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Tom Archdeacon: Raiders face daunting challenge
Monday, March 12, 2007
FAIRBORN — Though not a psychologist, a palm reader or one of those profilers from the TV cop shows, I saw a different kind of look on the face of basketball coach Brad Brownell than I did on the faces of his players after it was announced Sunday that Wright State, a No. 14 seed in the NCAA tournament, would play third-seeded Pittsburgh.
While the players were giddy, the coach was not.
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He was genuinely pleased for his team, the school and fans, but he's no Selection Sunday novice. He's been to the tournament two of the past four years — including last season — with his North Carolina-Wilmington teams.
So instead of being happy with crumbs, he probably wanted a little more of the tournament cake — something better than a 14 seed.
Of course, some of that tightness behind the smile had to be because, as he put it, "We're going to be here most of the night."
He and his staff have to devise a plan for 27-7 Pitt, a team that crushed the Dayton Flyers by 30 this season; a team that just knocked Marquette and Louisville — both NCAA tournament bound — out of the Big East tournament before falling to Georgetown in the title game; a team led by 7-foot, 270-pound Aaron Gray, a two-time All-Big East pick.
While the Raiders don't match up well against Pitt, figuring out a game plan may be easier than figuring out the tournament seedings.
"If you'd have given me 15 guesses who we'd play, Pitt wouldn't have been one of them," Brownell said. "I didn't think they'd fall to a three — they were a top-10 team most of the year — and when I saw Butler at five (a team WSU beat twice), I thought we'd be a 13 or 12. But it didn't turn out like that."
Part of it might have to do with WSU's thin resume when it comes to the postseason. In 20 years of Division I play, the Raiders made just one NCAA tournament — 14 years ago.
"I'm certain guys on the (selection) committee — probably a couple of them — had to figure out who Wright State was," Brownell admitted. "When you haven't been in in a long time and people don't know much about you, it's hard to get a really high seed."
As for his first reaction about Pitt, Brownell minced no words: "Wow, they're big. That worries me. Their big guy. I guess he's a (NBA) lottery pick. We don't have anybody half that size."
While that's some exaggeration, not much. The Raiders counter with 6-8 Jordan Pleiman and 6-6 Scottie Wilson.
As for the undersized Raiders simulating Gray in practice, Pleiman said with a grin: "Maybe we'll just put DaShaun (Wood, at 5-11) up on Scottie's shoulders."
Freshman guard Vaughn Duggins shrugged at the challenge: "No one will give us a chance to win, but we've been a team that's overcome adversity and beat the odds all year. This will just be one more obstacle."
For that the players all counted on Brownell.
"Coach wasn't kidding when he said he had to hurry up and get back to work," guard Will Graham said. "He's probably back in his office right now looking at tape."
And in fact Brownell was.
He was so immersed that when he said he could be reached later on his cell phone, he tried to come up with the number twice and got stumped. As assistant Billy Donlon rattled off the last four digits, Brownell shrugged:
"I've got Pitt on the brain."
