The men’s basketball team will put their 2-0 record on the line tonight as they take on the North Carolina A&T Aggies in the Raiders’ home opener.
The Aggies (1-1) are coming off of a loss to Utah Valley University and begin a six-game road trip tonight. The lone victory for the Aggies this season came against Division III Greensboro College.
The Aggie offense runs through point guard Lamont Middleton, who is averaging 18 points per game, including 23 against Utah Valley this past Monday.
“He (Middleton) can really make plays,” WSU junior AJ Pacher said. “We need to make him uncomfortable. A lot of their guys catch the ball at the top of the key and they just feel really comfortable, so we just have to eliminate that.”
Rebounding was a nightly concern for the Raiders last season, and they averaged only 28 per game. But so far this year, the Raiders are averaging three more rebounds per game then their opponents.
“We’re sending more people to the offensive glass this year,” Pacher said. “We’re sending another guard and our two bigs.”
Sophomore point guard Reggie Arceneaux contributes the team’s ability to rebound to competition in practice.
“The way we practice, we hate to lose,” Arceneaux said. “We do a lot of competitive drills in practice that make us that way.”
Sophomore Tavares Sledge returns from his two game suspension for violating team rules. Both Pacher and Arceneaux think his presence can only help the Raiders’ post game.
“Tavares plays with a lot of energy and plays good defense,” Pacher said. “I think it will help having another returner back and another post presence.”
“His (Sledge) length and ability to guard multiple guys on the perimeter or big men makes him a huge factor,” Arceneaux said.
Both Pacher and Arceneaux are looking forward to opening the home portion of the schedule after spending their first two games away from the Nutter Center.
“Going into these games (on the road) we felt like we’re going paint (their gyms) green gold and white,” Arceneaux said.
“There’s nothing like it compared to any other place that we’ve played, and a lot of places we play throughout our league,” Pacher said.
Pacher stressed the importance of defending their home arena this season, something he said the Raiders failed to do last year when the team lost seven home games.
That defense beings tonight at 7:00 p.m. with gates opening at 6:00 p.m. Wright State students can get two free tickets with their Wright1 Card at Gate 9. The game can be viewed online at www.HorizonLeague.org.
