WSU's 2009/10 Schedule Released

[Raider Fanatic]

WSU adds high-profile opponent to hoops schedule
By Marc Katz, Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 11, 2009

FAIRBORN — Although it likely cost Wright State a home game, Raiders’ basketball coach Brad Brownell said yes to a Dec. 16 date at SEC-member Mississippi State, a game expected to be shown on an ESPN platform.

“They think it’s going to be an ESPN2 game,” Brownell said Monday, Aug. 10, as he looked over his team’s schedule. “We were looking to add another high-profile game, and that’s a national TV game. For us to be playing on national television two years in a row and included in those games is great.”

A year ago, WSU played at ACC-member Wake Forest in a Fox TV game. The Demon Deacons won 66-53 against a team just learning how to play without star guard Vaughn Duggins.

Duggins is expected to be at full strength this season and will be needed against a schedule featuring 11 teams that won 20 or more games, seven that played in the NCAA tournament (Mississippi State fits both categories) and 11 that participated in post-season play.

In addition to their 18 games in the Horizon League — two games against each of the other nine teams, including nationally-ranked Butler — the Raiders play three games to begin the season at a tournament in Seattle featuring host Washington as well as Portland State and Belmont. All four teams won 20 or more games last season.

There are also nonconference home games against Central Michigan, Arkansas-Little Rock, Sam Houston State and Maryland-Eastern Shore along with road games at Northeastern, Toledo, Miami and in an ESPN BracketBuster game on Feb. 20 to be determined.

The game at Toledo is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 9, but could be played the day before or the day after. The Raiders will also be in Chicago over New Year’s, playing at UIC on Dec. 31 and at Chicago-Loyola on Jan. 2.

www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/wright-state-university-raiders/wsu-adds-high-profile-opponent-to-hoops-schedule-243782.html

[Raider Fanatic]

It looks like the MSU game is a buy game after all.


Raiders’ schedule considerable
By Marc Katz
Tuesday, August 11, 2009

FAIRBORN — In a perfect world, college basketball teams would schedule tough games at home and easy games on the road.

Sometimes that’s not possible. When Wright State went looking for a multi-game tournament, it found the Athletes in Action Classic, played in Seattle on Nov. 13-15.

Not only does it open the season, but the tournament features four teams (including WSU) coming off at least 20 victories, and with significant players returning. The host team is Washington, with Portland State and Belmont the other teams involved.

WSU coach Brad Brownell said he wanted to test his team, and this will be a test, just as last season’s San Juan Shootout was a test. While none of the teams WSU played there — South Florida, Murray State and Oral Roberts — ended up being tremendous teams, they were still formidable opponents.

Washington, Portland State and Belmont should be better, and the Raiders have a long way to travel to play those teams.

There is also that mid-December game at Mississippi State. Wright State had hoped to get a return game out of it, or at least a two-for-one (the two being played as Mississippi State), but no good SEC school was going to do that for the Raiders.

Instead, Mississippi State lobbied ESPN to put the game on one of its networks, and Wright State agreed the publicity would be worth it. Mississippi State returns all five starters from a team that was 22-13.

WSU fans will be able to see a few good teams at the Nutter Center — the Horizon League features Butler, after all — including Arkansas-Little Rock and Sam Houston State. These are return games. The Raiders beat Little Rock last season and lost at Sam Houston State.

Wright State is coming off three straight 20-win seasons and arguably returns its most significant roster in terms of size, experience and ability.

How many victories that translates into is unknown, but the Raiders certainly haven’t made it easy.

www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/wrightstatesports/entries/2009/08/11/raiders_schedule_considerable.html

[Sixth Man]

I like the schedule. It stinks that we don't get a return game vs Miss St, but I didn't even think we were going to get a D1 game for our final game. I can live with it.

[Raider Rowdies]

Does anyone know for sure if Miss St is a buy game or 2 for 1? Klinger said it's a 2 for 1 on rrb and I tend to trust him more than Mr. Katz given Katz's history of getting his facts wrong.

[Jazzfan]

Aug 11, 2009 22:10:23 GMT -5 Raider Rowdies said:

Does anyone know for sure if Miss St is a buy game or 2 for 1? Klinger said it's a 2 for 1 on rrb and I tend to trust him more than Mr. Katz given Katz's history of getting his facts wrong.

