The Starting Five Notes
1.  St. Bonaventure welcomes A-10 preseason favorite Dayton to the Reilly Center for the first of the teams' two regular season games. These programs became well-acquainted last year, when they squared off three times including a hard-fought 75-71 decision won by the Flyers in the A-10 Tournament quarterfinals.
2.  St. Bonaventure's 12-4 mark is the program's best start since the 1999-00 season, when the Bonnies opened with the same 12-4 start. The Bonnies are also 4-1 in A-10 play for the first time since that same year.
3.  The "big 3" of senior forward Dion Wright, senior guard Marcus Posley and sophomore guard Jaylen Adams is tied for the highest scoring trio on any Division I team. The three combine to average 51.4 points per game. They all rank in the top 13 scorers in the Atlantic 10 with Posley (17.7) eighth, Adams (17.6) ninth and Wright (16.1) 13th. Wright leads all A-10 players with seven double-doubles and is the second-leading rebounder (8.8) in the conference.
4.  Junior forward Denzel Gregg has come on strong in A-10 play. After he averaged 20.5 points per game over two games last week, including a career high 22 in the win over Rhode Island, Gregg is averaging 10.6 points per game for the season – 15.6 ppg in A-10 games. He averaged only 3.7 points per game last season.
5.  St. Bonaventure continues to hover in the 50s and 60s in the RPI. As of Jan. 17, the Bonnies are at No. 54 according to both NCAA.com and RPIratings.com. 

Series History:
• This will be the 29th meeting between the teams; Dayton leads the series 20-9 and has won 12 of the last 13 games including a sweep of all three meetings last season.
• The Bonnies' only win in that span was on Jan. 11, 2012, an 81-73 decision at the Reilly Center. 

Gregg Seizing His Opportunity
Even now in mid-January it may well be time to consider junior forward Denzel Gregg in the discussion for most improved player in the Atlantic 10. Gregg's reverse, no-look dunk at George Mason Jan. 6 landed him on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day, but his value to the Bonnies is far more than highlight reel dunks. Prior the season, Gregg knew he would have the opportunity to become a player the Bonnies can depend on heavily. Gregg came on strong at the end of last year, earning starts in the last five games. The lanky, 6-7 forward opened the season with his first career double-double, 15 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Binghamton, and he has continued to be an impact player almost every game. Last week, Gregg scored a career high 22 points in the win over Rhode Island, then he added 19 points at Duquesne. Ten of his 11 career games in double figures have been this year, including all five A-10 games. Gregg's presence on the defensive end is also critical; he ranks seventh in the A-10 in blocks (1.6) and is second on the team in defensive rebounds with 61. Like teammate Dion Wright, Gregg is a player who has developed from a little-known recruit into a potential star; he averaged only 3.7 points per game last season but is up to 10.6 now.

Strong Start To A10 Season
St. Bonaventure is 4-1 in the A-10 for the first time since the 1999-00 team opened with the same mark. 

Third Nationally In FT Shooting
Traditionally a strength of Mark Schmidt's teams, St. Bonaventure has made 77.8 percent of its free throws as a team, which ranks third nationally. Lead guards Jaylen Adams and Marcus Posley both shoot better than 84 percent at the line and are in the top 10 in the A-10 in free throw percentage. 

Taking Care of The Rock
Led by veteran guards Jaylen Adams and Marcus Posley and bolstered by freshman guard Nelson Kaputo, the Bonnies have a team assist-to-turnover ratio of +1.3, which ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10. All three guards rank among the top 12 players in the A-10 in this stat category.

Wright Reaches 1,000 Point, 500 Rebound Milestone
With an early second half basket at Duquense on Jan. 16, Dion Wright reached exactly 1,000 points for his career (he enters the Dayton game with 1,002). He is the 41st player in the program's storied history to score 1,000 points. The Carson, Calif., native is also the 24th St. Bonaventure player to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds (he now has 540 boards). The last Bonnies player to join that exclusive club was Demitrius Conger '13. 

Unorthodox and Undervalued
If you described Dion Wright as undervalued and overlooked – three years ago as a high school senior or even today -- you would be completely accurate.
• Wright played in only 13 games his freshman year and scored just 36 points.
• He made a huge improvement his sophomore season, playing in all 33 games and averaging 8.7 points and 4.8 rebounds.
• At the start of 2014-15, Sport Illustrated listed Wright among its "Projected Breakout Players" for the year. He certainly proved SI correct, becoming one of the better all-around players in the Atlantic 10. He ranked in the top 15 in the Atlantic 10 in six different statistical categories including 11th in scoring at 13.5 points per game and 12th in rebounding (7.0). Wright scored in double figures 26 times and had five double-doubles.
• This season, even with more pressure and without the luxury of playing alongside 2015 graduate Youssou Ndoye (a 7-0 all-conference center now playing in the NBA D-League), Wright is averaging 16.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game with an A-10 high seven double-doubles. He ranks second in the A-10 in rebounding and 13th in scoring. Wright scored 26 points to lead the Bonnies to a 60-58 win at Buffalo Dec. 2, the topped that with a career high 28-point performance in a Dec. 30 win over Niagara. Bonnies coach Mark Schmidt calls Wright's offensive game "unorthodox" – which suits Wright just fine.

Adams Stays Hot At the Point
Last season, a broken finger ended point guard Jaylen Adams' superb freshman season prematurely. Last winter, his injury likely kept the A-10's coaches from putting Adams on the All-Rookie team – a spot that seemed a sure thing considering he was averaging 10 points and 4.5 assists per game and led all A-10 players in assist-to-turnover ratio at the time. Now, he's back right where he left off.
• The Baltimore, Md., native was named the A-10 Player of the Week after he averaged 23.0 points, 8.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds over the Bonnies' wins over Niagara (Dec. 30) and Davidson (Jan. 2). In the Bonnies' 97-85 win over Davidson, Adams scored a career high 30 points.  He scored 16 points and handed out 12 assists – the most assists by an A-10 player this season – in an 82-68 win over Niagara Dec. 30.
• Over his last nine games, Adams made 34 of 59 three-point shots (.542) and averaged 21.0 points per game.
• Adams leads the A-10 in three-point percentage (.467) and ranks ninth in scoring (17.6), second in assists (4.9 per game), sixth in three-pointers per game (2.9) and fifth in free throw percentage (.872). 

Posley's All-Around Game
A preseason All-Conference selection after he averaged 16.7 points per game last season, senior guard Marcus Posley continues to show how how valuable he is to this Bonnies team. While he is most well-known for his scoring, Posley brings leadership on and off the court.
• Scoring: he has nine games this season of 17 points or more including two 30-point games. He ranks eighth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, averaging 17.7 points per game.
• Intangibles: Posley leads the Bonnies in steals (22) and is second in assists (57) and, despite standing just 6-feet, is fourth in rebounding (3.8).
• Durability: He is fourth among A-10 players in minutes played (36.6 per game). Also, he has gotten to the free throw line 84 times  - second-most on the team to Jay Adams.
• Mr. Clutch: Posley has one game winner this season (Buffalo) after two buzzer-beaters last season (VCU and Davidson).

Kaputo Catches On Quick
Freshman point guard Nelson Kaputo has had the opportunity to play meaningful minutes right away and he's taken full advantage. Known for his quickness and ball-handling, Kaputo has acquitted himself well, averaging 6.9 points, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game (13th in the A-10). He ranks eighth in the A-10 in assist-to-turnover ratio. The Toronto native has shown the abilty to penetrate defenses and set up teammates as well as make three-point shots, going 29-73 (.397) from long range. He has four double-digit scoring games.