Everything has gone right for Wright State Basketball in the past 48 hours. First, they managed to come back in the second half to beat a feisty IU Indy squad on Thursday. Then, on Friday, the Oakland Grizzlies lost to Green Bay, giving the Raiders at least a share of the Horizon League regular season title.
The first-place squad has a chance to clinch it outright with a win on Sunday against the current hottest team in the conference, Robert Morris. They’re on a four-game win streak, with one of those victories being a 72-66 home win over Wright State a couple of weeks ago. And with the Grizzlies losing, the 2-seed is fully up for grabs in the upcoming Horizon League Tournament.
It’s a massive game for the Colonials, with the chance to complete the season sweep over the No. 1 team in the conference. Here are the keys to Robert Morris getting a road win on Sunday.
1. Winning on the boards
One of RMU’s biggest strengths is its frontcourt and overall rebounding, ranking second in the Horizon in total rebounds per game. But in the first matchup against the Raiders, not only did Wright State lose the battle 40-35, but It Also pulled down 16 offensive rebounds. Considering how poorly they shot in the first game, the Colonials can’t give them second-chance opportunities on the road.
2. Michael Cooper vs Darius Livingston
Assuming Albert Vargas doesn’t play with an ongoing ankle injury, we’ll see a battle of freshman guards in Livingston of RMU and Cooper, who leads Wright State with 13.3 ppg. But he’s been inconsistent with his scoring, combining for 10 points on 2/12 FG shooting in the last two games and had just four points against RMU. Livingston, meanwhile, scored 16 off the bench in that matchup and averaged 14.7 ppg in his last four games overall. If the Colonials win this individual battle then the chances of them winning the game itself rises.
3. Another all-around game from Ryan Prather Jr.
Wright State’s strength is on the defensive end, ranking at the top in almost all of its categories. That includes three-point defense, ranking first at allowing just seven makes a game in league play. That means the Colonials will need to make their shots, led by Prather, who is averaging 20 ppg in his last 11 games, including 17 in the first win over Wright State. He’s also become the de facto PG, having one of the best assist-turnover ratios in the entire country. A big outing from him is a must for RMU to get its biggest win of the season.