2025–26 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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The 2025–26 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team represented Wright State University in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Raiders, led by second-year head coach Clint Sargent, played their home games at the Nutter Center near Dayton as members of the Horizon League. They were both the Horizon League regular season champions and tournament champions and participants in the 2026 NCAA Division I basketball tournament.
- Clint Sargent (2nd season)
- Dan Beré
- Travis Trice
- Jaaron Simmons
| 2025–26 Wright State Raiders men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
Horizon League regular season and tournament champions | |
NCAA tournament, First round | |
| Conference | Horizon League |
| Record | 23–12 (15–5 Horizon) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Nutter Center |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wright State † | 15 | – | 5 | .750 | 23 | – | 12 | .657 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Robert Morris | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit Mercy | 12 | – | 8 | .600 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oakland | 12 | – | 8 | .600 | 16 | – | 16 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Green Bay | 12 | – | 8 | .600 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 11 | – | 9 | .550 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Kentucky | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Milwaukee | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 12 | – | 20 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleveland State | 6 | – | 14 | .300 | 11 | – | 22 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IU Indy | 3 | – | 17 | .150 | 7 | – | 25 | .219 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 Horizon League tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous season
The Clint Sargent era began with disappointing results. A seemingly talented roster struggled to an eighth-place finish and an early tournament exit.
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drey Carter | 2 | G | 6' 8" | 210 | RS Sophomore | Bellefontaine, OH | Transferred to Fairmont State (DII)[1] |
| Alex Huibregtse | 3 | G | 6' 3" | 205 | RS Senior | Grafton, WI | Transferred to Bradley[2] |
| Keaton Norris | 4 | G | 6' 0" | 175 | RS Junior | Hilliard, OH | Transferred to Samford[3] |
| Brandon Noel | 14 | F | 6' 8" | 240 | RS Junior | Lucasville, OH | Transferred to Ohio State[4] |
| Braden Grant | 15 | F | 6' 7" | 210 | RS Junior | Beavercreek, OH | Graduated[5] |
| Andrew Welage | 22 | G | 6' 6" | 205 | Graduate student | Greensburg, IN | Exhausted eligibility |
| Jack Doumbia | 23 | G | 6' 6" | 195 | Senior | Lanham, MD | Transferred to Towson[6] |
| Ben Southerland | 24 | F | 6' 7" | 215 | RS Sophomore | Cincinnati, OH | Transferred to Tampa (DII)[7] |
Incoming transfers
| Name | No. | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Etumnu | 1 | F | 6' 7" | 220 | Senior | Sugar Land, TX | Merrimack[8] |
| Sam Alamutu | 2 | G | 6' 5" | 220 | Graduate student | Ajax, ON | Vermont[9] |
| Dominic Pangonis | 3 | G | 6' 7" | 200 | Sophomore | Toronto, ON | Stephen F. Austin[10] |
| TJ Burch | 22 | G | 6' 1" | 160 | Sophomore | Dallas, TX | Ball State[11] |
2025 recruiting class
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Cooper G |
Jeffersonville, IN | Jeffersonville High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Aug 6, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
| P.J. Douglas F |
Jeffersonville, IN | Jeffersonville High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Aug 10, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
| Kellen Pickett F |
Fort Wayne, IN | Blackhawk Christian School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jul 2, 2024 | |
Recruit ratings: 247Sports:  ESPN: (77) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: 247Sports: 188 | ||||||
