Focused Raiders concentrating on Huskies

Complacency not a problem for this year’s team, which seems more settled.

Wright State coach Brad Brownell and his Raiders aren’t taking any games for granted this season after having had to dig out from under an 0-6 start last year. The Raiders can win a third straight game today against Northeastern.

Associated Press photo by Joe Nicholson Wright State coach Brad Brownell and his Raiders aren’t taking any games for granted this season after having had to dig out from under an 0-6 start last year. The Raiders can win a third straight game today against Northeastern.

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Preview: Wright State at Northeastern

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By Marc Katz, Staff Writer Updated 2:05 AM Saturday, November 28, 2009

BOSTON — In a city central in our nation’s birth and at Northeastern, a school that just this week pulled the plug on its football team, Wright State tries to continue its winning streak today, Nov. 28.

None of that other stuff matters to the Raiders, who don’t sightsee or have a varsity football team of their own.

WSU plays basketball and, with a nod toward history, held Thanksgiving Day dinner in their downtown Boston hotel.

It is a confident, but not complacent team striving for its third straight victory after opening the season with a five-point loss to No. 14 Washington.

It would be easy for the Raiders to look at Northeastern’s 1-2 record and dismiss the Huskies as just another team, although virtually this same team beat the Raiders in the Nutter Center last season.

If things do not go well today, WSU coach Brad Brownell doesn’t want complacency to be an excuse.

“Complacent is too easily said,” Brownell said. “A year ago, we told our team we had to get more detail-oriented. Our margin of error was not as big as we thought it was.”

The Raiders, overconfident, lost their first six games.

Brownell said that was also a period in which the Raiders were “sorting out jobs. Guys didn’t separate themselves. Very few were better than anybody else and we could play anybody all the time. Everybody was just OK.”

Already this season, Brownell has used 11 of his 12 players — only injured John David Gardner has not yet suited up — and he sees a separation. Although his three freshmen — Paul Darkwa, Darian Cartharn and Tyler Koch — have played (Cartharn the most), the older nine players — all juniors and seniors — have separated from the others.

It’s Brownell’s theory to let anyone who can score do so, as long as they play defense as well. That’s why six different Raiders — led by senior Todd Brown — have already scored in double figures and the last one to do it, Vaughn Duggins, will do it often again.

Duggins was the team’s leading scorer two years ago, but missed most of last season with an injury. He missed the first three games of this season under suspension by Brownell, returning to action with not only a superior defensive effort against Central Michigan, but with 21 points as well.

He, for one, isn’t going to be complacent.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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**FOURTH straight win! haha, you definitely did not OVERLOOK that comment, Stomper.

GO RAIDERS!

SportSYKE
10:51 AM, 11/28/2009

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This will be a tough task today for the Raiders. Northeastern was picked to finishing second in the CCA ahead of George Mason, VCU and the likes.

Our bigs will have to stay out of foul trouble, especially Cory Cooperwood.

Jacob
8:59 AM, 11/28/2009

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"3rd straight victory"? Let's see; WSU beat Portland St. (tha's one), Belmont (that's two), and Central Michigan (three).

For crying out loud, how hard can this be....

OverlookStomper
8:28 AM, 11/28/2009

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Thousands of workers needed in Health care admin so find a local school and get a degree in Health care admin at http://bit.ly/6jqMDp

daleheiser
11:03 PM, 11/27/2009

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