Though the Raiders are coming off a dominant 92-56 win over DivisionII Central State, there are no more Central States on the horizon.
As Sargent put it: “We know, in these next six games, we’re going to learn an awful lot about ourselves.”
The Raiders open their second appearance in the Myrtle Beach Invitational at 8 p.m. Thursday against preseason Ivy League favorite Princeton and then will play either MAC favorite Ohio University or the Sun Belt’s Texas State.
The field also includes Bradley (picked first in the Missouri Valley Conference), Middle Tennessee (fourth in Conference USA) and South Florida (third in the AAC).
“We start off with three games in Myrtle Beach in a four-day span. If your team’s not playing well, you can get hit in the mouth, and all of a sudden, you’re scrambling for confidence,” Sargent said.
After hosting Air Force on Nov. 30, they start December with league road games against Oakland and Detroit.
“The next six games are critical. This chunk of your season is critical,” Sargent said.
Asked about the bevy of league favorites at Myrtle Beach, he said: “Our guys are eager. They want to be seen as that.
“I know we were picked fifth (in the HL preseason poll), and we’re 3-2. But I know the DNA of this team. I know the caliber of talent and depth we have. We want to be seen as that, but the only way to be seen as that is to win those type of games.”
The Raiders have played in a holiday tournament regularly since Sargent arrived with coach Scott Nagy in 2016.
They were 2-1 in the Gulf Coast Showcase last season, beating Louisiana and Illinois State and losing to Hofstra.
They went 2-1 in the Vegas 4 event in 2022, beating Weber State and Abilene Christian and losing to CSU Bakersfield.
They went 0-3 at the 2021 Naples Invitational, losing to George Washington, James Madison and Long Beach State.
In 2019, they beat Weber State and Miami (Ohio) and lost to La Salle in the Myrtle Beach event.
In the 2018 Cancun Challenge, they lost to Penn State and SMU.
They hosted their own events in 2016 and ‘17, going 3-0 each year.
“I would say this will be probably the best field we’ve played — and I remember the Cancun Challenge when we played SMU and Penn State,” Sargent said.
Princeton is 4-1, having beaten Duquesne, Iona, Northeastern and Merrimack while losing to Loyola.
Caden Pierce, the Ivy League Player of the Year last season, averages 14.8 points and 9.0 rebounds.
The Tigers were 24-5 and played in the NIT last season.
Two years ago, they upset No. 2 seed Arizona in an NCAA first-round game.
“Princeton is in the conversation, if they have a great year, to be not only league champions, but to potentially be an at-large team,” Sargent said.
“You just go down the list, and you’ve got Ohio, Bradley, Texas State — a bunch of teams that expect to win their league. They have a winning fabric to them.
“We’ve just got to keep stepping into the ring with heavy hitters and keep showing up — and I know we’ll break through.”
THURSDAY’S GAME
Myrtle Beach Invitational
Wright State vs. Princeton, 8 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
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