Detroit Preview

[Raiderfan]

RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY
ALL GAMES........... (8-13) (6-4) (2-9)
CONFERENCE.......... (5-6) (3-2) (2-4)
NON-CONFERENCE...... (3-7) (3-2) (0-5)

Starters:

Cotton G 6-0 170 So. 17.5 ppg, 2.1 apg
AbdurRahim G 6-4 210 So. 2.2 ppg
Thues G 5-10 172 Sr. 9.4 ppg, 2.7 apg
Baker F 6-7 200 Jr. 7.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Covile C 6-9 243 Jr. 8.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg

Reserves:
Bailey F 6-7 220 Jr. 5.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Green G 6-4 180 4.8 ppg
Goode G 5-10 150 Fr. 4.4 ppg
Shaw F 6-8 225 Jr. 3.6 ppg

Team stats:

FT's .622
3 FG PCT .304
FG % .431
TO's 14.2

Wow, a team that shoots FT's worse then us. They are terrible from the 3's as well, only shooting 30%.

They have already lost 2 conference games @ home this year so if we play well we might have a chance to pull off the upset. We're going to have to play mistake free like we did tonight to even have a chance. The Titan's are only a 1/2 game back so this game is critial for both teams.

Who draws the assignment on Cotton? Covile is a shot blocker so Zach and Jordan might have problems in the post.

[Big D]

Zach and Jordan combined for 14 pts and 12 rebs against Detroit the first time around. Zach and Jordan have stepped up their play as the year has gone on. I think overall, we match up fairly well against Detroit.

If YSU can beat them, anything can happen.

[Raiderfan]

This is such a pivitol game. The winner of this game has a leg up on the coveted 3 seed. I'm not so sure we can grab the 3rd seed with 3 of our remain 4 HL games on the road. Like I've said before, any thing can happen this year in the HL.

Detroit is almost a mirror image of us. We both stink from the FT line and neither of us can shoot the 3's real well. We both rely on defense and rebounding. It will probably come down to hope has the fewest TO's.

[Big D]

WSU, Detroit jockeying for position
Raiders looking to build momentum for Horizon tourney

By Marc Katz

Dayton Daily News

FAIRBORN | Zach Williams didn't have to record better than a 3.0 grade-point average — which he did — before graduating last semester to understand the importance of tonight's game at Detroit's Calihan Hall.

"There's definitely a lot to play for," said Williams, now a Wright State graduate student. "I don't think you wait on the tournament to play your 'second' season. Coach (Paul Biancardi) always says, 'Control your own destiny.'

"Right now, we're in a position to do so. A lot of teams in our conference obviously feel that way, too. Take care of our own business and not worry about who is going to beat who. We don't know what that (Detroit) ball club is going through. We know they have the talent to win games."

That might be the case, but Wright State is riding into Calihan on a modest one-game winning streak thanks to Williams' heroics against Butler on Monday. Detroit, meanwhile, is facing the possibility of only its second losing season in the 12 years Perry Watson has been in charge. In addition to that, the Titans are in danger of posting their first losing season in conference under Watson following consecutive road losses to Youngstown State and Cleveland State.

Not only did Detroit lose at Cleveland State — so did the Raiders — the Titans held a 24-point lead early in the second half before crumbling to lose by seven.

Still, the Raiders found it necessary to pump up the Titans.

"Cleveland State was night and day at home (better) than the way they played on the road," Williams said.

Teammate Zakee Boyd pointed out an earlier Detroit game.

"They beat Milwaukee at Milwaukee," Boyd said. "We've got to look at them as a top opponent. We've got to play like they're one of the top teams."

Six of the nine Horizon League teams are bunched in a bundle trying to secure third place behind Milwaukee and Green Bay. Wright State (6-6) and Detroit (5-6) are two of them.

While Detroit was losing its grip in its last game, Wright State was going the other way, especially after Williams kept calling for the ball — and getting it.

With less than 6½ minutes to play, Butler held a seven-point lead on the Raiders, who went to Williams for nine straight points and the lead.

"I always feel like something good is going to happen when I have the ball in my hands," Williams said. "Either it's going to free someone else up for a shot, or me taking my opportunities around the basket and doing something good with the ball."

The Detroit player who probably will guard Williams tonight is 6-foot-9 junior Ryvon Covile.

Williams doesn't care.

"College is a great experience," said Williams, who was honored by WSU for his academics, along with sophomore Drew Burleson, freshman Jordan Pleiman, red-shirt freshman Will Graham and transfer recruit Scottie Wilson.

"You can't take that for granted. You don't know what's going to happen after college."

Contact Marc Katz at 225-2157.
www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/wsu/daily/0210wsubb.html

[ggwsu]

In the Dayton Daily News article you can almost feel that Zach is being hit with a sense urgency as his college career is coming to a close. I hope that this translates into a more focused and determined Zach Williams. This team really needs somebody to "step up" and put this team on its back and carry it down the stretch. Who better then our lone senior who quite frankly should be able to play at a high level in the Horizon League after spending three productive years in the Big Ten. Zach has the ability and leadership qualities to carry this team.

Tonight Zach will be faced with a taller and athletic center in Ryan Covile. Covile has shot blocking abilities so Zach will have to not back down and keep on attacking Covile in the post and hopefully get him into foul trouble and get to the free throw line. This could be a game where Jordan Plieman gets more than his usual minutes because with Zach and Jordan in the game together it limits who Covile can defend. Even if Covile rotates off his man to "help out" it leaves the weak side open for either Jordan or Zach for offensive rebounds.

To me the keys to the game will be to stop Cotton's dribble penetration (he is not a good three point shooter at all) and to at least break even on the boards. It wouldn't surprise me to see Zakee matched up with Brandon Cotton. For the life of me I can remember who guard Brandon in the first game?

I hope we can keep it close the first half and then take our chances in the second half.

Go Raiders!!