“When I get uptight — and for whatever reason, the whole weekend, I was uptight — I’m not a very good coach,” he said. “I think I made our team uptight. I’ve been frustrated with our Friday games at home, and I probably didn’t help things by the way I was all week and the way I reacted.
»RELATED: Raiders sweep Robert Morris
“I got myself relaxed and in a better frame of mind (Saturday). And our team relaxed.”
No one benefitted more from a dialed-down Nagy than Loudon Love. The fifth-year senior center torched the Colonials with a career-high 34 points on 15-of-22 shooting in an 86-56 win. He also snagged 11 rebounds.
That’s the most points by a Raider since Mark Alstork scored 39 against Toledo on Nov. 19, 2016. The school record is 45 by Bill Edwards against Morehead State on Dec. 8, 1992.
It came one day after Love had a season-low seven points in a clunky 79-70 win. He’d reached double figures in all 15 games this season and in 30 of 31 going back to last year.
“I talked to coach Nagy and told him it was a combination of not playing great defense (and being off offensively),” Love said of his forgettable night. “It got me upset. There’s nothing that makes you lower than not playing good defense AND good offense.
“I got it going a little bit early and helped the team out.”
The breakout performance came at an ideal time. Love’s mother and his family were in town to celebrate her birthday, though they couldn’t attend the games in person because of league rules.
“I’m so proud of him, honestly,” Nagy said. “He’s just — I’ve said this so many times — a joy to coach. The way I coach and the level of intensity I have, I often can make people feel like they disappoint me. I hate that. I don’t want any of our players to feel that way. I want our players to know we love them and are proud of them as young men.”
Nagy certainly is proud of the way his team is blossoming since going to a bigger lineup with the 6-9, 235-pound Grant Basile at forward.
The third-year sophomore punished the Colonials on Friday with a career-best 29 points on 13-of-20 shooting, which was the most by a Raider in two years before Love exploded.
Nagy made the switch after a two-point loss to Youngstown State, and the Raiders are 6-1 and averaging 86 points since then.
“We’ve gotten a lot more simple on offense. We just throw it in,” he said. “We have three or four guys we’re going to throw it into, and teams are going to have to make those adjustments. Our post players are obviously playing really well. It’s nice you can have one guy one night, and the other guy the next.”
Love has never been surrounded by a better supporting cast, which could be why his numbers had dipped.
He hadn’t scored more than 17 points in the previous 12 games and had reached double-figures in rebounds just once in eight games.
“Loudon being locked in like he was, he was a handful,” Nagy said. “I’m happy for him, really, because he’s been frustrated with his play most of the year.”
The Raiders’ inside-out offense has helped them cut down on turnovers. They were averaging 14 per game but committed just 16 on the weekend.
“When a team gets turned up offensively (going too fast), it’s nice you can throw it into the post. It gets everyone calmed down,” Nagy said.
Love’s ability to pass out of the post is another reason why the new lineup is working. He had three assists both games against Robert Morris.
“My guy a lot of times rotated to him, and Loudon was doing a great job handling those double-teams,” said Basile, who had 10 points Saturday.
“Coach Nagy sometimes refers to him as Magic Johnson. He was making a lot of great passes.”
League race: The Raiders (13-4, 11-3) stayed one game behind first-place Cleveland State (12-5, 12-2) with six to go.
They’ve won a game by at least 30 points five weeks in a row. And their nine-point win against Robert Morris was their first this season in single digits.
“It’s hard to believe what we’ve been able to do offensively and defensively,” Nagy said.
Hall OK: Sixth-man Jaylon Hall suffered a concussion after taking a fall in the first game against Robert Morris. He sat out Saturday night, but Nagy expects him back for the UIC series this weekend.
FRIDAY’S GAME
Wright State at UIC, 8 p.m. Friday, ESPN+, 106.5
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