Not a home game Dude.

xAC wrote:

This is the first game of Naples Invitational for GW in Naples, Fla. Given how painful it has been to watch, I was wavering on whether to shell out $30 for a one month FloHoops subscription to watch these three games. Being a glutton for punishment, I decided to go ahead.

But there is a bonus-- FloHoops will also cover GW WBB at the San Juan Shootout on Nov 26-27, and the Georgetown game on Dec 9. All GW games covered by FloHoops are in this one month window, so this is a one time thing. Some streaming devices (e.g. Roku) have the FloHoops App, so you can watch it on TV.

Fortunately for me I will be on vacation next week so I won't be tempted to purchase the FloHoops pass.  Hopefully we are playing on an actual basketball court this year and not a hotel conference room like JC's first year.

Wright State Raiders

Date/Time: Monday November 22nd @ 2:30 PM ET @ The Community School of Naples in Naples, FL. The school enrolls over 800 students each year and sits on a 77 acre campus with 24 buildings.

TV: FloHoops (I originally thought the "Flo" stood for Florida given the tournament is in Naples, but it turns out the broadcasting service is in Austin, TX so there's no connection there - I guess the real reason is no other network cares enough about this low budget event...sigh).

Preseason Ranks: 108th (KenPom), 111th (Bart Torvik), 91st (CBS), 102nd (SI)
2020-21 Record: 18-6, 16-4 (T-1st in Horizon)
2021-22 Projected Record: 19-10, 15-7 (2nd in Horizon)

Coach: Scott Nagy, 109-49 in five seasons at Wright State with 3 NIT* appearances (includes canceled NIT tournament last year) and an NCAA tournament bid. Nagy has been nothing short of spectacular in his 25+ years coaching in college basketball. He has over 500 career victories, and was won 64% of games as head coach. Prior to Wright State, he spent two decades at South Dakota State, guiding the Jackrabbits in their journey to Division 1 hoops - he built SDST into a conference powerhouse and that team has remained consistent even after his departure. Nagy's squads have been especially impressive the past decade - his teams have won 20+ games in eight of the past ten years, and he has finished over .500 in conference 12(!) consecutive years. I don't care what level of basketball that is, that is very impressive. Nagy played basketball at D2 Delta State and holds the program records in games played and assists.

Head-to-Head: Never faced before. First time playing the other "Dayton" school in college hoops - Wright State is just 11 miles from the University of Dayton.

Offensive Efficiency: 107th (KenPom), 178th (Bart Torvik)
Defensive Efficiency: 125th (KenPom), 75th (Bart Torvik)
Pace: 58th (KenPom), 30th (Bart Torvik) - fourth consecutive game going against an uptempo team. How will we fare in transition this time around??
Returning Minutes: 73.2% (108th in country)

Key Returning Players:
Tanner Holden (Sophomore; Wheelersburg, OH) 15.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.7 APG; 52% FG, 30% 3-PT, 80% FT
Grant Basile (Sophomore; Pewaukee, WI) 15 PPG, 7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.6 BPG; 62% FG, 48% 3-PT, 66% FT
Tim Finke (RS Sophomore; Champaign, IL) 10 PPG, 7 RPG, 1.8 APG; 42% FG, 41% 3-PT, 74% FT
Trey Calvin (Sophomore; Glendale Heights, IL) 9.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.3 SPG; 35% FG, 32% 3-PT, 80% FT

Key Losses:
Loudon Love (Graduated; Geneva, IL) 16.6 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.3 BPG; 56% FG, 67% FT
Jaylon Hall (Transferred to Morehead State; Houston, TX) 9.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.4 APG; 46% FG, 44% 3-PT, 70% FT

Comments:
All the excitement that comes with March Madness (especially the first couple of rounds where the Cinderellas are born) tends to overshadow the weeks of equally entertaining conference tournament action that leads up to the big dance. In the one-bid leagues across the country, a few days determine who makes the dance and who doesn't. The top teams try to carry their momentum into the tournament, while the bottom feeders are eager to start a new chapter in their season.

There was a bit of craziness in all the tournaments with COVID playing a role already, but man there was nothing quite like the Horizon League quarterfinals. Three of the four matches went into overtime, and the fourth match was decided by a single point. Purdue Fort Wayne went to triple overtime against the top seed in the conference (Cleveland State) just days after knocking off Green Bay (the higher seed) in double overtime. The top dogs in the Horizon were pushed to the limit, but in the end three of the four top seeds advanced - Cleveland State, Oakland, and Northern Kentucky. The only home team that fell that night was Wright State in a 94-92 heartbreaker against Milwaukee.

I should have emphasized the word "heartbreaker" because Wright State was in the driver's seat having pretty much led the entire game. The Raiders were up 24 with six and half minutes left to go in the game but ended up dropping the contest. The frontcourt tandem of Loudon Love and Grant Basile found themselves in foul trouble for much of the second half, which allowed Milwaukee to become the aggressor down the stretch. Wright State only played seven guys during the game and no one stood over 6'6" outside of Basile and Love which left the rim vulnerable for Milwaukee to attack. I had caught a part of that game and could not believe what I saw. It's up there with the Northern Iowa-Texas A&M and Nevada-Cincinnati tournament games from previous years which featured similarly unreal comebacks.