Sources:
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Preseason
On October 8, 2025, the Horizon League released their preseason poll. Wright State was picked to finish seventh in the conference. No players were named to the preseason All-Horizon League First or Second Teams.[12]
Preseason rankings
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee | 428 (24) |
| 2 | Oakland | 384 (7) |
| 3 | Youngstown State | 364 (2) |
| 4 | Robert Morris | 345 (8) |
| 5 | Purdue Fort Wayne | 287 (1) |
| 6 | Northern Kentucky | 274 |
| 7 | Wright State | 221 |
| 8 | Cleveland State | 217 (2) |
| 9 | Detroit Mercy | 176 |
| 10 | IU Indy | 115 |
| 11 | Green Bay | 93 |
| (#) first-place votes | ||
Roster
| 2025–26 Wright State Raiders men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 20, 2025* 8:00 p.m. |
vs. Ohio CareSource Invitational-Dayton |
W 63–57 | – |
– | – | – | UD Arena Dayton, OH | ||||
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 3, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Franklin | W 86–37 | 1–0 |
13 – Imariagbe | 7 – Etumnu | 9 – Burch | Nutter Center (2,910) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| November 6, 2025* 10:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at California | L 67–77 | 1–1 |
17 – Cooper | 7 – Woods | 4 – Cooper | Haas Pavilion (2,172) Berkeley, CA | ||||
| November 11, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Toledo | L 71–81 | 1–2 |
17 – Imariagbe | 5 – Imariagbe | 2 – 3 tied | Nutter Center (3,182) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| November 15, 2025* 3:30 p.m., PTB Live |
vs. Radford Greenbrier Tip-Off River Division |
W 92–59 | 2–2 |
20 – Callaghan | 10 – Imariagbe | 5 – Alamutu | Colonial Hall (476) White Sulphur Springs, WV | ||||
| November 16, 2025* 12:00 p.m., PTB Live |
vs. Kent State Greenbrier Tip-Off River Division |
L 72–76 OT | 2–3 |
19 – Cooper | 10 – Holden | 3 – Burch | Colonial Hall White Sulphur Springs, WV | ||||
| November 20, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Ohio Wesleyan | W 100–47 | 3–3 |
16 – Holden | 10 – Imariagbe | 7 – Cooper | Nutter Center (2,900) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| November 25, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Stetson | W 79–62 | 4–3 |
19 – Cooper | 7 – Imariagbe | 4 – Callaghan | Insight Credit Union Arena (755) DeLand, FL | ||||
| November 28, 2025* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Butler | L 69–94 | 4–4 |
17 – Callaghan | 13 – Imariagbe | 5 – Burch | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,277) Indianapolis, IN | ||||
| December 3, 2025 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Youngstown State | L 68–69 | 4–5 (0–1) |
15 – Imariagbe | 7 – Alamutu | 3 – 2 tied | Beeghly Center (1,471) Youngstown, OH | ||||
| December 7, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Green Bay | W 86–58 | 5–5 (1–1) |
23 – Cooper | 7 – Pangonis | 4 – Cooper | Nutter Center (3,056) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| December 13, 2025* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Marshall | L 74–76 | 5–6 |
22 – Cooper | 6 – Holden | 5 – Cooper | Cam Henderson Center (3,755) Huntington, WV | ||||
| December 16, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Miami (OH) | L 76–83 | 5–7 |
21 – Cooper | 7 – Imariagbe | 3 – Burch | Nutter Center (4,892) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| December 22, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Eastern Michigan | W 70–64 | 6–7 |
18 – Cooper | 9 – Pickett | 5 – Pangonis | Nutter Center (3,070) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| December 29, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Oakland | W 88–73 | 7–7 (2–1) |
20 – Callaghan | 7 – Pickett | 4 – Burch | Nutter Center (3,142) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| January 1, 2026 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Milwaukee | W 76–70 | 8–7 (3–1) |
