When Wright State hits the Nutter Center court against Illinois-Chicago on Saturday, fans will experience more than an ordinary game.
The Raiders (14-5) have been lights out at home this season (8-0) and look to continue that theme with their annual blackout game.
WSU’s marketing department will hand out 5000 black t-shirts to fans, with the first 500 going to students. In the student section, the Raider Rowdies will pass out black rally towels.
“We’re really excited about the event,” Associate Athletic Director Mark Gazdik said. “We’ve put an emphasis on it from our marketing and promotions standpoint. We’ve put all these resources into making this game one of the best we’ve had in years.”
WSU will also recognize top scholar athletes during a halftime ceremony, and honor recipients of the university presidential excellence awards.
Assistant Director of Marketing Brandon Hays expects Saturday to be the most talked about game on WSU’s home schedule this season.
“We’re sort of throwing all of our promotional elements into one basket for this,” Hays said.
As the Raiders keep winning, fan attendance keeps going up. It’s a simple formula the marketing department has noticed, and they expect a packed house on Saturday.
“We want to make sure the entire student body has a chance to come out and be part of this blackout, Gazdik said. “We’re hoping for some record student attendance.”
Though Gazdik and Hays say the marketing department has future events planned for Raider home games, what matters most to them is the product on the court.
So far this season, the Raiders have rewarded audiences with a first-place spot in the Horizon League.
“We don’t have to pull a bunch of gimmicks to get people out—this team is good,” Hays said.