COVID wiped out the non-NCAA postseason tournaments, ending Wright State's season (and Love's illustrious career) on a sad note. The Raiders were left thinking what went wrong in those closing minutes against a team they had beat twice just weeks earlier (both by double digits). Nagy has to be frustrated, as that's now three consecutive seasons where Wright State has won the regular season crown (either tying for first or winning outright) but failed to win the conference tournament to qualify for the dance.

Fortunately, Wright State returns a quartet of sophomore studs that should give Nagy an opportunity to get over the conference tournament hump this season - Tanner Holden, Tim Finke, Trey Calvin, and the aforementioned Basile. Losing a player like Love would be devastating to the average mid-major squad, but Holden, Finke, Calvin, and Basile already shouldered a lot of the load last season and are well-versed in Nagy's system.

Holden is the leading returning scorer - a versatile wing and savvy cutter. He is a strong rebounder much like his other teammates and reliable complementary playmaker. If he is able to improve his efficiency from deep he will be tough to stop and it will open up even more space for him to get to the hoop. His 80% FT percentage suggests it's possible.

Finke is basically a carbon copy of Holden. The former GCU Antelope is a strong rebounder/passer, but can also hit the three (at 41% and led the team in makes last season). He is a very strong "3 and D" guy.

Calvin returns to man the point where he had an impressive 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. While he is a good free throw shooter, he struggled at times with efficiency in more of a scoring role.

Basile is the typical Nagy kind of player. Wright State has played often through the post in the Loudon Love era, and Basile's strong efficiency all over the court should allow the Raiders to continue that style of play. There isn't much he can't do - he can rebound, pass, provide rim protection defensively, and even shoot the three from the 5 position (made 48% of tries) making him a tough guard. In some ways, he may be even more dangerous than Love.

The remaining returners from last season - James Manns, Alex Huibregtse, and Andrew Welage were not used too often in the rotation but could see more playing time this season. Manns is the most efficient of the three and will likely see time either next to Basile down low crashing the glass or as the first big off the bench. He too can make shots from distance. Huibregtse and Welage were both freshmen last season and it showed last season as both were very inefficient.

Remaining minutes will be filled by Cornell transfer Riley Voss, Milwaukee transfer C.J. Wilbourn, and true freshman Keaton Norris. Voss is a 6-6 wing that can shoot it well from three. Wilbourn comes over from the rival Panthers (If you CAN beat 'em, join 'em??) as a deeper rotation piece that can bolster the thin frontline. Norris is in training to be the point guard of the future for Wright State.

I worry about Noel/Hunter given Nagy's fondness of establishing the post on offense. Thankfully Hunter will be back for the game. There's basically no expectations at this point other than the hope to see team ball tomorrow afternoon. Let's also start off the second half on the Wright foot.

Projected Score: Wright State 76, GW 68. 21% chance to win (Bart Torvik). ESPN likes WSU's chances as well, as they give us a 31% chance to win. The Raiders open as an eight point favorite.
 

Does anyone knew if flohoops can be streamed on multiple devices at the same time? If yes, I would be down to split it with whomever would want to. Private message me if so.

Wright State is 1-2, with losses to Marshall and Perdue (who blew them out by 44 points. Their one win was a 33 point route of perennial college basketball power Lake Erie College.   Their current KenPom rating is 120.  GW is at 256 (just outside the NCAA bubble).    Could not find a betting line listed, however. FYI.  One would think we would be competitive, if not outright win this game.   

For those who are like me, and can forget to "Cancel" without numerous alerts/notifications set up, here's some information --

You can cancel anytime and your subscription will still be active for the full period that you paid for. Here are the instructions from FloSports, with the note that you can watch sports for the full month you paid for.

https://support.flosports.tv/s/article/What-if-I-cancel-my-subscription-early 

I'm just not sure I'm sadistic enough to pay $30 to put myself through that. I want to watch but I don't want to watch. I was going to drive across to Naples but when a conflict came up I didn't try and resolve the conflict. 

GW0509 wrote:

Long Suffering Fan wrote:

Could not find a betting line listed, however. FYI.  One would think we would be competitive, if not outright win this game.   

GW +8
O/u 146

Fanduel has it as GW +7.5(-106), +285 on the Moneyline (and WSU at -365), and an o/u of 145.5.  
 

Anybody know the status of Hunter Dean?

Florida Colonial wrote:

I'm just not sure I'm sadistic enough to pay $30 to put myself through that. I want to watch but I don't want to watch. I was going to drive across to Naples but when a conflict came up I didn't try and resolve the conflict. 

I was planning on driving over from miami to go but it’s just not worth taking off three days of work (also too expensive to get hotel rooms this time of year and not interested in driving across alligator alley twice a day for three days). If we somehow make it to the championship game Wednesday, I’ll go.