But they’ve started 1-2 in the Horizon League after an 80-70 home loss to Youngstown State on Wednesday. And even with 17 more conference games, they’re already having to dig themselves out of pit.
The EMU result won’t count in the league standings, of course, but coach Clint Sargent was adamant that his team is desperate for a win to prove to themselves the YSU setback was just an aberration.
Asked about the importance of the game, he said: “It’s critical. It’s critical. They’re all critical.
“This one flows into Cleveland State (on Dec. 29). This one flows into how you take your break. This one flows into your family time. This one flows into your peace of mind when you do get a break. So, they’re all critical.”
The Raiders always have a smattering of Mid-American Conference teams on the schedule — they’re 1-1 against the MAC this year and went 13-8 in eight years under coach Scott Nagy — and both leagues are usually comparable in the computer standings.
The Horizon League is currently 22nd out of 31 college basketball leagues in the NET ratings, while the MAC is 24th.
The Eagles are 5-5 overall and already 2-3 against the HL. They beat IU Indy (74-71) and Oakland (68-64) and lost to Cleveland State (71-63) on the road, and they dropped home games to Detroit Mercy (98-89) and Purdue Fort Wayne (99-76).
After facing Wright State for the first time and then playing at Davidson on Saturday, they begin their 18-game conference schedule, breaking for an opponent to be determined in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge on Feb. 8.
The Raiders, of course, are still recovering from the YSU embarrassment — not so much getting beat by a team picked one spot behind them at sixth in the preseason poll, but the lack of passion they displayed while falling before nearly 4,000 fans.
“That is not OK,” Sargent said. “These games mean an incredible amount to our players and the university, and it’s a league game. We (treated it) like just another game on the schedule.
“That’s my job to get them motivated and to get them to understand the magnitude of the game.”
The Raiders (7-6 overall) let a 12-point first-half lead dwindle to one, but they finished the half with a bit of a surge. Alex Huibregtse’s 3 from the wing in the final minute gave them a 40-33 lead.
YSU (7-5 overall and 3-0 in the HL) took a timeout with 20 seconds to go, and Sargent wanted to take advantage of the Penguins not yet being in the 1-and-1, calling for a late foul to disrupt their offense.
It didn’t happen. YSU threw a lob to 7-foot-3 Gabe Dynes, who dunked while drawing a shooting foul with 0.9 seconds left. He missed the free throw, but Sargent was visibly upset, staring at his players and pounding his first into his palm.
That lapse was indicative of how the night went.
“They really took control of the game,” he said of YSU, “and I thought it started with that end of the first half (miscue). We had fouls to give. We wanted to foul. Instead, we don’t execute the foul, and they get a dunk,” Sargent said.
Asked if he saw trouble brewing in practice, Sargent said: “Yes and no That’s the hard part of reading your room.
“I continue to trust our older guys and give them some leash in certain areas. … There were warning signs that I addressed, but we couldn’t get over the hump. And, unfortunately, we’re going to have to learn through a really tough loss again.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Wright State at Eastern Michigan, 2 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
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