TODAY’S GAME
Who: Ohio Dominican (2-1) at Wright State (2-1)
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Nutter Center
TV/Radio: ESPN3, 106.5-FM
First-year Wright State coach Scott Nagy knew his fast-pace style would be an easy sell in his new locale, but he didn’t count on the up-tempo style having some unintended consequences.
His team dropped an 82-78 decision to visiting Toledo on Saturday as the Rockets finished the last 91 seconds on an 8-2 run. They’re the third straight opponent to exploit the Raiders defensively, though the first to emerge with a victory.
“It’s mostly just resolve,” Nagy said of the defensive woes. “Part of it is kids like the fact that they’ve been freed up offensively, and now they’ve become offensive-minded instead of defensive-minded, and that’s not what I want.
“It’s back to us talking about it every day. And if we have to, we’ll start playing other people that will make defense a priority over everything else.”
The Raiders are averaging 84 points. They’ve had three straight games with 78 or more, equaling their longest such streak since 1994-95.
But while it’s still early, they’ve been abysmal at the other end of the floor. They’re 311th out of 344 Division-I teams in points allowed (83.3), 335th in field-goal percentage defense (51.7) and 340th in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (46.6).
“A lot of teams I’ve coached, we’ve been able to play at a fast pace and be good defensively,” said Nagy, who coached 21 years at South Dakota State and reached the postseason his last five years, including three trips to the NCAA tourney. “I don’t necessarily buy into the fact that you have to play slow to be good defensively. We’ve been able to prove that wrong,”
Opponents, though, are finding ample openings in the lane and on the perimeter.
“You’d think we’d be good at one or the other,” Nagy said. “If we’re really going to (pack it) in and protect the basket, we’d give up 3-point shots. And if we were going to be spread out and take care of the 3, we’d give up more points at the basket. We’re not guarding either one of those.”
The Raiders have played only three subs in each of the first three games: sophomore center Parker Ernsthausen, sophomore guard Mark Hughes and freshman forward Ryan Custer. They’ve scored a combined 23 points.
Sophomore guard Alan Vest, who appeared in 21 games last season, is the only other Raider with meaningful experience.
“Alan is probably our ninth guy right now, and where we are defensively, we’ve probably got to take a look at him. I know he’ll give the effort, and I know that will be important to him,” Nagy said. “We’re probably at the point of having to play some other guys who will be committed to what we want done.”
Nagy isn’t entirely pleased with his offense, either. Junior guard Mark Alstork torched Toledo for 39 points — the third-most in Wright State history and six off Bill Edwards’ single-game program record — but Nagy wants to see better balance.
“He’s got to trust his teammates more,” Nagy said. “The guy went 15-for-25 (from the field). It’s a good field-goal percentage. I’m not going to tell him not to shoot. He’s got a lot of freedom on our team. But there are some situations probably where he needs to pass the ball. There are people open.”
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