TV/Radio: ESPN3/106.5
Series: Miami leads 21-15.
Coaches: Scott Nagy is 91-44 in his fifth year at Wright State and 501-284 in his 26th year overall. Jack Owens is 45-54 in his fourth year at Miami and is looking for his first winning season.
Probable Wright State starters
Name Ht. Class Pos. Avg.
Loudon Love 6-8 Sr. C 11.0
Tanner Holden 6-6 So. F 13.0
Jaylon Hall 6-5 Jr. F 0.0
Tim Finke 6-6 So G 10.0
Trey Calvin 6-0 So. G 16.0
Probable Miami starters
Dae Dae Grant 6-2 So. G 21.0
James Beck 6-8 Jr. F 14.0
Mekhi Lairy 5-8 Jr. G 14.0
Precious Ayah 6-6 Sr. F 8.0
Dalonte Brown 6-7 Sr. F 6.0
About Wright State: The Raiders’ loss to Marshall was only their second in a season-opener in the last nine years, having also been defeated by Loyola (Ill.) in 2017-18. They went 11 of 24 on foul shots, their first sub-.500 showing since going 6 of 14 in a 68-44 win over Jacksonville on Nov. 25, 2017. … They had some erratic performances, not unusual for a first game. Hall, a three-year starter, went 0-for-5 from the field and was scoreless. Holden had just three points in the first half but bounced back, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds. Alex Huibregtse, a 6-3 freshman from Grafton, Wis., was part of the eight-player rotation, subbing at 17:37 of the first half. He went 2-of-2 on foul shots for his first career points, but went 0-of-4 from the field in 25 minutes. … Marshall reached rare territory for a Raider opponent in going 22 of 27 from the foul line. Only two foes last season shot as many as 27 free throws: Green Bay went 28 of 43 in a 92-89 win on Feb. 2, while IUPUI went 27 of 40 in an 84-70 loss on Jan. 10.
About Miami: The RedHawks’ 2019-20 season ended abruptly. They won a first-round game as a 12 seed in the MAC tourney against fifth-seeded Buffalo before the event was cancelled because of Covid-19. They finished 13-19. … Star Nike Sabande, a 6-4 senior-to-be, transferred to Pittsburgh in the offseason. He led Miami in scoring (14.2), rebounding (5.8) and free-throw percentage (.820) last season. … They were picked ninth by the coaches in the 12-team MAC. Bowling Green, which hosts Wright State on Dec. 13, is the favorite. … The RedHawks opened with an 81-67 home win on Nov. 25 over North Dakota, which jumped to the Summit League from Division II in 2018-19. Grant, who made the MAC all-freshman team last season, had 21 points and four assists. Beck, who sat out last season after transferring from Oakland, had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Rivalry: The Raiders played the RedHawks twice last season, winning both. Love had one of his best games in the first meeting with 27 points and 16 rebounds. He missed the second game, but sub Grant Basile filled in nicely with 17 points and 12 boards. Before last season, the teams played 20 straight years starting in 1999-2000 with Miami going 11-9.
Getting creative: Most teams are scrambling for non-league games, and the RedHawks, who have already had one game cancelled, announced Tuesday they’ll host the three-team Miami Invitational Dec. 9-11. The other participants are Western Illinois and Mount St. Joseph. They also bumped up their league opener against Buffalo to Dec. 15. They normally start MAC play in early January.
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