First seed Wright State University (WSU) took down third seed University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) in the last Barbasol Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship, leading them to clinch the league title and earn a spot in the NCAA Division I tournament for the fifth time.
On Monday, March 9, WSU played Northern Kentucky University in the Horizon League semi-finals and advanced to the championship with a score of 103-90, which is also the team's highest score of the season. Freshman guard for the Raiders, Michael Cooper, had 25 of those game points.
Cooper, the lead scorer of the game, reflected on what he had experienced during his first college championship tournament.
“It’s easy to be confident in ourselves when everybody in our program is confident in us as well,” Cooper said.
The championship game took place Wednesday, and the Raiders headed into the Corteva Coliseum. The Raiders were not the only ones hoping for a championship title, as the stands filled with high hopes and fans dressed in green and gold.
Head Coach Clint Sargent talked about how he and the team feel about being title champions.
“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.”
WSU did not give up on this game, as UDM had a strong 12-point lead in the second half. In the last 10 minutes of the game, WSU got fired up by the crowd and took that lead. Senior guard Logan Woods made multiple three-pointers, and freshman forward Kellen Pickett got the final block to seal the game.
Sophomore guard for the Raiders, TJ Burch, said he was focused on one thing.
“I just wanted to win,” Burch said. When asked what made him feel good, Burch responded with, “My teammates, coaches, Wright State.”
On Sunday, March 15, WSU will hold a NCAA selection show watch party at the Student Union starting at 5 p.m., with the show beginning at 6 p.m.
