They’re ranked 16th nationally in free-throw accuracy at 76.8 percent and are on pace to break the program record of 75 percent, which was set in 1975-76.
Nagy certainly didn’t see that coming.
“I remember saying to the guys early in the year that I thought free-throw shooting could be a problem for us, but we’ve been really strong,” he said.
They’ve shot below 70 percent in just two games and never lower than 63.4. In their last 10 outings, they’ve hit 80.1 percent.
“Free throws matter a lot. It’s how you can win a lot of games — because we have some things working against us, obviously,” Nagy said.
“We shoot them well. And when you have the whole team doing that, it puts pressure on the other team.”
Junior guard Mark Alstork leads the way at 86.1 percent and also is adept at drawing fouls. He’s 12th in the nation in free throws made (87) and 25th in attempts (101).
Every coach emphasizes foul shooting, and Nagy doesn’t believe he’s uncovered a secret formula.
“In some practices, we may shoot 50 and keep track of what they shot,” he said. “But if a kid is a good shooter, and he can handle pressure, he’s going to do well. If he’s not, it doesn’t matter how much you shoot because of a lot of it is mental.”
A pair of Wright State records for 3-pointers — which became part of college hoops in 1986-87 — also could fall.
The Raiders are averaging 9.1 treys per game, which is 51st nationally. They have 16 regular-season games left and are on pace to reach 282 even before the Horizon League tourney, which would obliterate the all-time high of 256 set last season.
They lost the four games where they shot poorly from the arc: Oakland (4-of-26), Loyola (5-of-20), Penn State (6-of-23) and Toledo (4-of-20). They shot at least 36.7 percent in the other 11 games, winning 10.
They’re shooting 39.3 percent overall, which is 45th in the country. The top Wright State single-season 3-point marks are 41.1 percent in 1986-87, 41.0 in ’87-88 and 40.5 in 2001-02.
“For the most part, it’s just having good shooters. We also have a couple kids who are good drivers when you look at Mark and Justin (Mitchell). When those guys drive or we throw it in the post, we’re making good decisions,” Nagy said.
“The 3s when the ball has been thrown in the paint or driven in the paint and then thrown back out, those are really easy 3s.”
The Raiders were picked fifth in the conference preseason poll, but they could exceed expectations if they keep knocking down shots at a high rate.
Nagy is convinced they can contend for a title.
“It’s the only way we talk. You prepare for every game that way. We’ve been a good practice team, very competitive. And those things show up in a game,” he said.
“I wouldn’t think any other way than we want to win the league. It’s not in my makeup, and I really don’t want to be around anybody who doesn’t think that way.”
THURSDAY’S GAME
Who: Cleveland State (5-9, 1-1 Horizon League) at Wright State (10-5, 1-1)
When: 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: ESPN3, 106.5-FM
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