The Wright State University (WSU) men's basketball team has had a journey throughout the years when it comes to the NCAA Championship. Since their move to Division I in 1987, the Raiders have made their way to the NCAA Championship four other times in their history.
The 80s: Road To Division 1
The Raiders' men's basketball team first saw their success with the NCAA when they were deemed National Champions, following their division-winning game against the University of District Columbia at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, MA.
The game's score was 92-73 and the head coach at the time, Ralph Underhill, would go on to be considered by fans as the most successful head coach in history.
Despite this, it was not until 1987 that WSU moved to Division I. The Raiders have been to the NCAA March Madness Championship five times since their move.
March 19, 1993
The first time the Raiders entered the NCAA tournament was in 1993. The No. 16 seed WSU Raiders played the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers at the Hoosier Dome.
The Raiders ultimately lost this game, with a score of 97-54 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
When asked, Coach Underhill said that although the loss was disappointing, he was proud of the team for getting there.
“Any loss is tough to swallow, especially any to win a season. But what a season it was. I am proud of what we accomplished this year and in the six years we’ve been Division I,” Underhill said.
March 15, 2007
The second time WSU got into an NCAA Championship was in 2007. They were the No. 14 seed and played the No. 3 seed, the Pittsburgh Panthers, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY.
This game was considered particularly rough, as the Raiders were having a difficult time playing offense. Ultimately, WSU lost 79-58 and was kicked out of the tournament in the first round.
March 15, 2018
The third time that WSU was a part of the NCAA March Madness Championship was in 2018. During this game, they played the University of Tennessee. The game was played in Dallas, TX, at the American Airlines Center.
This season, the Raiders were working with a defense-heavy team and had been struggling with offense again all year. The game was full of fouls, and the Raiders ended up losing 73-47 in the first round. At the time, head coach Scott Nagy told the press that it was inevitable for the team to lose the game, given how they played.
“You can’t play as poorly as we did offensively and win an NCAA Tournament game, not against a team like Tennessee,” Nagy said.
March 16 and March 18, 2022
2022 was the fourth and most fruitful year that the WSU Raiders made it to the NCAA championship.
First, on March 16, 2022, the No. 16 seed Raiders played the No. 16 seed Bryant Bulldogs at the University of Dayton Arena. It was considered a close game, but the Raiders won 93-82, thus moving them forward to the next round.
The second game, played on March 18, 2022, was the one that brought upset. The Raiders played the No.1 seed Arizona Wildcats. Both teams were neck and neck, scoring points on each other, but the Wildcats won 87-70, kicking the WSU Raiders out of the tournament.
Below are photos The Wright State Guardian captured during the Raiders' 2022 March Madness run.
March 20, 2026
The most recent time that the men's basketball team has been to the NCAA Championship was this year. WSU played against the University of Virginia (UVA) at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. This came after WSU won the Horizon League title and dominated the league.
Going into the game, head coach Clint Sargent claimed that the team was taking the Horizon League with grace and moving forward.
“We’re honored to represent the Horizon League, and we’re very thankful,” Sargent said. “This team, for me, that I’ve been around playing or coaching, they’ve been the most consistent, best-practiced team we’ve ever had, that I’ve been around.”
In this game, the Raiders started strong in the first half, leaving halftime with a 43-38 lead on UVA. This momentum shifted in the second half as the lead kept being passed between the teams. UVA ended up taking the lead and winning the game 82-73. This kicked WSU out of the championship for the year.
More coverage on this year's March Madness game, visit wsuguardian.com.
