TV/Radio: ESPN2/106.5
Series: Wright State leads 31-30
Coaches: Scott Nagy is 87-41 in his fourth year at Wright State and 497-281 in his 25th year overall. Steve McClain is 70-90 in five years at UIC and 227-205 in 14 years overall.
Probable Wright State starters
Name Ht. Class Pos. Avg.
Loudon Love 6-9 Jr. C 15.3
Tanner Holden 6-6 Fr. F 12.0
Jaylon Hall 6-6 So. F 8.3
Bill Wampler 6-6 Sr. F 15.3
Cole Gentry 5-10 Sr. G 11.2
Probable UIC starters
Michael Diggins 6-8 Jr. C 6.7
Braelen Bridges 6-10 So. F 8.2
Jordan Blount 6-8 Sr. F 9.3
Tarkus Ferguson 6-4 Sr. G 15.5
Marcus Ottey 6-2 Sr. G 14.8
About Wright State: The Raiders are 12-2 at home and 9-3 away from the Nutter Center. The program record for wins in the D-I era (since 1987) is 25, and that's easily within reach. … They made only 2 of 12 three-pointers in the first meeting with UIC, but they were 11 of 20 against Oakland and 12 of 24 against Detroit last week to raise their percentage to 37.1, which is 31st in the nation. … They've shot the eighth-most free throws in the country. And while they're hitting only 67.3%, frequent trips to the foul line are helping their offense overall. … Love is 33rd in the nation in rebound average at 9.9. He has the most double-doubles with 10 despite missing five games (and most of another) with a fractured elbow. He became the 33rd member of the Raiders' 1,000-point club earlier this season and is 17th overall with 1,286 career points. Fred Moore (1982–84) with 1297 and Joe Jackson (1985–88) with 1388 are next on the list.
About UIC: The Flames have won three of their last four games, including a 71-58 victory at home over Green Bay on Saturday. They held the Phoenix to 23 points below its scoring average. … UIC handed the Raiders their first league loss, a 76-72 decision in Chicago on Jan. 12. Ferguson had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Diggins had 20 points. … The Flames have won three straight in the series, but they've been weak inside with a minus-2.3 rebound margin. The Raiders are at plus-4.1 per game. … Sub Godwin Boahen, a 5-11 junior, is the team's third-leading scorer with a 14.8 average. … The league is hearty at the top and soft in the middle and bottom. The Raiders have the best NET ranking at 122, while Northern Kentucky is next at 141. The other eight teams are between 222 and 324 out of 353 schools, including UIC at 240.
Coming up: The Raiders host IUPUI at 2 p.m. Sunday, then finish the regular-season with three straight on the road: Youngstown State on Feb. 20, Cleveland State on Feb. 22 and NKU on Feb. 28.
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