Buy game.

[Raider4Life]

August 17, 2009
Sidney to enroll Monday
By Andy Katz

Highly touted forward Renardo Sidney has been cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center and will enroll at Mississippi State on Monday in time for the first day of classes, his attorney, Donald Jackson, told ESPN.com.

Jackson said that the investigation into Sidney's amateurism eligibility is still ongoing and may take a few months.

At issue, for the NCAA, is how the Sidney family paid for two expensive homes near Fairfax High School in Los Angeles the past two years. The Sidneys moved west from Mississippi so Renardo could attend high school in Southern California.

Sidney and Sidney's parents, Renardo and Patricia, met with the NCAA's Eligibility Center investigative arm (led by Bill Saum) in July in Jackson's Montgomery, Ala., office.

The Los Angeles Times uncovered the potential issue in detailing how UCLA and USC passed on recruiting Sidney last spring.

Former USC coach Tim Floyd told The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger that USC backed off recruiting Sidney because of the ongoing investigation into extra benefits for former football player Reggie Bush and former basketball player O.J. Mayo.

Mississippi State is expected to be a Top 20 team entering the 2009-10 season, regardless of Sidney's status. "We'll be a good team with or without Sidney, but it's obvious we'll be a much better team with him," Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said last month.

"I've learned a long time ago not to spend too much energy, waste energy worrying about things I can't control," Stansbury said. "If we have him, no question, he can help our team. But not being able to get him in summer school, in the weight room, has put him behind some."

sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4405229

[Admin]

Wright State-Mississippi State game on ESPN2

By Staff report
2:13 AM Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Wright State’s Dec. 16 men’s game at SEC champion Mississippi State will be broadcast on ESPN2 beginning at 7 p.m.

When the game was scheduled, ESPN indicated it would broadcast the game, but was unsure which channel would carry it.

www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/wright-state-university-raiders/wright-state-mississippi-state-game-on-espn2-253363.html

[ohiopirate]

recruiting recruiting recruiting

Coaches: "make sure you tune into ESPN Wednesday to watch us at MSU"
Announcers: Drool over Coach B and his credentials like they always do and our 3 straight 20 win seasons as they have to tell the background of our program to the casual viewer
Recruit: "Wow this is nice - I could totally see myself playing there and being on TV for my friends and family to watch me"
Player B that we aren't even recruiting at the time: "This Wright State team looks pretty good"....months pass...Wright State coaches happen to show interest in said recruit....Recruit says "yeah I remember your school - saw you on ESPN last season."

All kinds of positive scenarios....Great final game to our schedule considering what our options were looking like a few weeks ago.

[Nutt House]

I think we get a minimum of 3 ESPN network games this year. Miss State, one HL game, and our BB game if everything goes as expected.

[ilm2day]

This is also the JDG homecoming game. Birmingham is only about 2hrs 15min away and is probably where most people who travel to Starkville fly in to. I expect a bunch of WSU people at the game and a pretty slim MSU crowd.

[ohiopirate]

How Jarvis Varnado became the nation's best walk-on
By Eamonn Brennan



You might remember Mississippi State forward Jarvis Varnado from such films as "Mississippi State made a major leap in 2008, staring Jarvis Varnado," and "I will block that shot against the backboard and scream in your face," presented by Jarvis Varnado." The last time you saw the talented Mr. Varnado, he was leading the Mississippi State Bulldogs to the SEC tournament title and an NCAA appearance. Varnado has led the nation in blocked shots two years in a row. He's an awfully good player.

And now, he's a walk-on.

The Clarion-Ledger's Kyle Veazey has the scoop (thanks to Truth About It for the Twitter tip, by the way). When Bulldogs coach Rick Stansbury signed John Riek and the still-under-investigation Renardo Sidney, he signed his 13th and 14th players scholarship players. Unfortunately, there are only 13 scholarships available. Most coaches would probably just run a player off, but after mulling it over, Stansbury and the Varnado family came up with a mutual -- and pretty selfless -- solution. Varnado's father explains:

"We had discussed it with coach (Rick) Stansbury and he let us know that if Jarvis put his name in the draft, and he had a chance to get Renardo Sidney ... we'll take out a loan so he can come back to school," Winston Varnado, the coach at West Point High School, said.

