TV/Radio: ESPN+/103.9
Series: Akron leads 12-9
Coaches: Scott Nagy is 111-55 in his sixth year at Wright State and 521-295 in his 27th year overall. John Groce (pronounced Gross) is 76-52 in his fifth year at Akron and 257-184 overall.
The former Ohio State assistant coached four years at Ohio U., reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 one year and the second round another. He also coached at Illinois five years, going 95-75 with one NCAA bid before being fired in 2017.
Probable Wright State starters
Name Ht. Class Pos. Avg.
A.J. Braun 6-9 Fr. C 8.6
Grant Basile 6-9 Jr. F 18.8
Tanner Holden 6-6 Jr. G 19.8
Tim Finke 6-6 Jr. G 8.6
Trey Calvin 6-0 Jr. G 12.6
Probable Akron starters
Ali Ali 6-8 So. F 12.0
Enrique Freeman 6-7 So. F 13.6
Xavier Castaneda 6-1 Jr. G 10.4
Brian Trimble Jr. 6-2 Jr. G 10.3
Greg Tribble 6-1 So. G 7.4
About Wright State: The Raiders have equaled their worst eight-game start since joining Division I in 1987-88. It’s happened six other times, and every coach except Billy Donlon, Nagy’s predecessor, began 2-6 at least once during their tenures… The Raiders lead the Horizon League in free-throw shooting at 79.4%. They’re tied for 10th in rebound margin at minus-3.1. Last season, they were sixth nationally at plus-9.3. … Basile is playing up to his preseason first-team all-league billing. He’s fourth in scoring and second in rebounding with a 9.1 average, trailing only the 10.5 mark of Oakland’s Jamal Cain. Basile also is second in blocks at 1.6 per game. … Wright State and Akron have one common foe. The Raiders lost at Marshall, 96-88, while the Zips won at home, 88-86.
About Akron: The Zips gave Ohio State a scare at Value City Arena on Nov. 9. With six seconds left, Ali made a 3-pointer while being fouled and converted the free throw for a 66-65 lead. The Buckeyes threw the ball to midcourt and called timeout with three ticks left. They were able to get a good look with Zed Key scoring in the lane with just :00.3 on the clock for a 67-66 win. Ali had a team-high 17 points. … The Zips were picked fifth in the MAC preseason coaches poll. They were 15-8 overall and 12-6 in the league last season. They went 24-7 and finished first in the East in 2019-20, but the league tourney was cancelled because of COVID-19. … They’re second in the MAC in defense, allowing 60.6 points per game, and opponents are shooting only 39.2%. …Freeman is averaging a double-double with a league-best 11.7 rebounds per game. He led the MAC last year in blocks (44) and field-goal shooting (74%).
Next game: The Raiders have back-to-back home games for the first time this season. They’ll host Tennessee Tech at 2 p.m. Saturday before playing at N.C. State at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
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