WSU needs win for shot at bye
Feb 7, 2005 7:14:40 GMT -5
Post by Big D on Feb 7, 2005 7:14:40 GMT -5
Six squads bunched together in Horizon's race for third place
By Marc Katz
Dayton Daily News
FAIRBORN | Wright State basketball coach Paul Biancardi ignores the temptation to look at the big picture. Instead, he sees 28 regular-season snapshots for his team, and one of those will be taken tonight when Butler visits the Nutter Center.
As is the case with each of the remaining five Horizon League games, this one will likely prove key in a league in which six of the nine teams are very much in contention for a coveted third-place finish. And third place earns a team a bye in the first round of the conference tournament.
Wright State, coming off three straight losses — including Saturday's lethargic 74-57 setback to Loyola — is one of three teams tied at 5-6 (Detroit and Cleveland State are the others).
Illinois-Chicago is slightly ahead of them at 5-5, while Butler (4-6) and Loyola (5-7) are slightly behind.
The two Wisconsin outposts — Milwaukee (10-2) and Green Bay (9-3) — appear to be separating themselves at the top, and 2-9 Youngstown State is mired on the bottom.
"Your object is to win the next game," Biancardi insists. "Winning the next game will help you get to the big picture. There's still a lot of basketball to be played. We can't overreact to one loss, two losses.
"Everybody went through that at one point, except for Milwaukee, where they lost 3-4-5 games and got into funks. Then they win 2-3 in a row and everything seems to be OK. The kids know what the league standings are. They know who's in first, who's in second. They know where we are. But they know to get to where they want to get to, they have to win the next game.
"When you win, you can talk about those league standings."
Wright State beat Butler 59-54 at Butler on Jan. 22.
Contact Marc Katz at 225-2157.
www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/wsu/daily/0207wsubb.html
By Marc Katz
Dayton Daily News
FAIRBORN | Wright State basketball coach Paul Biancardi ignores the temptation to look at the big picture. Instead, he sees 28 regular-season snapshots for his team, and one of those will be taken tonight when Butler visits the Nutter Center.
As is the case with each of the remaining five Horizon League games, this one will likely prove key in a league in which six of the nine teams are very much in contention for a coveted third-place finish. And third place earns a team a bye in the first round of the conference tournament.
Wright State, coming off three straight losses — including Saturday's lethargic 74-57 setback to Loyola — is one of three teams tied at 5-6 (Detroit and Cleveland State are the others).
Illinois-Chicago is slightly ahead of them at 5-5, while Butler (4-6) and Loyola (5-7) are slightly behind.
The two Wisconsin outposts — Milwaukee (10-2) and Green Bay (9-3) — appear to be separating themselves at the top, and 2-9 Youngstown State is mired on the bottom.
"Your object is to win the next game," Biancardi insists. "Winning the next game will help you get to the big picture. There's still a lot of basketball to be played. We can't overreact to one loss, two losses.
"Everybody went through that at one point, except for Milwaukee, where they lost 3-4-5 games and got into funks. Then they win 2-3 in a row and everything seems to be OK. The kids know what the league standings are. They know who's in first, who's in second. They know where we are. But they know to get to where they want to get to, they have to win the next game.
"When you win, you can talk about those league standings."
Wright State beat Butler 59-54 at Butler on Jan. 22.
Contact Marc Katz at 225-2157.
www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/wsu/daily/0207wsubb.html