The Flyers have never been ranked #1,[2] but Dayton did receive a lone first place vote in the final AP poll of the 2019–2020 season.

When the 2020 seasons was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Flyers did not get to participate in the 2020 NCAA Tournament, despite being projected as a #1 seed by several outlets.

[4] Blackburn would recruit future NBA player Don Meineke, along with local standouts Junior Norris & Chuck Grigsby in 1948 to form the nucleus of the school's first nationally recognized teams.

[6] The following year, the Flyers also reached the NIT Finals, while also participating in the NCAA tournament for the first time, finishing in the regional semi-final.

[5] Donoher's 1967–68 squad began the season ranked #6 in the country in the AP Poll, but faltered in early competition and finished with a 17–9 record, missing the NCAA tournament.

The 20–7 Flyers squared off against the Bruins in the West Regional Sweet Sixteen and took the Bill Walton-led seven consecutive NCAA Champions to three overtimes before eventually falling 111–100.

Purnell would lead the Flyers back to the NCAA tournament in 2000 following the Co-SIDA Classic Championship, an 11–5 conference record and non-conference victories over #12 ranked Kentucky, New Mexico, and rival Marquette.

Purnell's 2000–01 team earned the program's first national ranking for the school since 1974 following victories over #12 UConn and #6 Maryland in the 2000 Maui Invitational Tournament.

The 2002–03 season would mark the completion of Purnell's rebuilding project as the Flyers compiled a 24–6 record and reached as high as #16 in the AP Poll following victories over #21 Cincinnati, #13 Marquette, and two wins over #25 St Joseph's en route to their first Atlantic 10 championship.

On April 9, 2003, the University of Dayton announced that Michigan State assistant Brian Gregory would become the 18th head basketball coach for the Flyers.

[11] The 2006–07 team finished the season 19–12 with wins over NCAA tournament bound Louisville, Creighton, Holy Cross, Miami, and George Washington.

The 2013–14 team experienced a mid-season swoon due to injuries, but entered A-10 tournament play on a 9–1 run with victories over league rivals No.

[14] The Flyers next faced Syracuse in the third round and again upset the heavily favored higher seed 55–53 to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in three decades.

[15] The Flyers advanced to the Elite Eight with an 82–72 victory over Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen,[16] but fell to Florida in the South Regional Championship, 62–52.

[17] The 2014–15 team began the season with high expectations as the Flyers returned a solid nucleus of experienced players.

However, the Flyers suffered a seemingly debilitating setback when two front court players were dismissed from the team in mid-December.

The Flyers regrouped and finished the non-conference part of their season with wins over Georgia Tech and Ole Miss.

The Flyers steadily climbed the 2019–2020 AP Poll, finishing the season 29–2, 18–0 in Atlantic 10 Conference play and ranked number three in the nation.

A post cancellation computer simulation of Jerry Palm's projected field resulted in Dayton winning the championship.

The fourth season under Anthony Grant started out promising, led by a trio of Senior Guards in Jalen Crutcher, Ibi Watson, and Rodney Chatman, they picked up two wins against SEC foes in Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

[47] Alongside Georgia transfer and future NBA player, Toumani Camara and highly rated freshman point guard Malachi Smith, Holmes' freshman season yielded upsets of Elite Eight bound Miami and eventual National Champion Kansas en route to their second ESPN Events Invitational championship.

The 2021-22 team would finish second in the Atlantic 10, but falter in the semi-finals of the conference tournament to Richmond when Malachi Smith suffered an ankle injury.

However, an injury plagued trip to the Bahamas for the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament resulted in the loss of starting guards Smith and Kobe Elvis, putting the season in jeopardy.

[56] Nevertheless, the team reached the championship of the 2023 Charleston Classic and defeated rival Cincinnati heading into conference play.

The Flyers would enter the AP poll mid-season and remain there through all but one week of the remainder of the season, reaching as high as #16.

[59][60][61] Additionally, this fan base is noted for its willingness to travel and enthusiastically support the Flyers in both neutral and hostile environments.

[62][63][64][65][66] Dayton has historical rivalries with several area teams including Xavier, Miami (Ohio), and Wright State (Gem City Jam), as well as fellow Catholic schools such as Marquette, DePaul, and Notre Dame.

With the departure of Xavier to the Big East in 2013, Dayton searched for a new Atlantic 10 rivalry game that involved a trophy.

Each year Dayton plays Atlantic 10 rival Saint Louis University for the rights to the Arch Baron Cup.

[67] The team has developed a similar rivalry with the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rams since the exit of Xavier from the Atlantic 10 in 2013.