The Wright State Raiders have been used to being the underdogs for the 2025-26 college basketball season. The revamped roster was picked to finish 9th in the preseason Horizon League poll and, despite winning the regular season title, wasn’t the consensus pick to win the conference tournament, with Robert Morris and Detroit Mercy being the “hotter” teams coming into the postseason.
But after beating Detroit Mercy to make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022, the Raiders had a different challenge to overcome. And that was Virginia, which went through a complete program turnaround under first-year head coach Ryan Odom. The Cavaliers had a record of 29-5 heading into the Big Dance, including a close loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament title game.
As a nearly 20-point underdog, 14-seed Wright State needed a ton to go right to have any shot. And what did go right early was Solomon Callaghan, scoring 11 early points to get them in a competitive standoff with the Cavaliers. For a team that didn’t rely on its three-point shot to win games during the regular season, Wright State had made 8/18 from deep in the first half, one more than they averaged per game, to take a 43-38 halftime lead.
After three early turnovers to open the second half by Wright State, the composure they had for most of the season was lacking. However, they were able to counter with some punches of their own, led by the guard duo of TJ Burch and Michael Cooper. They continued to make shots not only to keep the game close but also to lead 60-57 with over five minutes to go.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, they weren’t able to slow down the Cavaliers, who shot 56% from the field in the second half and made 13/26 from deep overall. They would finish the game with a 15-3 run to win 82-73, thus ending Wright State’s season. Jacari White proved to be the main issue for the Horizon League squad, scoring a game-high 26 points on 10/12 shooting, including 6/8 from long range.
Senior forward Michael Imariagbe led the team with 19 points and 10 rebounds, including a career-high five made three-pointers. Callaghan finished with 18 points, while TJ Burch (15 points and 6 assists) and Michael Cooper (13) also were in double figures. It concludes Wright State’s season at 23-12 and as the champions of both the Horizon League regular season and conference tournament.
Coach Clint Sargent notes postgame that the team “really changed history at Wright State”. And you can make the case that they did. After a span of six seasons with 20+ wins in seven years, mostly under longtime head coach Scott Nagy, there was a rough patch for the program in the past few years, including Coach Sargent’s 15-18 campaign in his first season.
Wright State, which was a perennial contender in the Horizon League not too long ago, has taken a minor step back in recent years, allowing the likes of Robert Morris, Green Bay, and even Detroit Mercy to get into the mix of contenders. But this season has cemented the Raiders back into their rightful position in the conference.
Right at the top.
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