# 2017–18 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team represented Wright State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Raiders, led by second-year head coach Scott Nagy, played their home games at the Nutter Center in Fairborn, Ohio, as members of the Horizon League. They finished the season 25–10, 14–4 in Horizon League play to finish in second place. In the Horizon League tournament, they defeated Green Bay, Milwaukee, and Cleveland State to become Horizon League Tournament champions. This received the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Tennessee in the first round.

## Previous season

The Raiders finished the 2016–17 season 20–12, 11–7 in Horizon League play to finish fifth place. In the Horizon League tournament, they lost to Northern Kentucky in the quarterfinals. Despite having 20 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Steven Davis | 0 | F | 6'7" | 220 | RS Senior | Indianapolis, IN | Graduated |
| Mike LaTulip | 5 | G | 6'1" | 175 | RS Senior | Arlington Heights, IL | Graduated |
| Mark Alstork | 24 | G | 6'5" | 190 | RS Junior | Dayton, OH | Graduate transferred to Illinois |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Billy Wampler | 2 | F | 6'6" | 200 | Junior | Eau Claire, WI | Transferred from Drake. Under NCAA transfer rules, Wampler will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |

### Recruiting class of 2017

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Tyler Mitchell PG | Kings Mill, OH | Kings High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 26, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Jaylon Hall SG | Louisville, KY | Doss High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Sep 20, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| James Manns, Jr. SF | Columbus, OH | Kingston Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 20, 2017. ||||||

