Meet the Opponent: Indiana Hosts Wright State Thursday

Wright State is led by Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Trey Calvin and Tanner Holden, who led the Raiders in scoring during their trip to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Jack Ankony | Nov 14, 2023

Meet the Opponent: Indiana Hosts Wright State Thursday /

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana hosts one more mid-major school before heading to Madison Square Garden to play UConn, then either Texas or Louisville in the Empire Classic.

The Hoosiers are scheduled to play Wright State on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Indiana holds a 2-0 record this season, but neither win was convincing. The season opened with a 69-63 win over Florida Gulf Coast, followed by a 72-64 win over Army on Sunday.

Wright State enters this matchup 0-2 after a 105-77 loss at Colorado State and a 78-77 home loss to Toledo. The Raiders led by 11 points midway through the first half against Colorado State, but were outscored 60-35 in the second half. Wright State has won at least 20 games in five of seven seasons under coach Scott Nagy, who has won three Horizon League regular season titles and taken the Raiders to the NCAA Tournament twice.

Meet the Raiders.

Key returners

(stats through two games)

G Trey Calvin, senior: 27.5 ppg, 50.0 3-pt FG%
F Brandon Noel, sophomore: 13.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 60.9 FG%
C AJ Braun, junior: 12.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 70.6 FG%
G Alex Huibregtse, junior: 5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Key departures

(2022-23 stats)

G Amari Davis: 8.5 ppg, 3 rpg, 0.9 apg
G Tim Finke: 8.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.8 apg

Key newcomers

Senior guard Tanner Holden transferred back to Wright State this season. He played his first three years at Wright State and averaged 20.1 points per game as a junior. Holden was the leading scorer on Wright State's 2021-22 team that reached the NCAA Tournament as a No. 16 seed and defeated Bryant in the First Four round. He tried to make the jump up to Ohio State last year, but played just 13.6 minutes per game off the bench. Holden is averaging 15.5 points through two games this season.

Wright State Raiders guard Tanner Holden (2) and guard Trey Calvin (1) react against the Arizona Wildcats during the second half during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. — Wright State Raiders guard Tanner Holden (2) and guard Trey Calvin (1) react against the Arizona Wildcats during the second half during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths

Everything runs through point guard Trey Calvin, the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year. Calvin's quickness and crafty ball-handling makes him tough to defend beyond the 3-point line, where he shot 39% on 4.3 attempts per game last season. He's also more physical than you might expect from a 6-foot guard, shooting 53% on 11.6 2-point attempts per game a year ago. Calvin scored 33 points on 4-for-7 3-point shooting in Wright State's season opener.

Calvin isn't alone in the backcourt, though, as Tanner Holden returns to Wright State after one season at Ohio State. Holden's 6-foot-6 frame helps him shoot over defenders, and he's a 36.8% 3-point shooter in his career. He does most of his scoring inside, however, and has averaged 6.9 rebounds in his Wright State career, which includes two All-Horizon League honors.

Wright State will go as Calvin and Holden go, but they also have a talented, emerging forward in Brandon Noel. After redshirting his first two seasons with the program, Noel started 26 games for Wright State last year and averaged 13 points per game. At 6-foot-8, he can also stretch the floor and knocked down 15-of-42 3-point attempts last year.

Wright State ranked 23rd in the nation in adjusted tempo last season, per KenPom, so it'll be important for Indiana to stop the ball and get back on defense. This tempo helped Wright State get a ton of shots up last year, ranking No. 1 in the nation in 2-point makes and 11th in field goals attempted per game.

Weaknesses

Wright State is not a very deep team. Four players saw action off the bench against Colorado State, and three of them were freshmen. The bench players combined to attempt just eight shots and scored six points. Wright State could be in some trouble if starters pick up too many early fouls.

While Wright State shot an impressive 35.7% from three as a team last year, it did so on just 17.4 attempts per game, which ranked 336th in the nation. Calvin and Holden are strong shooters, but they won't attempt many.

It'll also be important for Indiana to limit Wright State to one shot. Last year, the Raiders ranked 251st in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage, but a solid 92nd in defensive rebounding.

Seen through Colorado State's 105 points on Friday, Wright State is a work in progress defensively. They allowed 73.7 points per game last year, which ranked 283rd in the nation.

“Offense won’t be a problem for us this year,” Nagy told The Almanac. “Our mindset has to be, ‘Can I be a great defender? Can I be a great rebounder?’”

Season outlook

Wright State was picked third in the Horizon League preseason poll but received 12 first-place votes, just shy of Northern Kentucky's 18. The Raiders rank 169th overall in KenPom, 90th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 262nd in adjusted defensive efficiency after being ranked No. 132 in the preseason. Compared to past Indiana opponents, Wright State ranks slightly behind Florida Gulf Coast and significantly ahead of Army, per these metrics.

With two of the Horizon League's top guards, Wright State will be in the mix for another NCAA Tournament bid despite an 0-2 start. KenPom predicts an 18-11 overall record and a 14-6 mark in Horizon League play, which would have tied for second last year. Calvin and Holden could make things difficult for Indiana on Thursday.