# 2023–24 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team represented the University of Dayton in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach, Anthony Grant, in his seventh season with the Flyers. The Flyers played their home games at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). The Dayton Flyers men's basketball team drew an average home attendance of 13,407 in 15 games in 2023-24, the 20th highest in college basketball.

## Previous season

The Flyers finished the 2022–23 season 20–11, 12–6 in A-10 play, to finish a three-way tie for second place. They defeated Saint Joseph's in the quarterfinals and Fordham in the semifinals, before losing to VCU in the championship game of the A-10 tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NIT, but declined to participate.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Tyrone Baker | 0 | C | 6'9" | 205 | Sophomore | Fort Myers, FL | Transferred to Florida SouthWestern State College |
| Toumani Camara | 2 | F | 6'8" | 220 | Junior | Brussels, Belgium | Declared for 2023 NBA draft; selected 52nd overall by Phoenix Suns |
| Kaleb Washington | 10 | F | 6'7" | 190 | Sophomore | Mableton, GA | Transferred mid-season |
| Richard Amaefule | 21 | F | 6'9" | 224 | RS Sophomore | London, England | Transferred |
| Mustapha Amzil | 22 | F | 6'10" | 224 | Junior | Helsinki, Finland | Transferred to New Mexico |
| R. J. Blakney | 23 | G/F | 6'6" | 195 | RS Sophomore | Baltimore, MD | Transferred to Old Dominion |
| Ty Locklear | 50 | G | 6'1" | 180 | Freshman | Oberlin, OH | Walk-on; no longer on team roster |
| Cole Hatkevich | 52 | G | 5'9" | 165 | Freshman | Granger, IN | Walk-on; no longer on team roster |
| Mike Sharavjamts | 55 | G/F | 6'8" | 180 | Freshman | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | Transferred to San Francisco |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Javon Bennett | 0 | G | 5'11" | | Sophomore | Orlando, FL | Merrimack |
| Nate Santos | 2 | F | 6'7" | 215 | Junior | Geneva, IL | Pittsburgh |
| Enoch Cheeks | 6 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Junior | Providence, RI | Robert Morris |
| Isaac Jack | 13 | C | 6'11" | 251 | Freshman | Port Alberni, BC | Buffalo |
| C.J. Napier | 22 | F | 6'6" | 225 | GS Senior | Miamisburg, OH | Ohio Northern |

### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Marvel Allen #26 SG | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | May 8, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Jaiun Simon SF | Mableton, GA | Pebblebrook High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Oct 27, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Petras Padegimas SF | Kaunas, Lithuania | DME Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Jul 2, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Dayton 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023. "Dayton Flyers 2023 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 22, 2023* 6:00 p.m., BSOH | | Ohio State | L 70–78 | – | 17 – Cheeks | 7 – Santos | 4 – Smith | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| October 28, 2023* 2:00 p.m., – | | Cedarville | W 75–40 | – | 18 – Holmes II | 12 – Holmes II | 3 – Tied | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SPEC1/ESPN+ | | SIU Edwardsville | W 63–47 | 1–0 | 19 – Holmes II | 14 – Santos | 6 – Bennett | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| November 10, 2023* 8:30 p.m., BTN | | at Northwestern | L 66–71 | 1–1 | 17 – Holmes II | 7 – Holmes II | 6 – Holmes II | Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,769) Evanston, IL |
| November 16, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. LSU Charleston Classic quarterfinals | W 70–67 | 2–1 | 19 – Santos | 10 – Cheeks | 5 – Elvis | TD Arena (3,879) Charleston, SC |
| November 17, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. St. John's Charleston Classic semifinals | W 88–81 | 3–1 | 21 – Holmes II | 6 – Brea | 5 – Elvis | TD Arena (3,927) Charleston, SC |
| November 19, 2023* 8:30 p.m., ESPN | | vs. No. 6 Houston Charleston Classic championship | L 55–69 | 3–2 | 16 – Holmes II | 5 – Tied | 9 – Elvis | TD Arena (3,841) Charleston, SC |
| November 24, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BSOH/ESPN+ | | Youngstown State | W 77–69 | 4–2 | 18 – Holmes II | 13 – Santos | 4 – Tied | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| November 29, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at SMU | W 65–63 | 5–2 | 22 – Brea | 7 – Tied | 6 – Holmes II | Moody Coliseum (4,908) Dallas, TX |
| December 2, 2023* 2:00 p.m., BSOH/ESPN+ | | Grambling State | W 76–46 | 6–2 | 26 – Santos | 6 – Holmes II | 8 – Bennett | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| December 6, 2023* 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | | UNLV | Canceled due to the 2023 UNLV shooting | Canceled due to the 2023 UNLV shooting | Canceled due to the 2023 UNLV shooting | Canceled due to the 2023 UNLV shooting | Canceled due to the 2023 UNLV shooting | UD Arena (–) Dayton, OH |
| December 9, 2023* 12:30 p.m., USA | | Troy | W 82–70 | 7–2 | 24 – Elvis | 17 – Holmes II | 4 – Holmes II | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| December 16, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Cincinnati Hoops Classic | W 82–68 | 8–2 | 28 – Holmes II | 8 – Santos | 3 – Elvis | Heritage Bank Center (12,547) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 20, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SPEC1/ESPN+ | | Oakland | W 91–67 | 9–2 | 19 – Bennett | 8 – Holmes II | 9 – Bennett | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| December 30, 2023* 2:00 p.m., SPEC1/ESPN+ | | Longwood | W 78–69 | 10–2 | 27 – Holmes II | 10 – Holmes II | 4 – Tied | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| Atlantic 10 regular season |||||||||
| January 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Davidson | W 72–59 | 11–2 (1–0) | 18 – Holmes II | 10 – Cheeks | 6 – Bennett | John M. Belk Arena (3,244) Davidson, NC |
| January 7, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | UMass | W 64–60 | 12–2 (2–0) | 18 – Holmes II | 7 – Brea | 4 – Holmes II | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| January 12, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Duquesne | W 72–62 | 13–2 (3–0) | 33 – Holmes II | 12 – Holmes II | 6 – Bennett | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,724) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 16, 2024 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 21 | Saint Louis | W 70–65 | 14–2 (4–0) | 29 – Holmes II | 14 – Holmes II | 3 – Elvis | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| January 20, 2024 12:30 p.m., USA | No. 21 | Rhode Island | W 96–62 | 15–2 (5–0) | 22 – Bennett | 6 – Holmes II | 6 – Elvis | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| January 23, 2024 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 16 | at La Salle | W 66–54 | 16–2 (6–0) | 22 – Holmes II | 8 – Holmes II | 4 – Tied | Tom Gola Arena (1,571) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 27, 2024 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 16 | at Richmond | L 64–69 | 16–3 (6–1) | 18 – Bennett | 12 – Cheeks | 4 – Elvis | Robins Center (7,201) Richmond, VA |
| January 30, 2024 7:00 p.m., SPEC1/ESPN+ | No. 21 | George Washington | W 83–61 | 17–3 (7–1) | 25 – Holmes II | 12 – Holmes II | 4 – Tied | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| February 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 21 | St. Bonaventure | W 76–71 | 18–3 (8–1) | 34 – Holmes | 7 – Tied | 4 – Bennett | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| February 6, 2024 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 18 | at Saint Joseph's | W 94–79 | 19–3 (9–1) | 21 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 10 – Elvis | Hagan Arena (2,923) Philadelphia, PA |
| February 9, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 18 | at VCU | L 47–49 | 19–4 (9–2) | 19 – Santos | 11 – Holmes II | 4 – Bennett | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| February 13, 2024 7:00 p.m., SPEC1/ESPN+ | No. 16 | Duquesne | W 75–59 | 20–4 (10–2) | 24 – Holmes II | 11 – Holmes II | 4 – Bennett | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| February 17, 2024 1:30 p.m., CBSSN | No. 16 | Fordham | W 78–70 | 21–4 (11–2) | 29 – Holmes II | 10 – Holmes II | 3 – Tied | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| February 21, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 16 | at George Mason | L 67–71 | 21–5 (11–3) | 26 – Holmes II | 7 – Holmes II | 5 – Bennett | EagleBank Arena (5,286) Fairfax, VA |
| February 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 21 | Davidson | W 80–66 | 22–5 (12–3) | 15 – Cheeks | 10 – Holmes II | 5 – Elvis | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| March 1, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 21 | at Loyola Chicago | L 72–77 | 22–6 (12–4) | 20 – Holmes II | 9 – Holmes II | 5 – Elvis | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,557) Chicago, IL |
| March 5, 2024 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 25 | at Saint Louis | W 100–83 | 23–6 (13–4) | 25 – Holmes II | 13 – Holmes II | 5 – Tied | Chaifetz Arena (6,358) St. Louis, MO |
| March 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 25 | VCU | W 91–86 $^{OT}$ | 24–6 (14–4) | 23 – Holmes II | 10 – Holmes II | 6 – Tied | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| A-10 tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 7:30 p.m, USA | (3) No. 24 | vs. (6) Duquesne Quarterfinals | L 57–65 | 24–7 | 24 – Holmes II | 13 – Holmes II | 3 – Holmes II | Barclays Center (6,327) Brooklyn, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2024* 4:30 p.m, TBS | (7 W) | vs. (10 W) Nevada First Round | W 63–60 | 25–7 | 15 – Holmes II | 9 – Holmes II | 5 – Elvis | Delta Center Salt Lake City, UT |
| March 23, 2024* 12:45 p.m., CBS | (7 W) | vs. (2 W) No. 9 Arizona Second Round | L 68–78 | 25–8 | 23 – Holmes II | 11 – Holmes II | 3 – Holmes II | Delta Center Salt Lake City, UT |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 21 | 16 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 21 | 25 | 24 | RV | 24 |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | RV | 23 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 20 | RV | 24 | RV | RV |