Sargent could count on that through the first month of the season, notching impressive wins away from home over Miami and Princeton along with having near-misses against Bradley and South Florida — all of them quality mid-majors.
But as Sargent said on his post-game radio show after Friday’s overtime loss at Milwaukee: “We needed everybody to show up. To win this game on the road, we needed everybody to show up.”
Asked later about that issue, he said: “I haven’t gotten everybody, in terms of consistency, playing well at the same time. It’s been three guys. And the inconsistency, it’s my fault. I have to figure out how to serve these guys in a better fashion to help them be more consistent and available for each other.
“Against Milwaukee, that’s the (small) margin you have, and we just haven’t been able to get everybody clicking at the same time.”
The Raiders’ have made marked improvement defensively this season.
They’re 271st out of 355 teams in points allowed at 75.2 per game and 280th in defensive efficiency at 1.078 points per possession.
Though that’s nothing to get too giddy about, they were 346th in scoring defense last year with an 81.2 average and 341st in defensive efficiency at 1.154 each possession.
But while they may be slowing down the opposition, they haven’t kept up offensively with last year’s powerhouse lineup.
It included two 2,000-point scorers in Trey Calvin and Tanner Holden. The only other Wright State player to top 2,000 is Bill Edwards Jr. (2,303), and there’s only been 16 in the Horizon League’s 45-year history to do it.
The Raiders are averaging 76.8 points (103th nationally) and shooting 48.2% (28th).
Last year, they were fourth in scoring with an 86.5 average, trailing only Alabama, Kentucky and Arizona. And they led the country in shooting at 53.0%.
That team went 18-14 overall and tied for third at 13-7 in the league.
“I thought there were a lot of moments throughout the course of this year where I thought we turned that corner, and then it just felt like we take three steps backwards,” Sargent said.
“Those are things I have to figure out as the leader of what we’re doing. And we will get it figured out. It’s not a question of if, but when.”
The Raiders have been eliminated from the race for a top-five seed, which comes with a bye into the HL tourney quarterfinals (No. 5 plays No. 4 on the road).
At 13-15 overall and 7-10 in the league, they’ve still all but assured themselves of a first-round home game.
They finish the regular-season with visits from Northern Kentucky (12-15, 7-9) on Friday and Cleveland State (18-9, 12-4) next week and end with a March 1 trip to IU Indy (8-19, 4-12).
“Like I told our team, for me, this is a new low point,” Sargent said of Sunday’s loss to last-place Green Bay. “But I know I’ll look back on it in some way, shape or form and be thankful because it’s going to produce (growth).
“As much as I’m sick of the heartache and the failure of it, I know it’ll turn, and I just need guys around me who have that same spirit and willingness to be courageous when it’s bleak. That’s what I’m looking for.”
FRIDAY’S GAME
Northern Kentucky at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
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