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Post by ohiopirate on Jun 30, 2010 12:15:41 GMT -5
Excellent! Glad to see Charlotte confirmed on the schedule as well. This year's schedule should be pretty challenging and that home schedule for the following season is shaping up nicely already with Charlotte and UC both visiting the Nutter Center.
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Post by ohiopirate on Jun 30, 2010 12:19:15 GMT -5
Cincinnati to visit Wright State in home-and-home series By Kyle Nagel | Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 11:53 AM Cincinnati will become the first men’s basketball program from one of the six power conferences to visit Wright State in nine years when the Bearcats travel to the Nutter Center during the 2011-12 season as part of a home-and-home series announced Wednesday, June 30. Wright State will play in Cincinnati on Dec. 1 this season and during the 2012-13 season as one of three home-and-home series (Air Force and Charlotte are the others) to begin this year. Air Force will play in Fairborn this season (Dec. 8), while Charlotte will visit the Nutter Center next season after Wright State plays there on Dec. 22, 2010. Cincinnati is the key get, as the powerful nearby program has never played on Wright State’s home floor. The Raiders have played the Bearcats twice as a Division I program, losing 85-60 in 1997 and 83-54 in 2001. “It’s unbelievably hard to get a BCS school to come to a non-BCS school, no matter what,” WSU coach Billy Donlon said. “We’re a program on its way to have people play us because it brings credibility to their schedule, and I don’t want to speak for their AD, but I think that’s how they feel.” Donlon credited Wright State Athletic Director Bob Grant with doing much of work necessary to secure the three-game series with Cincinnati, which can also help in his recruiting. “I can tell the rising seniors, ‘Your freshman year, Cincinnati is in the building, and then we play them again,’ ” Donlon said. The additions beef up a Raiders schedule already carrying some notable opponents. Earlier this month, the school announced it will play in the Chicago Basketball Invitational, for which it will host two games (against as-yet unannounced opponents) and play two games at Sears Centre Arena against either Purdue, Richmond or Southern Illinois. Wright State is 3-25 as a D-I program (since 1987) against teams currently in the six power conferences, but two of those wins have come at home. The Raiders shocked No. 6 Michigan State 53-49 on Dec. 30, 1999, and beat visiting South Florida 69-68 on Dec. 14, 2002. WSU’s other victory against a power-six team came against South Florida in the 2008 San Juan Shootout (60-43). Its three other home games against power-six opponents were losses to Virginia Tech and Wisconsin in 1995 and Pittsburgh in 1998. www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/wrightstatesports/entries/2010/06/30/cincinnati_to_visit_wright_sta.html?cxtype=feedbot
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Post by Raider4Life on Jun 30, 2010 18:00:21 GMT -5
Excellent! Glad to see Charlotte confirmed on the schedule as well. This year's schedule should be pretty challenging and that home schedule for the following season is shaping up nicely already with Charlotte and UC both visiting the Nutter Center. We also get Ohio U next year at home as a return game from last year's BB game.
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Post by Sixth Man on Jun 30, 2010 20:30:51 GMT -5
Good to see that these games are official now.
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Post by Raider Fanatic on Jul 1, 2010 6:10:19 GMT -5
Hosting major opponent tough, but advantages clear for RaidersBy Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer Thursday, July 1, 2010 FAIRBORN — When Bob Grant, the Wright State athletic director, wanted to work for a home men’s basketball opponent from one of the six power conferences, he made two inquiries, to Ohio State and Cincinnati. OSU was uninterested, but UC was receptive. Months later, Wright State completed a three-year contract that will bring the Bearcats to the Nutter Center during the 2011-12 season. The nine seasons in between visitors from one of the six power conferences, however, underlines the difficulty in mid-major programs such as Wright State landing such an opponent. “It’s unbelievably hard to get a BCS school to come to a non-BCS school, no matter what,” WSU coach Billy Donlon said. “We’re a program on its way to have people play us because it brings credibility to their schedule, and I don’t want to speak for their AD, but I think that’s how they feel.” With four consecutive 20-win seasons, the Raiders became a regular winner under former coach Brad Brownell and Donlon, who was promoted from associate head coach in April. WSU officials said those records have made hosting a major level opponent a reality. And hosting those opponents, statistics show, can even the playing field. Even though Wright State has a 3-25 record against teams currently in the six power conferences since joining Division I in 1987, the Raiders’ home record in those games is 2-3 with victories against Michigan State in 1999 and South Florida in 2002. The losses came by 11 (Pittsburgh), 3 (Wisconsin) and 3 (Virginia Tech) points. Last season, Horizon League schools had a 5-26 record against the six power conferences but were 2-1 in true home games, as Wisconsin-Green Bay topped No. 20 Wisconsin and Illinois-Chicago beat Oregon State. The loss was a two-point victory by No. 6 West Virginia against host Cleveland State. “We’ve always encouraged athletic directors and basketball coaches to play excellent competition,” said Horizon League Commissioner Jon LeCrone. “Our group of coaches has been willing to play challenging schedules, and I’m encouraged by the schedules they’ve put together.” Guard Troy Tabler, a Cincinnati native and Moeller High School product, said a road game against Cincinnati adds a boost to the schedule for his senior season, but it also emphasizes what the team has accomplished in the past few years. “We’re in the process of trying to make this a year-in and year-out good team and lay the path for future players,” Tabler said. “Coach Donlon always says you only have one alma mater, so you’re playing to make it better 10 years down the road and say you were proud to play there. I think we’re doing that.” www.springfieldnewssun.com/springfield-oh-sports/wright-state-university-raiders/hosting-major-opponent-tough-but-advantages-clear-for-raiders-791715.html
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Post by Raider Fanatic on Jul 1, 2010 6:19:14 GMT -5
