Dayton's men's basketball team is gearing up for an exciting stretch as they close out their tough non-conference schedule. With a game against 19th-ranked UC in the Simple Truth Hoops Classic presented by CareSource on the horizon, fans are in for a treat. The Flyers, currently ranked 22nd and with a 10-2 record this year, have shown their mettle in recent games.

Key Players and Their Achievements

Nate Santos

Nate Santos was named First Team Preseason All-Atlantic 10 after a remarkable performance last season. As a 6-7 forward from Geneva, Ill., he was the team's second-leading scorer with 11.7 points per game and a rebounding average of 6.3. His 3-point shooting prowess was outstanding, ranking fourth in the A-10 with a.418 percentage (51-122). His 6-for-6 shooting performance from deep against Lehigh is tied for the best in the nation and second-best in UD history, behind Shawn Haugh's 8-for-8 in 1993-94.

Posh Alexander

Posh Alexander was named Second Team Preseason All-Atlantic 10 and to the Preseason All-Defensive Team. A fifth-year transfer with 1,000 career points and 500 career assists, he led the Big East in steals in each of the last four seasons (three at St. John's and one at Butler). Last year at Butler, he averaged 11.3 points, 4.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game, ranking 16th in the nation in steals per game. In his three years at St. John's, he averaged 10.9, 13.8 and 10.2 points a game. He also leads the team in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.2.

Enoch Cheeks

Enoch Cheeks was named to the A-10 Preseason All-Defensive Team. He led the team in steals with 40, was second in blocked shots with 21 and third in rebounding with 4.7 in his first season at UD after transferring from Robert Morris. The Providence, R.I. native was the 2023-24 winner of UD's Steve McElvene Award and was consistently assigned to defend the opponents' top perimeter players. In the 25 games where the Flyer foe's top player was a guard or wing, that player was held under his average 17 times. He started in all 33 games and averaged 8.1 points per game (9.5 in A-10 play).

Other Notable Stats

Malachi Smith is second in the A-10 in assists with 5.9 and fourth in 3-point FG% at.480 (12-25). Zed Key is fifth in FG% at.657 (46-70) and tied for the most dunks in D-I with 28. As a team, Dayton leads the Atlantic 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.96 and FG% at.495 (328-662) and is second in 3-point FG% at.364 (99-272). UD is also ranked 20th in average attendance in NCAA Division I, with a capacity crowd of 13,407 fans per game in 2023-24. And they have already sold out every game for the upcoming 2024-25 season, marking the fourth consecutive year of sold-out home games, a streak now at 67 games.

Upcoming Games

UD's next game is the A-10 opener against La Salle at home on Tuesday, Dec. 31. The basketball action will drop on New Year's Eve at 2 p.m. ET.