Wright State Raiders 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Post Season

Wright State Raiders

Horizon League (20-12, 12-6)

Seed: #

Big Wins: 12/28 Sam Houston State (88-48), 2/11 Wisconsin Milwaukee (68-63), 2/13 Green Bay (67-54)

Bad Losses: 12/13 at Miami Ohio (55-56), 12/31 at Loyola IL (52-53), 2/27 at Cleveland State (63-68)

Coach: Brad Brownell

Why They Can Surprise:

Wright State was hoping that Vaughn Duggins and John David Gardner would be healthy for this season. Unfortunately for the injury plagued Gardner, he only made four appearances this season. Fortunately for the Raiders, Duggins nearly played a full season at full strength after only playing four games last year. And Duggins quickly took his place back at the top of team’s scoring list. The 6-3 junior is averaging 14.2 points and 2.9 assists on the season and will score in a wide variety of ways.

While Duggins was gone last year, Todd Brown took over the team. And he has not forgotten how to score. Much like Duggins, Brown is a capable outside shooter who will also use his size to attack the basket. At 6-5, Brown is also a very good rebounder on the wing and that is something this team really needs. Troy Tabler can shoot the long ball just as well as Duggins or Brown, but the sixth man lacks the ability to attack the basket. However, Tabler plays his role very well and is also a good candidate to spark the offense off of the bench.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Injuries have hurt the frontcourt too and this is not a frontcourt that can afford any injuries. After playing in 24 games, reserve forward Cooper Land is out for the year. That leaves Cory Cooperwood, Ronnie Thomas and Scott Grote to make due. The lack of a shot blocking threat has led to a pretty bad defense and losing Land will not make things any better. However, Cooperwood has developed into a solid scorer around the basket who can also step outside and hit the mid-range jumper. The 6-7 senior is also the team’s best rebounder. Thomas has earned a starting role mostly because he is 6-9 and 240 pounds. He can clog the lane, but he will not do much scoring and likes to hang around on the perimeter too much to be much of a rebounder. At 6-6 and 220 pounds, Grote is not really an option to play the five spot, although he is a decent rebounder.

Who To Watch:

N’Gai Evans was forced into a starting role last year and was again this year once it became clear that Gardner would not be playing very much. Evans adds yet another scoring threat to the perimeter and also leads the team in assists. Duggins can handle the ball, but having Evans do it instead allows Duggins and Brown to work off screens and get open looks. Evans himself is not much of a shooter, but he can use his quickness to get to the basket and finish.

Probable Starters:

N’Gai Evans, Junior, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 3.2 apg

Vaughn Duggins, Junior, Guard, 14.2 ppg, 2.9 apg

Todd Brown, Senior, Guard, 12.6 ppg, 2.2 apg, 4.4 rpg

Cory Cooperwood, Senior, Forward, 9.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg

Ronnie Thomas, Senior, Forward, 5.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Scott Grote, Junior, Forward, 3.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Troy Tabler, Junior, Guard, 8.9 ppg, 1.3 apg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 68.3 (193^rd in nation, 7^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 60.6 (24, 2)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.6 (113, 4)

Field-Goal Defense: 43.3 (181, 4)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.7 (48, 1)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.4 (48, 2)

Free-Throw Percentage: 73.4 (31, 4)

Rebound Margin: -0.4 (208, 6)

Assists Per Game: 13.8 (113, 2)

Turnovers Per Game: 11.6 (34, 1)

Joel’s Bracket Says: