Thu, Aug 24
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Slate includes five home contests, four first-time opponents |
DAYTON – The Wright State men’s basketball team and head coach Scott Nagy announced the Raiders’ 2023-24 non-conference schedule on Thursday afternoon, a slate highlighted by five home contests inside the Nutter Center as part of a slate that includes four first-time opponents and some familiar foes.
Season tickets are on sale now, with opportunities to purchase single game tickets set to go on sale in the coming months.
The Raider non-conference schedule is highlighted by the season-opening visit to Colorado State in the first-ever meeting between the teams on November 10, followed days later with the home opener against Toledo on November 14 inside the Nutter Center. The schedule includes visits to Indiana (November 16) and Davidson (December 2), along with a trip to the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Wright State will spend plenty of time at home in December with four straight home games, welcoming Bethel to the Nutter Center on December 7 to begin the stretch. Western Kentucky comes to town on December 12, followed by regional foe Miami (OH) on December 19. The Raider non-conference schedule concludes on December 22 at home against Muskingum.
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Colorado State (Nov. 10, Fort Collins, CO) Colorado State is coming off of a 15-18 overall record in 2022-23 with a 6-12 mark in the Mountain West, ending its season in the Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals. Returning guard Isaiah Stevens earned Mountain West first team honors last March after averaging 17.9 points per game and is a four-time All-Mountain West honoree. Wright State and Colorado State have never met on the hardwood.
Toledo (Nov. 14, Nutter Center) Toledo was 27-8 overall with a 16-2 record in the MAC last season, falling in the MAC Championship game before playing in the opening round of the NIT postseason tournament against Michigan. Toledo became the first current MAC school to win three consecutive outright regular season league titles last year and returns starting guards Dante Maddox Jr. and Ra’Heim Moss, among others. Wright State is 8-6 all-time against Toledo, with the last meeting coming back in December 2020, a Raider road win. Wright State has won three in a row in the series.
Indiana (Nov. 16, Bloomington, IN) Indiana finished 2022-23 with a 23-12 overall record and had a 12-8 mark in the Big Ten, falling in the Big Ten tournament semifinals before advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last March. Indiana has made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in a decade, winning a game in both seasons. Wright State and Indiana have met twice before and once in Bloomington (November 2010). The Raiders and Hoosiers squared off in Indianapolis March 19,1993 in Wright State’s first Division I NCAA Tournament game after winning the 1993 Mid-Continent Championship inside the Nutter Center.
Gulf Coast Showcase (Nov. 20-22, Estero, FL) The Raiders will travel to Estero, FL for three games in the 2023 Gulf Coast Showcase. This will be Wright State’s second visit to the Gulf Coast Showcase in the last five years after the Raiders also participated in the event during the 2019-20 campaign, winning two of three games in Florida that fall. Overall, it will be the Raiders’ third late November trip to Florida in the same time frame after competing in the Naples Invitational during the 2021-22 season.
– Louisiana (Opening Round) Louisiana was 26-8 last season with a 13-5 Sun Belt mark, winning the Sun Belt Championship before falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Tennessee. Wright State and Louisiana have never met on the hardwood.
– Additional Foes Buffalo and Hofstra are potential second round opponents in the bracketed-style tournament. The Raiders have played Buffalo once (Feb. 1992 inside the Nutter Center, 88-71 Raider win) and are 2-0 against Hofstra (Feb. 2011, 82-56 win at home & Dec. 2012, 63-57 road victory). The field also includes Illinois State (Raiders trail series 0-2), Iona (never played), High Point (Raiders lead series 2-0) and Long Beach State (Raiders trail series 0-1).
Davidson (Dec. 2, Davidson, N.C.) Davidson is coming off of a 16-16 overall record in 2022-23 with a 8-10 mark in the A-10, ending its season in the A-10 tournament quarterfinals. Wright State and Davidson have met once previously, a 102-97 double overtime Davidson win to open last season inside the Nutter Center. Trey Calvin notched 37 points in the loss while AJ Braun added 11 points and nine rebounds in the contest.
Bethel (Dec. 7, Nutter Center) Bethel, located in Mishawaka, Indiana just outside South Bend, was 20-13 overall last season. The Pilots lost in the first round of the NAIA National Championship tournament before running through the bracket and capturing the NCCAA National Championship. Wright State and Bethel have never met on the hardwood.
Western Kentucky (Dec. 12, Nutter Center) Western Kentucky was 17-16 overall with an 8-12 record in the C-USA last season, falling in the quarterfinals to eventual Final Four participant Florida Atlantic. Wright State is 1-2 all-time against Western Kentucky, with the three previous meetings all coming in the last five seasons. The Raiders fell 64-60 on the road last December, with the win in the series coming December 2019 inside the Nutter Center.
Miami (OH) (Dec. 19, Nutter Center) Miami (OH) went 12-20 overall with a 6-12 MAC record last season. Wright State and Miami (OH) have faced off 38 times in program history, most recently December 2022, as the Raiders have won four straight in a series that dates back to December 1972.
Muskingum (Dec. 22, Nutter Center) Muskingum, located in New Concord, Ohio on the eastern side of the state, was 1-24 last season under first year head coach Nathan Wahle, whose resume includes five years as an assistant at Wittenberg. Wright State and Muskingum have never met on the hardwood.
COURTESY WRIGHT STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
