Wright State vs. Detroit: What you need to know about Friday’s game

Who: Wright State (10-5, 2-0) at Detroit Mercy (4-11, 0-2)

When: 9 p.m. Friday

Where: Calihan Hall

TV/Radio: ESPNU; 106.5 FM

»ARCHDEACON: Wright State coach’s dad an ardent supporter

»RELATED: Benzinger leads Raiders past IUPUI

Probable Wright State starters

Grant Benzinger, 6-3, Sr. G, 14.1

Parker Ernsthausen, 6-11, Jr., F, 4.5

Mark Hughes, 6-4, Jr, G, 9.5

Loudon Love, 6-9, Fr., C, 9.3

Justin Mitchell, 6-4, Sr., G, 11.6

Probable Detroit Mercy starters

Corey Allen, 6-3, So., G, 16.3

Kameron Chatman, 6-9, Jr., F, 18.3

Jaieel Hogan, 6-7, Sr., F, 7.8

Jermaine Jackson, Jr., 5-10, Fr., G, 11.8

Roschon Prince, 6-6, Sr., F, 5.8

Series history: Wright State leads 29-26. The Raiders swept the series last season, winning 85-72 in Detroit and 106-88 at the Nutter Center, and have won nine of the last 12 against the Titans. Detroit Mercy is 15-10 against Wright State at 65-year-old Calihan Hall, but the teams have split the last eight games on that court.

Coaches: Scott Nagy is 30-17 in two seasons as Wright State's coach. His career record in 23 seasons is 440-257. Bacari Alexander is 12-34 in two seasons as Detroit Mercy's coach. His career record is the same.

Last time out: Wright State beat IUPUI 60-52 at home, and Detroit Mercy lost 87-79 at Milwaukee.

About Wright State: The Raiders rank sixth in the Horizon League with an average of 68.7 points per game, but have the league's stingiest defense, allowing a average of just 64.1 points per game, led by Mitchell's league-best average of 2.0 steals per game … They also have the widest average rebound margin at 2.5 per game, led by Love, who ranks third in the Horizon with an average of 8.1 rebounds per game … Benzinger is the league's most accurate free-throw shooter, sinking them at a 95.6 (43-of-45) percent rate … Wright State has won three straight games and six of its last seven.

About Detroit Mercy: The Titans lead the Horizon with an average of 83.9 points per game, but they also lead in average points allowed at an even 90.0 per game … Chatman is the league's top rebounder with an average of 8.0 per game, and Jacksons ranks right behind Benzinger, sinking 94.9 percent of his free throws (37-of-39). They are the only two players to have started all 15 of Detroit Mercy's games … The Titans have lost nine straight games after winning three in a row.

Next game: The Michigan swing continues for Wright State on Sunday at Oakland. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game is due to be streamed on ESPN3.

About the Author