17 – Imariagbe | 10 – Pickett | 3 – 2 tied | Nutter Center (2,827) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| January 4, 2026 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at IU Indy | W 81–77 | 9–7 (4–1) |
19 – 2 tied | 7 – Pickett | 4 – 2 tied | The Jungle (525) Indianapolis, IN | ||||
| January 9, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Detroit Mercy | W 84–82 | 10–7 (5–1) |
17 – Holden | 12 – Pickett | 3 – 2 tied | Calihan Hall (899) Detroit, MI | ||||
| January 11, 2026 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at Oakland | W 94–84 | 11–7 (6–1) |
27 – Callaghan | 11 – Pickett | 6 – Burch | OU Credit Union O'rena (2,774) Auburn Hills, MI | ||||
| January 15, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Youngstown State | W 93–83 | 12–7 (7–1) |
24 – Burch | 9 – Pickett | 7 – Burch | Nutter Center (4,724) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| January 21, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Cleveland State | L 79–85 | 12–8 (7–2) |
14 – Cooper | 9 – Imariagbe | 5 – Imariagbe | Nutter Center (3,630) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| January 24, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Northern Kentucky | W 88–80 | 13–8 (8–2) |
24 – Imariagbe | 11 – Imariagbe | 3 – Burch | Nutter Center (3,730) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| January 30, 2026 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Milwaukee | W 76–69 | 14–8 (9–2) |
18 – Burch | 11 – Imariagbe | 3 – 2 tied | UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena (3,174) Milwaukee, WI | ||||
| February 1, 2026 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Green Bay | W 83–75 | 15–8 (10–2) |
21 – Pickett | 8 – Pickett | 4 – Burch | Resch Center (2,194) Ashwaubenon, WI | ||||
| February 4, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPNU |
at Robert Morris | L 66–72 | 15–9 (10–3) |
16 – Imariagbe | 13 – Imariagbe | 4 – Burch | UPMC Events Center (1,921) Moon Township, PA | ||||
| February 7, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Purdue Fort Wayne | W 73–68 | 16–9 (11–3) |
19 – Imariagbe | 16 – Imariagbe | 4 – Cooper | Nutter Center (4,298) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| February 12, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Detroit Mercy | L 74–77 | 16–10 (11–4) |
15 – 2 tied | 7 – Callaghan | 4 – 2 tied | Nutter Center (3,271) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| February 15, 2026 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Cleveland State | W 102–90 | 17–10 (12–4) |
25 – Bruskotter | 10 – Imariagbe | 8 – Burch | Wolstein Center (2,097) Cleveland, OH | ||||
| February 19, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
IU Indy | W 85–73 | 18–10 (13–4) |
23 – Burch | 10 – Pickett | 4 – Burch | Nutter Center (2,981) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| February 22, 2026 2:00 p.m., ESPNU |
Robert Morris | L 68–81 | 18–11 (13–5) |
19 – Cooper | 7 – Imariagbe | 2 – Burch | Nutter Center (4,659) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| February 25, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Purdue Fort Wayne | W 74–70 | 19–11 (14–5) |
24 – Callaghan | 7 – Pickett | 4 – 2 tied | War Memorial Coliseum (2,492) Fort Wayne, IN | ||||
| February 28, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Northern Kentucky | W 92–91 | 20–11 (15–5) |
19 – Pickett | 16 – Imariagbe | 5 – Burch | Truist Arena (3,604) Highland Heights, KY | ||||
| Horizon League tournament | |||||||||||
| March 4, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
(1) | (10) Cleveland State First round |
W 90–61 | 21–11 |
18 – Pickett | 7 – Cooper | 4 – Woods | Nutter Center (3,713) Fairborn, OH | |||
| March 9, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPNU |
(1) | vs. (7) Northern Kentucky Semifinal |
W 103–90 | 22–11 |
25 – Cooper | 10 – Imariagbe | 3 – 3 tied | Corteva Coliseum Indianapolis, IN | |||
| March 10, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN |
(1) | vs. (3) Detroit Mercy Championship |
W 66–63 | 23–11 |
