After losing a pair of games in the Myrtle Beach Invitational by a combined four points, the Raiders opened Horizon League play with a two-point loss at Oakland.
Having a chance in the final seconds against the Grizzlies to tie or even win made the defeat all the more galling.
While the near-misses against quality competition is a sign the team is on a promising trajectory, the immediate aftermath is brutal.
“One-possession games, as the head coach, they eat you alive,” said Sargent, who admitted he barely slept after the Oakland loss and muddled through the next day.
“In my young, short tenure, that was the hardest day for sure,” he said. “But I know if you can maturely learn from it, you’ll be better for it. That’s just how you grow. And you just try not to make the same mistake twice.”
Sargent had set up a play to get 3-point specialist Alex Huibregtse a shot to win against Oakland. The Raiders had already made a school-record 16 threes and figured they’d get another open look.
“We had a call for Alex to get loose on a double ball screen. They pressured us. It was just really unfortunate that, because we weren’t scoring around the rim (going 6-of-20 on 2-point shots), they were really loaded up on the perimeter,” said Sargent, whose team could only get off a errant 3 that barelly beat the buzzer.
“I just regret not having Jack in the game at that point. That was my fault.”
Jack Doumbia is a 6-foot-6 small forward who’s one of the few Raiders athletic enough to get his own shot. He made a pair of buckets in the final minute against South Florida for a one-point lead, only to have USF make a game-winning jumper at the horn.
“You’ve got to learn from the ones you don’t get — not immaturely deflect them. I’ve been thankful to be able to learn through those with our staff and team, But I definitely don’t want it to be a pattern,” Sargent said.
The Raiders are 6-5 overall and 1-1 in the Horizon League, but they certainly look like title contenders — despite being picked fifth in the preseason poll.
They’re 108th in the NET rankings, a signifcant jump from last year’s finish of 153rd.
And they’re showing dramatic improvement in their defensive efficiency numbers, despite gettng off to a rocky start with a 103-62 loss at Kentucky. They’ve gone from 341st out of 364 teams nationally last season to 272nd this year.
“I think if you dig into the metrics, we’re trending in the right direction,” Sargent said.
The schedule also has had a bite to it with eight of the first 11 games away from home — equaling the fewest home games in an 11-game span to start a season since the program went to Division I in 1987.
The 2021-22 squad also played just three home games in its first 11.
The Raiders will play 11 of their final 20 regular-season games at the Nutter Center.
“I like where our guys’ heads are at with protecting the home floor,” Sargent said.
“I know we’re battle tested. I know we’ve already had to learn through adversity. Now we just need to keep practicing well and stepping into each day. I know the growth of this team is going to put us in a good position as we move forward.”
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Marshall at Wright State, 7 p.m., 101.5, 1410
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