1/24/2022

DAYTON — The University of Dayton men’s basketball team is back home Tuesday, welcoming Fordham to UD Arena.  Game time is 7 p.m. ET.  

UD had its four-game win streak snapped Saturday at George Mason, 50-49.  Malachi Smith (12 points), Koby Brea (11) and Kobe Elvis (11) led UD in scoring.  Smith also had five steals.

Tuesday’s game will be carried by WHIO Radio, televised in SW Ohio on Spectrum News 1 and streamed on ESPN+.  Streaming audio, video and stats will be available at DaytonFlyers.com.

#TRENDING 
• UD is 4-2 in Atlantic 10 action, and both losses are by a point (VCU and George Mason).
• Dayton had five consecutive A-10 Rookies of the Week from Nov. 30 to Dec. 20.  Malachi Smith was named on 11/30, 12/6 and 12/20.  DaRon Holmes II, who was named on 12/13 and 12/27.  The string was broken when Flyer games the week of 1/3 were not played. 
• Holmes made it six for UD and three for himself when he was named on Jan. 17.
• 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.  
• The Covid year has complicated “the clock” for college student-athletes.  With that in mind, the Flyers’ 11 players listed as freshmen or redshirt freshmen are the second-most in NCAA Division I men’s basketball.  Only Arizona (13) has more.  Air Force, Marquette and Vanderbilt (10) are next.  KenPom has UD the least experienced team in D-I.  
• 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 sign with UD.  
• Holmes is first nationally among freshmen (and sixth overall) in dunks (43).  Next are Jalen Duren of Memphis (34), Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga (31) and Kendall Brown of Baylor (29). 
• Holmes leads the A-10 in FG% (.659, 89-135).  He is currently six made baskets short of qualifying for national rankings, but his .659 would place him fourth. 
• Malachi Smith was the first Flyer freshman named an in-season tournament MVP since Roosevelt Chapman was MVP of the UD Invitational in 1980. Smith leads the team in minutes, assists and steals, is second in FT%, and is third in scoring, rebounding and 3-pt. FG%.  
• R.J. Blakney was 5-for-5 from deep in the Va. Tech win.  That’s the second-best single-game effort in UD history, behind Shawn Haughn (8-for-8) and tying him with two other Flyers. 
• Dayton has depth. Nine Flyers average 7.5 minutes or more.  Nine have had at least one game of 10 points or more.  Eight average 6.0+ points a game, and three average 10+.
• UD shoots .514 and allows .387 from the field in its 12 wins this season.  In the six losses, Dayton shoots .413 and allows .458.  UD allows 56.9 ppg. in its wins, and 68.6 in its losses.

UP NEXT 
• UD remains at UD Arena on Friday, Jan 28 against Rhode Island.  Game time is 7 p.m. ET.  
• The Flyers are at VCU (Wednesday, Feb. 2) and Saint Louis (Saturday, Feb. 5), before returning home to play Duquesne on Wednesday, Feb. 9.

COURTESY DAYTON MEDIA RELATIONS