Wright State Raiders: 25-9, 14-4 in the Horizon League
Head coach: Scott Nagy (2nd season)
Players to watch: Grant Benzinger (14.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 37.9 3FG%); Loudon Love (12.9 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 53.31 FG%); Mark Hughes (9.9 PPG, 3.0 APG, 1.1 SPG)
Season recap: Wright State has made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007 despite losing third-leading scorer Justin Mitchell, who left the team for personal reasons at the beginning of conference play. After a tough start during their nonconference schedule, the Raiders turned it on at the end of the season, sweeping through the Horizon League tournament as its No. 2 seed.
Wright State gets it done on the defensive end of the court, where it is ranked in the top 55 in basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings. The Raiders have held opponents to just 65.7 points and force more than 15 turnovers per game this season, with junior guard Mark Hughes named to the Horizon League’s All-Defensive team.
Offensively, Wright State plays through the inside-out duo of senior guard Grant Benzinger and redshirt freshman center Loudon Love. However, the Raiders have struggled at times offensively this season, mustering just 59 points in its semifinal victory against Milwaukee. Wright State also plays just one player—Benzinger—who shoots better than 36 percent from 3-point range, and are ranked in the bottom third of Pomeroy’s adjusted offensivive efficiency measurement.
How they make a run: Benzinger goes off and the Bulldogs force third-seeded Tennessee into a poor shooting performance as they win their first-ever NCAA tournament game.
How they falter: The Volunteers overwhelm Wright State inside from the start, and the Bulldogs cannot shoot themselves back into the game, exiting in the first round.
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