Oh, college basketball. How we’ve missed you.

This offseason has been one of chaos and change. Some of those tweaks were good for the sport; others, in the eyes of many, were not. Regardless of our feelings, we’re just a handful of sleeps from rubber hitting hardwood.

For the Wright State Raiders, expectations may never be higher. The defending Horizon League champions — regular season and tournament — want to improve upon their first-round NCAA Tournament exit in 2026-27. Head coach Clint Sargent’s predominantly new cast will face its challenges this year, but if everything comes together, it should be another special season in Dayton.

THE ROSTER: TRANSFERS

The Raiders lost the bulk of their rotation this offseason. In fact, Sargent had to replace four double-digit scorers — Michael Cooper (Cal), TJ Burch (Utah), Michael Imariagbe (NBL), Solomon Callaghan (Utah St.) — and reserve guard Logan Woods (Niagara) this summer. That’s not an easy task, particularly at the mid-major level.

Fortunately, Sargent is really good at his job. Wright State brought in an incredible transfer class, one that Basket Review’s Matthew Winnick ranked No. 5 in the nation. No team in the Horizon League (or the Tri-State area, for that matter) did better.

As for the most impactful transfer addition, you can take your pick between two front-runners. Chadlyn Traylor (Charleston) didn’t play many minutes for the Cougars as a true freshman last season, but sported a 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio and knocked down 39.5% of his three-point tries. He’s a great facilitator and should create quality shot opportunities for his teammates each night.

Next to Traylor, CJ O’Hara (Green Bay) should thrive. The Raiders’ former conference foe dropped a combined 40 points on them in two games with the Phoenix last season. He’s a rare breed, being a wing who operates more on the interior offensively than outside (just 0.2 three-point attempts per game in 2025-26), but he knows how to finish through contact and can get a tough bucket when necessary. O’Hara is a 2026-27 preseason All-Horizon first-team selection.

Seven-footer Nikola Djapa (Colorado State) gives Wright State much-needed size in the paint. Back in 2023-24, he averaged 5.6 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game for Long Island. He and guard Ilija Milijasevic (DePaul) shape as quality bench pieces.

THE ROSTER: RETURNEES & FRESHMEN

While Traylor and O’Hara will be helpful cogs to the Raiders’ success, forward Kellen Pickett will be the engine of Wright State’s attack. The 6-foot-9 sophomore, coming off Horizon League Freshman of the Year honors, is ready to take a big leap from the 8.5 points and 5.4 rebounds he averaged as a freshman. He was voted the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year.

Junior guard Dominic Pangonis, like Pickett, will see increased usage this year. He’s the Raiders’ top returning three-point shooter (38.5%). If there were any concerns about him taking a step forward, he eased them with a perfect shooting performance in the Raiders’ 76-54 exhibition triumph vs. Bellarmine.

Star talent isn’t a question for Wright State, and neither is depth. Junior forward Andrea Holden played in all 35 games for the Raiders last season and knows how to excel off the bench. His energy and effort will set the tone for an incoming freshman class consisting of Tahj Martin, Terrence Hayes Jr. and Noah Lewis, as well as redshirt freshman Isaiah Williams.

The Raiders had 10 different players make at least 17 appearances and average 11-plus minutes per game in 2025-26. Even with star talent, Coach Sargent will replicate that strategy to win games in 2026-27.

No. 0 – Terrence Hayes Jr. (Guard, FR)
No. 1 – Chadlyn Traylor (Guard, SO)
No. 2 – Sam Johnson (Forward, JR)
No. 3 – Dominic Pangonis (Guard, JR)
No. 4 – Kellen Pickett (Forward, SO)
No. 5 – Noah Lewis (Forward, FR)
No. 6 – Ilija Milijasevic (Guard, JR)
No. 8 – Tahj Martin (Guard, FR)
No. 10 – CJ O’Hara (Guard, JR)
No. 12 – PJ Douglas (Guard, SO)
No. 13 – Landen Northrop (Guard, JR)
No. 15 – Isaiah Williams (Guard, SO)
No. 20 – Andrea Holden (Forward, JR)
No. 23 – Nikola Djapa (Forward, JR)

HORIZON LEAGUE: MAIN COMPETITOR

Wright State’s participation in the ESPN Events Invitational provides intriguing non-conference matchups with Akron, St. Bonaventure and Yale. Home dates with Air Force and Florida Atlantic in the opening week are fun, as is a road battle with Miami (OH) in late December. But at the end of the day, Horizon League competition is where the Raiders’ NCAA Tournament fate will be determined.

Last year, Wright State (23-12, 15-5 Horizon) managed to stay above the chaotic middle of the league. Teams three through seven in the conference standings were separated by just two games. The school who avoided that fray, alongside the Raiders, was Robert Morris (22-11, 13-7 Horizon).

The Colonials, following three decades in the Northeast Conference, took some time to adapt to Horizon League competition. They enter year six in the conference off back-to-back 20-win seasons, though, with a combined 28 wins in Horizon play those years.

Head coach Andrew Toole, ready for year 17 in Moon Township, doesn’t have a preseason first-team All-Horizon player on his roster. That said, he does possess two second-teamers in sophomore guard Darius Livingston and UMBC senior transfer guard Ace Valentine.

Robert Morris was voted second in the Horizon League preseason poll and is the closest team to Wright State (No. 157) in KenPom (No. 159). Oakland (No. 199) and Battle of I-75 rival Northern Kentucky (No. 224) are the next closest squads.

Last year, the Raiders won the regular season crown by two games despite being swept by the Colonials. Their respective fates show the importance of avoiding the pitfalls of conference competition, even if the championship chase is perceived to be a two-horse race. This makes two stretches of games in Wright State’s schedule stand out:

• An early three-day trek to The Badger State for matchups with Milwaukee (Dec. 3) and Green Bay (Dec. 5).
• A three-game road trip against Purdue-Fort Wayne (Jan. 31), Oakland (Feb. 4) and Detroit-Mercy (Feb. 8)

If the Raiders can win the majority of those contests, they’ll be well-positioned to retain their regular season title. And doing that would give them their best chance at returning to the NCAA Tournament.

Wright State begins the 2026-27 campaign vs. the Air Force Falcons on Monday, Nov. 2 (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+).