And while NCAA trips haven’t come quite as often as all would have hoped, that promise is coming true this week.
“I knew we could get here. We had a few bumps in the road the first two years, but it’s definitely exciting to finally get over that hump and be in a position like this,” Holden said.
In a matchup of 16th-seeded teams, the Raiders (21-13) will face Bryant (22-9) in the First Four at UD Arena at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday. The winner will play No. 1 seed Arizona (31-3) in the South Regional at San Diego on Friday.
A pair of 11th-seeded squads, Notre Dame (22-10) and Rutgers (18-13), will play 30 minutes after the Wright State-Bryant game.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” said Holden, a 6-6 wing who leads the team in scoring with a 19.8 average and is second in rebounding at 7.1. “I’ve been watching the tournament for as long as I can remember. You always think about March Madness coming into this month. But it’s definitely crazy to think we’re finally playing in it.”
Basile, a 6-foot-9 fourth-year junior from Pewaukee, Wisc., was flummoxed like everyone else in the program during the team’s rocky start this season. But he never lost hope.
“Knowing all the hard work we put in throughout the year — a lot of ups and a lot of downs — it’s awesome to know our name is in there and we’ll be playing with a lot of good teams. We’ll get a chance to compete on a national stage,” he said.
Raider fans don’t have to wait until Wednesday to get their taste of March Madness.
Each team will have a 40-minute practice at UD Arena on Tuesday, and the public is welcome. Wright State will work out from 12:50-1:30, while Bryant practices from 12:05-12:45, Notre Dame 1:35-2:15 and Rutgers 2:20-3:00.
As of Monday morning, plenty of lower- and upper-arena seats were still available at prices ranging from $82 to $350.
They can be purchased online by going to Ticketmaster.com and putting “NCAA 2022″ in the search bar.
Based on the turnout at the Horizon League championship, Basile is expecting strong support.
“Our fans have been fantastic for us this year,” he said. “How many people came to Indianapolis for that Northern Kentucky game?
“We’ve had a lot of momentum with them throughout the drive to this tournament — the Oakland game, Cleveland State. To see how many people care about Wright State basketball is pretty neat.”
He’s never been to UD Arena, but he said: “I know it’s pretty big. Hopefully, we can get some people in there with Raider colors.”
Coach Scott Nagy is making his fifth trip to the NCAA tourney in 11 years, including three at South Dakota State.
The Jackrabbits were always competitive, and Nagy can recite details from those first-round games like a pro golfer recalling every shot he hit in a round.
They lost to Maryland, 79-74, as a 12 seed in 2016; to Michigan, 71-56, as a 14 seed in 2013; and to Baylor, 68-60, as a 14 seed in 2012.
The Raiders were a 14 seed when they fell to Tennessee, 73-47, in 2018.
“Maryland was a five-point game. Our game against Baylor, we were down three with a shot to tie it with a minute to go. We were in that game,” he said.
“Against Michigan, we were down four at the half. We lost by 15. They went to the national championship game (losing to Louisville).
“They had five first-round draft choices. But we played pretty good.”
Nagy was right about how loaded the Wolverines were that season. Tim Hardaway, Trey Burke, Mitch McGary, Nik Stauskas and Caris Lavert were all first-round draft picks, while Glenn Robinson was a second-round selection.
“We obviously didn’t play great against Tennessee our first game here. But we just need to get by Bryant. That’s all I care about,” Nagy said.
Bryant, which became a Division-I team in 2008, is playing in the NCAA tourney for the first time.
The Bulldogs had a rough start this season, losing by 67 points to Houston. But they’ve won 16 of their last 17 games.
They’ve got the highest-scoring tandem in the nation in Peter Kiss (25.1 per game) and Charles Pride (18.0).
Both teams have had long layoffs, winning their league titles Tuesday, and fourth-year Bryant coach Jared Grasso spent the week sizing up potential opponents, including Wright State.
“Because of the fact that we finished early, I think this game was locked in for a while,” Grasso told the Providence Journal. “We haven’t finished our preparation but we know enough about their style that we have a pretty good idea what they’re about.
“They’re a good team. They’re big, they’re physical. We have our work cut out for us, but we’re going to compete like we have all year.”
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
NCAA First Four at UD Arena
Wright State vs. Bryant, 6:40 p.m., truTV, 980
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