The Wright State Raiders take on the Detroit Mercy Titans on Tuesday night in the Horizon League Championship Game. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Raiders are listed as 4.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total set at O/U 153.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this Horizon League Tournament college basketball matchup.
Wright State vs. Detroit Mercy prediction, preview
The turnaround of the Detroit Mercy basketball program has been remarkable. Two seasons ago, this was the worst program in all of college basketball. Detroit Mercy went 1-31 during the 2023-24 season, hitting rock bottom. The Titans improved last season, going 8-24. However, they were still the second-worst team in the Horizon League. In just his second season with the program, Mark Montgomery has taken this team to the Horizon League title game. Montgomery spent 10 years as an assistant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State. While he wasn’t the main man, he has vast experience in coaching teams in the intensity of postseason tournaments. Detroit Mercy is led by senior guard Orlando Lovejoy, who is averaging over 15 points per game this season.
Wright State has been the best team in this league all season. It went 15-5 in conference play and enters this championship bout having won six of its past seven games. Wright State has four different players averaging double figures in scoring this season. The Raiders are a solid offensive team, ranking 111th in the nation in offensive rating this season, the second-best mark in the conference. This is just the second season as the head coach at Wright State for Clint Sargent. However, he has been with this program his entire coaching career, dating back to 2016. He was the assistant head coach the last time the team won the conference in 2022. Sargent is determined to get this group into the NCAA Tournament, this time as the head coach.
Wright State vs. Detroit Mercy pick
My best bet for this game is on Wright State -4.5. Wright State has been the best team in the Horizon League all season and should prove it in this final game. Wright State’s average point differential this season is +5.3, while Detroit Mercy’s is an even 0.0. KenPom’s net rating has Wright State nearly five points better than Detroit Mercy. While this has been a great run for Detroit Mercy, Wright State is the more talented group. TJ Burch does a great job of running the offense, and freshman Michael Cooper is coming off a 25-point performance in the Horizon League semifinals. This is a chance for Clint Sargent to lead this team to the NCAA Tournament as head coach for the first time, and he has a superior team. Wright State put up 103 points in the semifinals and should be riding high into this title game, ready to win convincingly.