WSU lands series with UCBy Kyle Nagel July 1, 2010 FAIRBORN — When Bob Grant was an up-and-coming fundraiser in the Wright State athletic department, he regularly communicated with Bob Arkeilpane at the University of Cincinnati for advice and guidance. Years later, that relationship has paid off for the Wright State men’s basketball program and Grant, now the school’s athletic director. Completing an idea that began months ago and grew with regular communication with Arkeilpane, UC’s deputy director of athletics, WSU landed one of its more significant home games in recent years when it completed a three-year contract with Cincinnati that will include a Bearcats visit to the Nutter Center during the 2011-12 season. WSU announced the series and two others — two-year deals beginning this season with Air Force and Charlotte — on Wednesday, June 30. But it will be the Cincinnati game, the first visit by a team in the six power conferences to the Nutter Center since December 2002, that will bring the most enthusiasm to a Raiders fan base that has experienced four straight 20-win seasons. “I think it’s a step in the process of us getting better as a program and more well-known as a program,” Grant said. “I think it’s becoming more realistic to do this on a semi-regular basis.” The Raiders will play at UC’s Fifth Third Arena on Dec. 1 of this season and again in 2012-13. Air Force will visit the Nutter Center on Dec. 8 before WSU returns the game next season, and WSU will travel to Charlotte on Dec. 22 before the 49ers come to the Nutter Center in 2011-12. WSU coach Billy Donlon said games against teams from the six power conferences help recruiting as much as they provide excitement for the fan base. “I can tell the rising seniors, ‘Your freshman year, Cincinnati is in the building, and then we play them again,’ ” Donlon said. www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/wright-state-university-raiders/wsu-lands-series-with-uc-791751.html
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Post by keithfromxenia on Jul 1, 2010 7:40:59 GMT -5
4life, i thought i read that ou would not be coming to the nutter until the 11-12 season. could be wrong but that is what i remember.
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Post by Raider4Life on Jul 1, 2010 12:08:55 GMT -5
4life, i thought i read that ou would not be coming to the nutter until the 11-12 season. could be wrong but that is what i remember. If you re-read my post, that is exactly what I said.
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Post by keithfromxenia on Jul 2, 2010 10:57:10 GMT -5
oops. i guess i read "next year" as the upcoming season. my bad.
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Post by bballraider on Jul 2, 2010 13:01:50 GMT -5
oops. i guess i read "next year" as the upcoming season. my bad. I thought the same thing Keith. It's hard this time of year to distinguish "next" from upcoming and the year after in the summer months.
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Post by Rush the Court on Jul 3, 2010 6:20:39 GMT -5
WSU made impression on UC's Cronin By Kyle Nagel July 3, 2010 University of Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin got a call from Wright State when its coaching position opened in 2003, but the then-Louisville assistant was just days away from his first head coaching job at Murray State. Cronin left the experience impressed with WSU Athletic Director Bob Grant, who was then an assistant athletic director. “I remember hanging up after talking to him and I wished ... but Murray turned out great,” Cronin said this week after WSU and UC announced they will play a three-game series beginning next season. “You know when someone understands what it takes to win, and I was really impressed with Bob.” www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/wright-state-university-raiders/wsu-made-impression-on-ucs-cronin-795169.html
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Post by Raider4Life on Jul 3, 2010 21:37:58 GMT -5
UC coach Cronin has long respected WSU ADBy Kyle Nagel July 3, 2010 I could barely get a question out to University of Cincinnati men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin about how a three-game series deal was made between UC and Wright State when he started to answer. “I have a history with the athletic director,” Cronin said of Bob Grant, the WSU AD. “I think the world of him.” Cronin went on to share this story: When he was an assistant at Louisville in 2003, he got a call from Grant, who was then an assistant athletic director at WSU. Wright State needed a basketball coach, and Grant was calling Cronin to gauge his interest. Cronin, though, was just days away from being introduced as the new head coach at Murray State, which would become his stop before taking over the program at Cincinnati. “The timing just wasn’t right,” Cronin said. “I talked to them, and they were great, but we were already too deep into the process with Murray. But I can’t say enough about how impressed I was with Bob.” That relationship helped Wright State land the series with UC, which will include a Bearcats visit to the Nutter Center during the 2011-12 season. That was one of three series WSU announced this week — two-game sets with Air Force and Charlotte will also begin this season. With those games, an annual matchup against Miami University an appearance in the Chicago Basketball Invitational — at which WSU will face two of Purdue, Richmond or Southern Illinois, as well as host two games beforehand — the Raiders have put together a strong schedule for coach Billy Donlon’s first season. www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/wrightstatesports/entries/2010/07/03/uc_coach_cronin_has_long_respe.html
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Post by rock70 on Jul 6, 2010 7:32:03 GMT -5
Coach Donlon is really aggessive with the schedule. You have to love the addition to the schedule of UC, Charlotte, and Air Force.
Next years home portion of the schedule will be EXCELLENT with UC, Charlotte, & Ohio all visiting the Nutter Center!!!Our attendance should get a nice boost with this home schedule.
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Post by OG Raiderfan on Jul 16, 2010 6:29:55 GMT -5
Anyone know how close we are to releasing this year's schedule? We haven't updated our ad on basketballtravelers since 6/11/10 and we were only looking for 1 game then.
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Post by ohiopirate on Jul 16, 2010 7:41:04 GMT -5
Season ticket renewal said the final schedule will likely come out in early August
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