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WSU's Brownell cautions against taking foes lightly

Preview: Wright State vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore

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By Marc Katz, Staff Writer 1:21 AM Saturday, December 19, 2009

FAIRBORN — In looking over a basketball schedule, Wright State University men’s basketball coach Brad Brownell refuses to add up the number of games he expects his team to win.

“I don’t go into seasons saying, ‘We’re going to win this game, we’re going to lose that game, we’re going to win this game,’ ” Brownell said. “To me, the season is more how you’re playing than actual records.”

So far, the Raiders are 6-4 entering their game today, Dec. 19, with 3-5 Maryland-Eastern Shore, a team they paid $45,000 to visit the Nutter Center without asking for a return game.

Brownell knows better than to call this a game the Raiders should win, but he knows the fans think they will.

The Raiders still won’t be at full strength today. Point guard N’Gai Evans has missed two-plus games — both losses — with a strained medial collateral ligament. He could play today, but not his usual minutes.

Without Evans, and during the season’s first three games without suspended Vaughn Duggins, it’s difficult to assess how well the team has played.

“We’ve been hurt a little bit by Vaughn’s suspension (for drunken driving) and by N’Gai’s injuries because we haven’t had our complete team playing together in all 10 games to really build the rhythm and flow, to have all the guys playing the way we want them to play, and in the positions we want them playing,” Brownell said.

However, even with a full roster, it would be difficult to see the Wright State record much different. Even with Duggins, beating then-No. 14 Washington on the road would have been tough, although the Raiders lost by just five.

The team was at full strength when it lost 70-67 at Northeastern on a half-court, buzzer-beating shot. Evans would have made a difference in a 56-55 loss at Miami, and Wednesday’s 80-69 loss at Mississippi State also came against one of the nation’s better teams. So even with Evans in the lineup, a win over Mississippi State would have been a surprise.

Eastern Shore does not fit into that category, although the Hawks have won three straight games after opening the season with five straight losses.

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