### Recruiting class of 2018

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Skyelar Potter PG | Bowling Green, KY | Warren Central High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Nov 7, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Malachi Smith SG | Belleville, IL | Belleville West High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | Oct 20, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Jeremiah Davenport SF | Cincinnati, OH | Archbishop Moeller High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Oct 16, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Grant Basile PF | Pewaukee, WI | Pewaukee High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jul 15, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 20, 2017. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 3, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Wayne State (NE) | W 73–58 | | 23 – Mitchell | 12 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Nutter Center Fairborn, OH |
| Non-Conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 10, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Loyola–Chicago | L 80–84 | 0–1 | 16 – Benzinger | 8 – Mitchell | 4 – Tied | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,814) Chicago, IL |
| Nov 14, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Miami (OH) | L 67–73 $^{OT}$ | 0–2 | 14 – Hughes | 12 – Love | 3 – Wilburn | Millett Hall (996) Oxford, OH |
| Nov 18, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Murray State | L 61–80 | 0–3 | 14 – Love | 8 – Love | 2 – Tied | Nutter Center (4,009) Fairborn, OH |
| Nov 20, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Tiffin Wright State Tournament | W 73–49 | 1–3 | 18 – Winchester | 7 – Winchester | 5 – Mitchell | Nutter Center (3,133) Fairborn, OH |
| Nov 24, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Gardner–Webb Wright State Tournament | W 64–47 | 2–3 | 18 – Benzinger | 9 – Love | 4 – Mitchell | Nutter Center (3,456) Fairborn, OH |
| Nov 25, 2017* 5:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Jacksonville Wright State Tournament | W 68–44 | 3–3 | 16 – Benzinger | 9 – Love | 4 – Ernsthausen | Nutter Center (3,030) Fairborn, OH |
| Nov 26, 2017* 3:30 pm, ESPN3 | | Fairfield Wright State Tournament | W 57–56 | 4–3 | 21 – Mitchell | 13 – Love | 3 – Mitchell | Nutter Center (3,045) Fairborn, OH |
| Dec 2, 2017* 5:00 pm, FCS Central | | at Western Kentucky | L 60–78 | 4–4 | 19 – Benzinger | 7 – Tied | 7 – Mitchell | E.A. Diddle Arena (4,165) Bowling Green, KY |
| Dec 5, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Ohio Valley | W 98–68 | 5–4 | 17 – Hall | 9 – Love | 4 – Winchester | Nutter Center (3,060) Fairborn, OH |
| Dec 9, 2017* 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Kent State | W 63–54 | 6–4 | 13 – Benzinger | 11 – Mitchell | 4 – Hughes | Nutter Center (3,448) Fairborn, OH |
| Dec 16, 2017* 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Toledo | W 77–69 | 7–4 | 18 – Mitchell | 12 – Tied | 3 – Hughes | Savage Arena (3,932) Toledo, OH |
| Dec 19, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Missouri State | L 50–66 | 7–5 | 18 – Mitchell | 8 – Love | 4 – Hughes | JQH Arena (3,123) Springfield, MO |
| Dec 22, 2017* 9:00 pm, RSN | | at Georgia Tech | W 85–81 | 8–5 | 22 – Benzinger | 12 – Love | 7 – Hughes | McCamish Pavilion (4,522) Atlanta, GA |
| Horizon League regular season |||||||||
| Dec 28, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | UIC | W 65–61 | 9–5 (1–0) | 14 – Mitchell | 11 – Benzinger | 5 – Hughes | Nutter Center (3,397) Fairborn, OH |
| Dec 30, 2017 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | | IUPUI | W 60–52 | 10–5 (2–0) | 16 – Benzinger | 13 – Mitchell | 4 – Mitchell | Nutter Center (3,649) Fairborn, OH |
| Jan 5, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Detroit | W 80–73 | 11–5 (3–0) | 23 – Benzinger | 14 – Love | 5 – Ernsthausen | Calihan Hall (561) Detroit, MI |
| Jan 7, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Oakland | W 86–81 $^{OT}$ | 12–5 (4–0) | 25 – Love | 17 – Love | 7 – Gentry | Athletics Center O'rena (3,208) Rochester, MI |
| Jan 11, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Northern Kentucky | W 84–81 | 13–5 (5–0) | 31 – Benzinger | 10 – Love | 3 – Tied | BB&T Arena (4,987) Highland Heights, KY |
| Jan 15, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Youngstown State | W 77–67 | 14–5 (6–0) | 16 – Hall/Love | 8 – Benzinger | 6 – Gentry | Nutter Center (4,409) Fairborn, OH |
| Jan 18, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Green Bay | W 80–67 | 15–5 (7–0) | 23 – Gentry | 14 – Love | 5 – Ernsthausen | Resch Center (2,264) Green Bay, WI |
| Jan 20, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Milwaukee | L 61–66 | 15–6 (7–1) | 16 – Love | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena (1,603) Milwaukee, WI |
| Jan 26, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Detroit | W 87–55 | 16–6 (8–1) | 17 – Benzinger | 5 – Tied | 4 – Gentry | Nutter Center (7,543) Fairborn, OH |
| Jan 28, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Oakland | W 64–51 | 17–6 (9–1) | 18 – Love | 17 – Love | 4 – Gentry | Nutter Center (4,491) Fairborn, OH |
| Feb 1, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Cleveland State | L 74–77 | 17–7 (9–2) | 20 – Tied | 12 – Love | 7 – Hughes | Wolstein Center (1,411) Cleveland, OH |
| Feb 3, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Youngstown State | W 83–57 | 18–7 (10–2) | 21 – Gentry | 9 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Beeghly Center (5,371) Youngstown, OH |
| Feb 8, 2018 7:30 pm, ESPN3 | | Green Bay | W 68–64 | 19–7 (11–2) | 22 – Benzinger | 14 – Hughes | 3 – Tied | Nutter Center (4,714) Fairborn, OH |
| Feb 10, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Milwaukee | L 73–74 | 19–8 (11–3) | 20 – Love | 19 – Love | 3 – Tied | Nutter Center (5,713) Fairborn, OH |
| Feb 16, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Northern Kentucky | W 69–67 | 20–8 (12–3) | 15 – Love | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Nutter Center (7,205) Fairborn, OH |
| Feb 19, 2018 7:30 pm, ESPN3 | | Cleveland State | W 72–63 | 21–8 (13–3) | 20 – Benzinger | 6 – Tied | 5 – Benzinger | Nutter Center (3,745) Fairborn, OH |
| Feb 23, 2018 11:00 am, ESPN3 | | at IUPUI | L 56–66 | 21–9 (13–4) | 12 – Winchester | 8 – Love | 3 – Gentry | Indiana Farmers Coliseum (2,263) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 25, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at UIC | W 88–81 | 22–9 (14–4) | 23 – Love | 15 – Love | 5 – Love | UIC Pavilion (3,091) Chicago, IL |
| Horizon League tournament |||||||||
| Mar 3, 2018 5:30 pm, ESPN3 | (2) | vs. (7) Green Bay Quarterfinals | W 87–72 | 23–9 | 17 – Love | 9 – Benzinger | 5 – Gentry | Little Caesars Arena (6,276) Detroit, MI |
| Mar 5, 2018 9:30 pm, ESPNU | (2) | vs. (6) Milwaukee Semifinals | W 59–53 | 24–9 | 18 – Love | 12 – Love | 2 – Tied | Little Caesars Arena (5,398) Detroit, MI |
| Mar 6, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | (2) | vs. (8) Cleveland State Championship | W 74–57 | 25–9 | 19 – Benzinger | 12 – Love | 3 – Tied | Little Caesars Arena (7,595) Detroit, MI |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 15, 2018* 12:40 pm, truTV | (14 S) | vs. (3 S) No. 13 Tennessee First Round | L 47–73 | 25–10 | 12 – Love | 9 – Love | 4 – Hughes | American Airlines Center (15,802) Dallas, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Awards and honors

| Grant Benzinger | MVP |
| Grant Benzinger | Kendall Griffin Raider Award |
| Grant Benzinger | First Team All Horizon League |
| Loudon Love | Horizon League all Newcomer Team |
| Mark Hughes | Horizon League All Defensive Team |
| Scott Nagy | Horizon League Coach of the Year |

## Statistics

| Number | Name | Games | Average | Points | Assists | Rebounds |
| 13 | Grant Benzinger | 35 | 14.3 | 499 | 41 | 189 |
| 11 | Loudon Love | 35 | 12.9 | 451 | 38 | 341 |
| 3 | Mark Hughes | 35 | 9.7 | 340 | 105 | 109 |
| 00 | Jaylon Hall | 33 | 9.1 | 300 | 47 | 84 |
| 02 | Everett Winchester | 33 | 8.0 | 264 | 37 | 124 |
| 31 | Cole Gentry | 25 | 9.1 | 228 | 65 | 71 |
| 22 | Parker Ernsthausen | 35 | 5.3 | 186 | 56 | 90 |
| 1 | Justin Mitchell | 16 | 11.1 | 178 | 50 | 113 |
| 12 | Tye Wilburn | 20 | 2.0 | 40 | 16 | 37 |
| 4 | Alan Vest | 14 | 0.8 | 11 | 4 | 13 |
| 21 | Trey Stacey | 9 | 0.2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Adam Giles | 7 | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Source