The Raiders are 12-11 overall and 7-5 in the league after a demoralizing 88-77 home loss to Youngstown State on Thursday — their fourth straight against the pesky Penguins in the last two years.
That stretch includes a 44-point game by Calvin in a triple-overtime defeat on the road last season, falling just short of Bill Edwards’ school record of 45.
But if the HL preseason player of the year is having second thoughts about coming back, it doesn’t show. Yes, he expected better results, yet he’s not giving up on the season.
The league doesn’t have a clear-cut favorite. First-place Green Bay (15-9, 10-3) hardly looks imposing atop the bunched-up standings after going 3-29 last season.
Every team has issues, and Calvin certainly knows what’s plaguing the Raiders.
“It’s simple. It’s defense and rebounding. That’s our worst two categories,” he said. “Obviously, it’s fun shooting the ball like we do, but it doesn’t win games.”
The Raiders didn’t seem to get a favorable whistle against Youngstown State — one irate fan seated courtside had to be removed late in the game for his non-stop badgering of a ref — but Calvin wasn’t offering any excuses.
“A couple calls, we felt, didn’t go our way, but everything feels like that when they’re beating you on the glass and physically handling you. We can’t put any blame on the officials,” he said.
The Raiders are first nationally in field-goal shooting (53.6) and ninth in scoring (85.7), but they’re 345th out of 351 Division-I teams in points allowed (81.4).
They’ve given up at least 80 points in 15 games so far, which is already the most in any of Nagy’s eight years.
The previous high was 13 in 2016-17. Their best season was in 2018-19 when they surrendered 80-plus just once.
“I’m trying to bring my teammates with me and just focus on the defensive end,” Calvin said. “I know I struggle on that end, too, so we’ve all got to figure it out.”
Calvin thinks they’re also coming up short in the intensity department, at least compared to their opponents.
Coach Scott Nagy also has brought up how the Raiders’ success of late means foes are more motivated.
“Every team comes in and plays their hardest against us,” Calvin said. “We’ve been at the top of this league for a while, so everybody has a chip on their shoulder when they come to play us, and we haven’t responded to that well.”
Calvin was named player of the week last Monday after back-to-back 27-point games.
He’s got 1,973 in his career, meaning another 27-point day at Northern Kentucky on Sunday will make him the 15th player in the league’s 45-year history to hit 2,000.
Marques Warrick reached the milestone last week for NKU (11-11, 6-5).
Calvin’s priority, though, isn’t points. He’s leading the league in scoring for the second straight year at 20.0 per game after averging 20.3 last season.
But he’s taking fewer shots: 15.1 this year vs. 15.9 in 2022-23. And his assists are also up to a career-best 4.2 per game, which is fourth in the HL.
What he wants most is wins.
“We aren’t in the spot we wanted to be, but I love these guys and I love the coaches, so we’re going to figure out a way and fight through this the rest of the season,” he said.
SUNDAY’S GAME
Wright State at Northern Kentucky, 2 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
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