Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. Another Tuesday night affair in the friendly confines of Mackey Arena. Tonight, the Wright State Raiders try to knock off the #6-ranked Purdue Boilermakers. Scheduled tip is just about an hour away @ 7:00 p.m. (Eastern time) with television coverage on the Big Ten Network (BTN). This is the first meeting between the schools. Even with a game this weekend with North Carolina looming, I'm sure Coach Matt Painter is emphasizing that his team not overlook tonight's opponent. Wright State has been pretty darn good out of the Horizon League the last few years, although they've been knocked out of their conference tournament.
Similar to the first two games, the Boilers should have a decided edge up-front with Zach Edey and Trevion Williams. The Wright State rotation doesn't feature anybody larger than 6-foot-9, so Zach Edey figures to be an incredibly difficult/imposing matchup for the visiting Raiders. Plus, Purdue is 9th in the country after two games, averaging 12 three-point FG's per contest. Also, Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey have formed a pretty dynamic inside-outside duo through the first two games of the season. Jaden Ivey is averaging 19.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals while Edey is averaging 19.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.
Wright State came up short against Marshall this past Friday, falling 96-88. Grant Basile had 37 points in the loss while Tanner Holden added 25 more. However, the Raiders allowed Marshall to shoot 52.4 percent from the floor and decidedly lost the battle on the glass 39-29. Basile is now averaging 25.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season while Holden is averaging 22.0 points and 6.0 rebounds. Scott Nagy's Wright State squad can play up-tempo. We shall see if CMP will try to match that or slow the pace down working it inside-out - perhaps a combination with selective opportunities. Limit the turnovers, defend the arc well, and hit the glass - and the Boilers should be in good shape.
I'll be interested to see what Eric Hunter, Jr. does tonight - he's off to a little bit of a slow start this season. I expect this to be a fairly spirited contest, but I think Purdue's size and depth could eventually wear out the Raiders - should be a good challenge for the Boilers in advance of the match-up with the Tarheels.
Boiler Up, my friends...
Similar to the first two games, the Boilers should have a decided edge up-front with Zach Edey and Trevion Williams. The Wright State rotation doesn't feature anybody larger than 6-foot-9, so Zach Edey figures to be an incredibly difficult/imposing matchup for the visiting Raiders. Plus, Purdue is 9th in the country after two games, averaging 12 three-point FG's per contest. Also, Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey have formed a pretty dynamic inside-outside duo through the first two games of the season. Jaden Ivey is averaging 19.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals while Edey is averaging 19.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.
Wright State came up short against Marshall this past Friday, falling 96-88. Grant Basile had 37 points in the loss while Tanner Holden added 25 more. However, the Raiders allowed Marshall to shoot 52.4 percent from the floor and decidedly lost the battle on the glass 39-29. Basile is now averaging 25.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season while Holden is averaging 22.0 points and 6.0 rebounds. Scott Nagy's Wright State squad can play up-tempo. We shall see if CMP will try to match that or slow the pace down working it inside-out - perhaps a combination with selective opportunities. Limit the turnovers, defend the arc well, and hit the glass - and the Boilers should be in good shape.
I'll be interested to see what Eric Hunter, Jr. does tonight - he's off to a little bit of a slow start this season. I expect this to be a fairly spirited contest, but I think Purdue's size and depth could eventually wear out the Raiders - should be a good challenge for the Boilers in advance of the match-up with the Tarheels.
Boiler Up, my friends...
