Wright State at Detroit Mercy: What you need to know about Saturday’s game

Wright State University hosted Detroit Mercy University in a Horizon League basketball game at the Nutter Center on Friday, Jan. 6. DAVID A. MOODIE/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Credit: David A. Moodie

Credit: David A. Moodie

Wright State University hosted Detroit Mercy University in a Horizon League basketball game at the Nutter Center on Friday, Jan. 6. DAVID A. MOODIE/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Who: Wright State (16-14, 9-10) at Detroit Mercy (13-17, 9-10)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

TV/Radio: ESPN+/980

Series: Wright State leads, 38-28

Coaches: Scott Nagy is 147-77 in seven years at Wright State and 557-317 in 28 years overall. Mike Davis is 58-78 in his fifth year at Detroit Mercy and 410-327 in 23 years overall.

Probable Wright State starters

Name Ht. Class Pos. Avg.

Brandon Noel 6-8 Fr. F 13.2

Alex Huibregtse 6-3 So. G 8.5

Tim Finke 6-6 Sr. G 7.9

Andrew Welage 6-6 Jr. G 6.7

Trey Calvin 6-0 Sr. G 19.8

Probable Detroit Mercy starters

Gerald Liddell 6-8 Sr. F 15.0

Damezi Anderson 6-7 Sr. F 9.7

Antoine Davis 6-1 Sr. G 27.9

A.J. Oliver 6-5 Sr. G 9.0

T.J. Moss 6-4 Sr. G 5.5

About Wright State: The Raiders are tied for seventh in the Horizon League and are playing for position in the league tourney. They can finish as high as the seventh seed get a first-round game at home or drop to the ninth seed start on the road. … They’ve been an HL heavyweight since Nagy arrived, winning three regular-season titles in the last six years and going 15-7, 16-4, 15-3, 13-5, 14-4 and 11-7. Their middling record this season wouldn’t be considered an aberration pre-Nagy. Since joining the league in 1994, they’ve finished 8-8 three times and have had eight losing records. … Noel, the top freshman scorer and rebounder in the league, made the five-player conference all-academic team. The honorees must have at least a 3.2 GPA and are chosen for their work in the classroom and on the court. Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis, Robert Morris’ Kahliel Spear, Oakland’s Blake Lampman and Youngstown State’s Dwayne Cohill joined Noel, a chemistry major, on the team.

About Detroit Mercy: Antoine Davis leads the nation in scoring with a 27.9 average, which also is just ahead of the all-time HL mark of 27.6 by Loyola’s Alfredrick Hughes in 1983-84. … His chase to become the greatest scorer in NCAA history has attracted national attention. He’s second with 3,570 points, 97 away from Pete Maravich’s record of 3,667. He’s got at least two games left, counting the HL tourney, but he could play more if the Titans advance or if one of the postseason events (the College Basketball Invitational?) can spare a bid for a team with a losing record that has such an obvious drawing card. … He’s got a record 141 consecutive double-figure games and the most 3′s in NCAA history with 573 … He appears to be a lock for a second straight HL player of the year award, though some voters might balk at his 41.6% field-goal shooting this season.

Horizon League standings: Youngstown State and Cleveland State 14-5, Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky 13-6, Oakland 11-8, Robert Morris 10-10, Wright State and Detroit Mercy 9-10, Purdue Fort Wayne 8-11, Green Bay 2-17, IUPUI 2-17.

Other games Saturday: Youngstown State at IUPUI, Cleveland State at Milwaukee, Northern Kentucky at Oakland, Purdue Fort Wayne at Green Bay.

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