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Home > Blogs > Wright State University sports > Archives > 2010 > June > 30 > Entry
Cincinnati to visit Wright State in home-and-home series
Cincinnati will become the first men’s basketball program from one of the six power conferences to visit Wright State in nine years when the Bearcats travel to the Nutter Center during the 2011-12 season as part of a 2-for-1 series announced Wednesday, June 30.
Wright State will play in Cincinnati on Dec. 1 this season and during the 2012-13 season as one of three home-and-home series (Air Force and Charlotte are the others) to begin this year. Air Force will play in Fairborn this season (Dec. 8), while Charlotte will visit the Nutter Center next season after Wright State plays there on Dec. 22, 2010.
Cincinnati is the key get, as the powerful nearby program has never played on Wright State’s home floor. The Raiders have played the Bearcats twice as a Division I program, losing 85-60 in 1997 and 83-54 in 2001.
“It’s unbelievably hard to get a BCS school to come to a non-BCS school, no matter what,” WSU coach Billy Donlon said. “We’re a program on its way to have people play us because it brings credibility to their schedule, and I don’t want to speak for their AD, but I think that’s how they feel.”
Donlon credited Wright State Athletic Director Bob Grant with doing much of work necessary to secure the three-game series with Cincinnati, which can also help in his recruiting.
“I can tell the rising seniors, ‘Your freshman year, Cincinnati is in the building, and then we play them again,’ ” Donlon said.
The additions beef up a Raiders schedule already carrying some notable opponents. Earlier this month, the school announced it will play in the Chicago Basketball Invitational, for which it will host two games (against as-yet unannounced opponents) and play two games at Sears Centre Arena against either Purdue, Richmond or Southern Illinois.
Wright State is 3-25 as a D-I program (since 1987) against teams currently in the six power conferences, but two of those wins have come at home. The Raiders shocked No. 6 Michigan State 53-49 on Dec. 30, 1999, and beat visiting South Florida 69-68 on Dec. 14, 2002.
WSU’s other victory against a power-six team came against South Florida in the 2008 San Juan Shootout (60-43).
Its three other home games against power-six opponents were losses to Virginia Tech and Wisconsin in 1995 and Pittsburgh in 1998.
Permalink | Comments (15) | Post your comment | Categories: Men's Basketball
Comments
By WSUandUCfan
June 30, 2010 12:49 PM | Link to this
Great! I hope other Ohio teams can do the same. (Even the other team in town.)
By home-and-home-and-home
June 30, 2010 1:47 PM | Link to this
Thanks for the update Kyle, but the Cincinnati series is not a home-and-home, that is a little misleading as it is a 2 for 1 series. Two games there for 1 game here.
By DDO
June 30, 2010 2:30 PM | Link to this
UC got a 2 for 1 deal, not a 1 for 1. UD just might go for that too. WSU should offer UD a 2 for 1.
By George
June 30, 2010 2:57 PM | Link to this
Not sure it is much of a recruiting sales pitch to play the Bearcats given the sorry state they have been in since Huggins was forced out by Zimpfer.
By bill
June 30, 2010 3:04 PM | Link to this
I’m trying to figure out why Wright State WANTS opportunities to embarass themselves.
By Big Willy
June 30, 2010 3:52 PM | Link to this
Donlon thinks it brings credibility to a BCS school’s schedule to play WSU??? Wow.
By Cat Slobber
June 30, 2010 4:09 PM | Link to this
3-25 against the top 6 conferences tells you all you need to know about why the big schools don’t want to come to WSU to play. They gain nothing from it and my actually be penalized when it comes to strength of schedule at Tourney Time……
By bill
June 30, 2010 4:44 PM | Link to this
@ Cat Slobber; I completely agree. What in the world was UC thinking?? Why would they possibly want to include WSU in their schedule
By WSU Fan
June 30, 2010 4:46 PM | Link to this
BCS has NOTHING to do with basketball, but it is nice to see that UC is willing to play at WSU… unlike UD.
By UC 116 - UD 53
June 30, 2010 5:53 PM | Link to this
Will WSU get beat by UC as bad as UD got hammered by UC? Feb 12, 1995 UC 116 - UD 53 Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!!Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!! Way to go Cryers, Way to go!!!!
By ud flyer
June 30, 2010 6:02 PM | Link to this
Hey UC fan, go look up the stats, UD has dominated UC over the years. Check out the all time record between the two schools and you will see that UD is dominant.
By Rudy Flyer
June 30, 2010 6:28 PM | Link to this
ud flyer, UC leads UD 59-30 in the all time series. I hope you were joking.
By WSU87
June 30, 2010 8:45 PM | Link to this
So, why is it a story about WSU is full of UD fans feeling the need to criticize? Why don’t you worry about your own program, and we’ll continue to build ours. BTW, why would WSU give a 2 for 1 to another mid major program? Kudos to the WSU admin for building a pretty nice schedule for next year - Go Raiders!
By HHGreen
June 30, 2010 11:07 PM | Link to this
If we get to play Purdue this year that would be another Big 6 game. WSU is looking up and the recruits are looking pretty good this year. The season can’t start soon enough. The other team in town is moving up.
By UD87
July 1, 2010 8:14 AM | Link to this
WSU87, I couldn’t agree more. I wish everyone acted liked adults, but messaged boards appear to be a means of letting everyone’s inner child loose for a short time – at least I hope that’s all it is. Fans should learn how to support their team without trashing another. On your 2 for 1 comment, the fact is, it is all about money. UD averages more than 4,000 more fans than UC, so it would actually cost UD more money to loose a home game. At an average of $20, that translates to $80,000 more in lost revenue. You do the math on why UD doesn’t just give away home games.