From the start second-year coach Clint Sargent and his players, six of whom were back from last year’s 15-18 disappointment, said that’s the key to their 23-11 turnaround, which has earned them a spot as the No. 14 seed here.
“Last year, we had a great group of dudes, but we didn’t have this level of connectivity,” said 6-2 sophomore Solomon Callaghan, the Raiders’ fourth leading scorer (9.9). “That all translates.
“I feel like we embody that when we play. I feel like that’s the biggest difference going from 15-18 to the NCAA Tournament.”
His coach concurs.
“We’re very connected, very real,” said Sargent, who was an assistant on Scott Nagy’s staff the last time Wright State made it to the Big Dance in 2022. “They’ve been absolutely from day one in the summer very honest and open with what they struggled with coming off 15-18 and how hard that was.
“I could tell from day one I had a group of young men that wanted to be real. From there you have a chance to be very good on the basketball floor.”
Now how does that translate when they take on 29-5 third seeded Virginia?
“It’s going to come down to still playing our game,” said Michael Cooper, the team’s leading scorer, (13.4). “Make them play at our pace instead of settling for what they want to do.
“You can’t be scared to go down there, but we have to be smart. They’re really good at crashing the offensive glass. We have to block them out and limit them to one shot per possession.”
At the same time Sargent wants them to savor this moment — to a degree.
“There’s a fine line between absolutely enjoying every part of this, because you want them to, but then also understanding our responsibility to put our best foot forward and to perform and compete,” he emphasized. “You think about the amount of miles we’ve traveled, the diving, all the things.
“Just to wake up and have another day. When you’re rooted in humility and gratitude, it gives you your best chance to be present. When you can have that be your lead foot, all the performance all the pressure of it starts to fade away, and that’s what we’re hoping for.”
Still, since the Horizon League champs learned their fate Sunday it’s been a thrill ride. “It’s a super surreal moment,” admitted Callaghan. “One you’ve been waiting for your entire career.
“It was initially just extreme excitement. After that, you got to lock in and game plan.”
But it’s even more special for one Raider.
“I haven’t been on winning teams,” said Sr. forward Michael Imariagbe, their third leading scorer (11.8) who is shooting a blistering 58.9% from the field. “This is the first year I’ve been on a winning team with this new group of guys.
“When I decided to stay, I didn’t know what was going to happen this year, but it’s been fun.”
For the fun to continue into Sunday against either Tennessee or a possible rematch with upstart Miami — who knocked them off 83-76 back in December — the Raiders know it will take a supreme effort. At the same time Virginia, which knows what it’s like to lose to a lower seed—having become the first No. 1 seed to fall to a No. 16 when UMBC stunned them in 2018 is taking nothing for granted.
“We have a lot of challenges,” said Riley Odom, who took over for Tony Bennett, who bounced back from that indignation to win it all the following year. “They’re extremely well-coached and they know how they need to play on offense and defense in order to be successful.
“They put pressure on you at the rim, whether by the drive or the post-up. They’re a really good passing team and cutting team and they defend really, really well. When you have that balance on both sides of the ball, you have a chance to advance in this tournament.
“They have our full attention.”
With that, let the madness begin.