Yes, Varnado -- basically a shoe-in for All-SEC this year -- is returning to school as a walk-on. Not only that, but he's taking out a loan for the $5,151 it costs to attend MSU as an in-state full-time undergraduate. Which very likely makes Varnado the single best walk-on player in college basketball in, what, the past 10 years? Longer?

And good for him. Varnado could have responded with petulance; he could have allowed Stansbury to shove off benchwarmer. But he didn't. He apparently cares enough about Mississippi State's chances in 2009-10 he's willing to go five grand in debt to improve them (the chances). Unheard of? Yep. Admirable? That too.

rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/How-Jarvis-Varnado-became-the-nation-s-best-walk?urn=ncaab,183885

[Nutt House]

WSU to play exhibition against Central State
By Marc Katz, Staff Writer
September 2, 2009

FAIRBORN — Wright State wanted to do something for the community, and Central State wanted to raise its local profile.

What better way to do that, both sides thought, than by playing an exhibition basketball game hosted by WSU on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m.

“We were thinking about a lot of different local schools,” said WSU coach Brad Brownell, whose team played St. Edwards of Austin, Texas, in an exhibition game last season.

St. Edwards featured the brother of WSU sophomore, now junior, Cooper Land.

This game is different.

“We thought this would be a good game for the community,” said Brownell, who cannot schedule another D-I school as an exhibition game, according to NCAA regulations. Instead, he looked at scheduling either Cedarville, Wilberforce or CSU.

CSU coach Doug Lewis Jr. liked the community angle and looks forward to a good tune-up for the Marauders.

“I think we can knock out two birds with one stone,” said Lewis, whose team was 19-8 last season (NCAA Division II) and returns its three leading scorers, including Robert Harris of Trotwood. “In these tough economic times, it’s good for the community to have two schools 15 minutes apart play, and we’re getting better and better as a team and can test ourselves.”

When they were both D-II schools, they played 22 times, WSU winning 15. WSU, 20-13 last season, is returning most of its scoring.

Instead of two NCAA-allowed exhibition games, the Raiders, as has been their custom under Brownell, instead will hold a closed scrimmage against another D-I school. Wright State has been playing Eastern Kentucky, and will again this year, at Eastern.

CSU has a second exhibition scheduled, at Toledo on Nov. 17.

WSU begins its regular-season schedule at Seattle in a tournament featuring four 20-win teams, including host Washington, Portland State and Belmont.


www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/wright-state-university-raiders/wsu-to-play-exhibition-against-central-state-276559.html

[Raider Grad]

UALR schedule:

www.ualrtrojans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=35722&SPID=2823&DB_OEM_ID=7400&ATCLID=204789998

[Jazzfan]

Some schedule changes
By Marc Katz
September 14, 2009

FAIRBORN — Some minor tweeking was done to the Wright State men’s basketball schedule over the weekend, with at least one television date added.

The Raiders’ Dec. 3 game with Cleveland State at the Nutter Center will now begin at 9 p.m. to accommodate ESPNU.

A year ago, Wright State beat Cleveland State at home, then lost to the Vikings in Cleveland. The Vikings went on to win the Horizon League Tournament and play in the NCAA.

Wright State also moved its home games with Butler and Valparaiso with the Butler game now on Friday, Jan. 8 instead of Thursday and the Valpo game on Sunday, Jan. 10, at 4 p.m.

That change was made because Valpo will be playing Detroit on Jan. 8 in a televised game on ESPNU and needed a day between games.

Also, it appears the Saturday, Jan. 23 game at Detroit will be played at 2 p.m. instead of the usual 4 p.m. for Saturday games in Detroit.

No time has yet been assigned to the Dec. 31 game at Chicago-Loyola, but expect that start to be probably at 4 p.m.

www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/wrightstatesports/entries/2009/09/14/some_schedule_changes.html

[raiderscout]

I can't believe that the Valpo/Detroit game on ESPNU is taking precedence over WSU/Butler game. What a shame.