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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2010 > March > 10 > Entry
Wright State comes up empty
INDIANAPOLIS — There were just over nine minutes left in the game and Brad Brownell — standing on the Hinkle Fieldhouse sidelines, his arms crossed, his look frozen — seemed like a man who knew he was completely out of tricks.
So often a hoops magician, he knew wouldn’t be pulling a rabbit out of his top hat on this night. That hare had gnawed its way out the bottom of his chapeau long ago, leaving him with nothing to grab.
It was the same feeling when he turned toward his bench.
Butler forward Willie Veasley had just scored a lay-up inside to put Butler up 61-34 in the Horizon League Tournament title game. Exasperated by the easy bucket, Brownell looked for a replacement player, but only saw two injured Raiders in street clothes, three inexperienced freshmen, one star held scoreless all night and another in foul trouble.
He just shrugged and turned back to the game.
Across the way it was just the opposite with No. 12 Butler. The Bulldogs are loaded with talent.
That’s what you noticed most Tuesday night as 28-4 Butler trounced WSU 70-45 and took the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Already under-manned coming into this game, WSU found itself overwhelmed when two of its top players — Todd Brown, who has 1,469 career points and three-point artist Troy Tabler — both were held scoreless.
Only three Raiders made any kind of impact Tuesday night: N’Gai Evans led the team with 13 points and made the All-Tournament team. Vaughn Duggins had nine points and Cory Cooperwood — who always scraps inside even though he is undersized — had nine points and five boards.
Brownell acknowledged the difference between the two teams afterward:
“You’ve got to give them credit. They’re pretty darn good. They have experienced players. and they’re gonna be a tough out (in the NCAA Tournament) for somebody. They play exceptionally sound defense, have a lot of weapons, play the game with poise and the moment just isn’t going to bother them.”
Tuesday night that was not the case for Wright State.
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Comments
By WSU Fan
March 12, 2010 12:52 PM | Link to this
Arch, take your yellow journalism elsewhere.
By keithfromxenia
March 10, 2010 10:26 PM | Link to this
we are outmanned because we have had three consecutive years without a high quality recruit. cory is a solid forward but all of our other recruits are role players who will never take us any higher than we are now. we have shown no improvement since 2007 season.
By Tim
March 10, 2010 1:04 PM | Link to this
That OSU transfer is at WSU after Butler told him that a scholarship wasn’t available for him. He then went to New Mexico where they wanted him to sit out over a year. His knees have robbed him of what he was as a junior in high school.
By Bull
March 10, 2010 12:59 PM | Link to this
We weren’t going to get to the number 2 seed playing the 3 freshman. They’ll have their time and be major contributors in the future. We lost two players to injury this year. He went with the best players he had to win. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Brownell is the best coach in the area and the incoming class is full of McDonalds All-American nominees with a top-notch OSU transfer that was a finalist for Indiana’s Mr. Basketball. BB’s not going anywhere. Go Raiders!
By Look out ahead
March 10, 2010 12:36 PM | Link to this
Brownell and the Radiera are lean in the years ahead. He can coach, but can’t recruit and it will catch up with him and WSU..Brownell will be job hunting this offseason…trust me.
By No Brownell Fan
March 10, 2010 12:13 PM | Link to this
The 3 inexperienced freshman you refer to were inexperienced because Coach would not play them. He is going to play veteran players no matter what they do during the game. He has all year. Which gives no one any incentive to work harder, not the Vets and not the Frosh. Why not redshirt them if you don’t intend to play them?, or if they are so bad why were they recruited to begin with?