Saturday’s Game Time is 12:30 p.m. ET
DAYTON — The University of Dayton men’s basketball team travels to Pittsburgh on Saturday, visiting Duquesne. Game time is 12:30 p.m. ET.
UD is coming off a tough 68-63 win over Saint Louis at UD Arena on Tuesday. Starting guards Kobe Elvis and Malachi Smith led the Flyers with 14 points each. Da Ron Holmes II added 11, with five blocked shots. SLU was held to making 13 of 36 two-point field goal attempts (.361).
Saturday’s game will be carried by WHIO Radio, televised on USA Network and streamed on NBCSports.com. Streaming audio, video and stats will be available at DaytonFlyers.com.
#TRENDING
• 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.
• UD 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.
• The game-winning floater vs. Kansas by Helsinki native Mustapha Amzil has been dubbed Flyer lore as “The Finnish.”
• 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 in dunks (32). Next are Jalen Duren of Memphis (31), Kendall Brown of Baylor (29) and Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga (25).
• Holmes is second in the A-10 in FG% (.639, 69-108). URI’s Antwan Walker is first (.667).
• 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, 3-pt. FG%, assists and steals, is second in FT%, and is third in scoring and rebounding.
• 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 players have had at least one game of 10 points or more. Eight average 6.0+ points a game, and three average 10+.
• UD shoots .509 and allows .389 from the field in its 10 wins this season. In the six losses, Dayton is shoots .432 and allows .472. UD allows 58.1 ppg. in its wins, and 71.7 in its losses.
UP NEXT
• The Flyers return home to host St. Bonaventure on Tuesday, Jan. 18. Game time is 7 p.m. ET.
COURTESY DAYTON MEDIA RELATIONS
