“We still have a long way to go, but we got off to a good start in terms of field goal percentage,” coach Scott Nagy said. “I think we have a good shooting team. I think we can have a really good 3-point shooting team as well.
“But we always talk about playing backwards. We always try to get the ball in first (for close range attempts) before taking a few shots. Apparently the players are listening.
The 64.9% clip was the highest for the Raiders against a Division I foe since hitting 69.2% in an 86-73 win at Purdue Fort Wayne in their home game. opening of the Horizon League last season.
But this game seemed like an aberration. The recent looks like the start of a trend.
The Raiders (5-2) are shooting 53.9% from the field this year, which is fourth in the nation behind Arizona (60.3), Indiana (55.5) and Gonzaga (55.0) .
It’s on track to be the highest rating of the program’s DI era. Three teams led by Bill Edwards hit 51.6, 50.9 and 50.8 in the early 1990s.
The school record is 55.3 in 1985-86, two years before leaving the D-II ranks.
The reason the current percentage looks sustainable is because the Raiders are spreading their shots among more players than ever under Nagy, making them better equipped to withstand individual meltdowns.
They only outfit 10 players, and nine have seen expansion action each game. Eight of nine are shooting above 50 percent with three at 60.0 or better.
Brandon Noel is at 68.6%, followed by AJ Braun (65.2), Andrew Welage (60.0), Alex Huibregtse (59.5), Keaton Norris (57.1), Amari Davis (52.2) , Blake Sisley (52.0) and Trey Calvin (50.5).
“It’s amazing,” Nagy said when asked about this team-wide display. “I haven’t watched it, but I guess the guy underneath is Tim (Finke), and I’m not even worried about him.
” He will come. And like I told him, when he does, think how much better we will be offensively.
After the Raiders blew up PFW last season, they still weren’t out of their funk. They lost their next two games to fall to 2-7 before bursting into flames.
But they are more balanced this year, thriving at both ends of the floor. They allow 0.938 points per possession, or 103rd nationally, compared to 1.017 last season (229th).
“What I’m most pleased with is that we’re so much more advanced defensively this year than we were last year, which is the best part,” Nagy said.
“I thought we would have a good offensive team. So far we have proven that we have that. We are off to a better start because we are better defensively.
Opponents are shooting at 42.9% – a big improvement from last season’s 45.2 rate.
“We’ve just had a group that is more committed to keeping teams under one point per possession and understanding two things: that’s what’s going to help us when we struggle offensively, and it helps us offensively because it allows us to run and get some great shots,” Nagy said.
If there’s one area that’s been troublesome so far, it’s foul shooting.
The Raiders are just 72 of 110 for 65.5%. Their worst mark as a DI team is 65.3 in 1996-97.
“There’s not much you can do about it,” Nagy said. “One of the ways to increase it is to reach the line more as a player. The longer you are there, the more comfortable you will be.
“I don’t know if talking about it helps. And that’s one of those things that’s hard to work on. … But if you get there six or seven times a game, you’re going to feel more comfortable and win more.
THE THURSDAY GAME
Robert Morris at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN+, 980
