first-place votes cast.
• DaRon Holmes II was named Preseason First Team All-Atlantic 10 and to the Preseason All-Defensive Team.  He was the only player on the first team and the defensive team.
• Last season, he was also First Team All-A-10 and on the All-Defensive Team as well the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 Men's Basketball Championship (21.7 ppg., 10.1 rpg., 4.0 bpg.).
• Holmes is on three prestigious preseason watch lists -- Atlanta Tip-Off Club's Naismith Award, the Los Angeles Athletic Club's John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's Karl Malone Award.
• Holmes leads UD in scoring (17.7) and rebounding (6.9).  
• Last year he was the only player in the A-10 to be in the top five in both.  He also led the A-10 in blocked shots (1.94) in 2022-23.
• Holmes is now the Dayton career record holder for blocked shots (178) and dunks (202).
• He is the only player in D-I who has at least 30 blocks, 30 dunks and 30 assists (as of 1/8).  Holmes has 31, 31 and 38 respectively.   He also has 13 threes and is shooting .419 from deep.
• Nate Santos was named to the Charleston Classic All-Tournament Team.  UD finished second in Charleston.  He was also named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week on Nov. 20. 
• Santos needed 10 games to match what he scored in two years at Pitt (116 points in 54 G). 
• Koby Brea is second nationally in 3-pt. FG% (min. 2.5/game.).  Brea is shooting .494 (41-83). 
• Brea and Santos are currently 1-2 in the A-10 in 3-pt. FG% (min. 1.5 made per game).  Santos is shooting .490 (24-49). 
• Brea is fourth at UD in career 3-pt. FG% (.415, 165-398).  Negele Knight is third (.425).
• Kobe Elvis was named the A-10 Co-Player of the Week after scoring 27 points in the UC win.  He was 14-for-14 from the line in that game, the third-best single-game performance at UD.
• Elvis is tied for second nationally in FT% (.971, 34-35).
• Malachi Smith was injured seven minutes into the opener, and after successful surgery on a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee on Nov. 8, he will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season. 

UP NEXT
• UD is back home for two games -- Saint Louis on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. ET, and Rhode Island on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 12:30 p.m. ET.