19 – Burch | 7 – 3 tied | 3 – 2 tied | Corteva Coliseum Indianapolis, IN | |||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| March 20, 2026 1:50 p.m., TBS |
(14 MW) | vs. (3 MW) No. 9 Virginia First round |
L 73–82 | 23–12 |
19 – Imariagbe | 10 – Imariagbe | 6 – Burch | Xfinity Mobile Arena (19,686) Philadelphia, PA | |||
Awards and honors
| Award | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Coach of the Year | Clint Sargent |
| Defensive Player of the Year | TJ Burch |
| Freshman of the Year | Kellen Pickett |
| Newcomer of the Year | TJ Burch |
| All-Horizon League First Team | TJ Burch |
| All-Horizon League Second Team | Michael Imariagbe |
| All-Horizon League Defensive Team | TJ Burch |
| All-Horizon League Freshman Team | Michael Cooper |
| Kellen Pickett | |
| Tournament MVP | TJ Burch |
| All-Horizon League Tournament Team | TJ Burch |
| Michael Cooper |
Statistics
| Number | Name | Games | Average | Points | Assists | Rebounds | Steals | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | TJ Burch | 34 | 12.4 | 422 | 121 | 82 | 88 | 10 |
| 55 | Michael Cooper | 31 | 13.4 | 416 | 68 | 85 | 20 | 7 |
| 33 | Michael Imariagbe | 34 | 12.0 | 408 | 62 | 241 | 18 | 28 |
| 13 | Solomon Callaghan | 33 | 10.2 | 335 | 35 | 64 | 16 | 0 |
| 3 | Dominic Pangonis | 34 | 8.9 | 301 | 39 | 87 | 26 | 6 |
| 4 | Kellen Pickett | 35 | 8.5 | 299 | 38 | 189 | 16 | 46 |
| 20 | Andrea Holden | 35 | 6.1 | 215 | 15 | 138 | 18 | 42 |
| 21 | Logan Woods | 35 | 5.3 | 185 | 53 | 67 | 17 | 4 |
| 2 | Sam Alamutu | 34 | 2.9 | 97 | 37 | 81 | 28 | 5 |
| 5 | Alex Bruskotter | 15 | 4.5 | 68 | 3 | 22 | 6 | 0 |
| 1 | Bryan Etumnu | 17 | 3.4 | 57 | 9 | 41 | 5 | 3 |
| 51 | Ayden Davis | 3 | 5.0 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Source:[17]
Season summary
Season highlights
- NCAA Tournament
- 2025–26 Regular Season Horizon League Champions
- 152 blocked shots – Raiders all-time team single-season record.[18]
- 4 players averaged double digit points.
- TJ Burch had 88 steals and 121 assists.
- Kellen Pickett had 46 blocked shots & Andrea Holden had 42 blocked shots.
- Michael Imariagbe had 241 rebounds.
Source:[17]
Season in review
The 2025–26 Horizon League Champions were rebuilt through recruiting and the transfer portal, along with four key players (Solomon Callaghan, Tanner Holden, Michael Imariagbe, and Logan Woods) returning from 2024–25. Putting a new team together required every athlete to put the team goals first and work together, which was exactly what Coach Sargent had in mind.
The non-conference season was unconvincing. The Raiders largely beat the teams they were significantly better than, and lost to the rest. Particularly disappointing was getting hammered by former league rival Butler on November 28. Then starting in late December, Wright State began to roll. Veteran Michael Imariagbe was physically in great shape and ready to lead. Freshman point guard Michael Cooper played beyond all expectations. TJ Burch’s quick and active defensive play excited the team with a steady diet of steals. Freshman Kellen Pickett proved ready to play tough and physical basketball, and displayed an uncanny ability to time shot blocks.
Wright State rolled off six straight Horizon League wins and never relinquished the conference lead. Freed from playing the point full time, Solomon Callaghan showed off his outside shooting. Andrea Holden piled up blocked shots in a fine sophomore season. Transfer guard Dominic Pangonis was a revelation, and coach’s dream Logan Woods was a steady leader.
Down the stretch the balanced team play made Wright State Champions. Five players averaged over 9 points a game, and no player averaged 15. Guard Sam Alamutu stepped up and played some of his best minutes at forward. The regular rotation went to nine, ten and by the end of the season eleven deep as Etumnu and Bruskotter came through with monster moments in key games that wrapped up the number one seed.
The show continued in the Horizon League Tournament with gritty team play culminating in a championship win over resilient Detroit Mercy.[19]