Sports
Men’s basketball: Offutt, Ohio gunning for Wright State
By: Grant Burkhardt
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Walter Offutt doesn't much like Wright State, even though he used to be a Raider. Offutt badly wants to beat his former school when Ohio faces WSU on Saturday night.
Ohio is 8-1 after a 34-point win over D-III Marietta College on Wednesday. The start is the sixth-best in school history and the best for Ohio since the 1969-70 season, when it started 9-1. But for Offutt, Ohio's junior transfer captain, the game against the Raiders means more.
"I've been looking forward to this game probably for two years now, since I left," Offutt said. "I know what their coaches are about, and I know what our coaches here are about. We want to win this game. There's no other game I'm looking forward to going out there and kicking their butt."
The details are murky on why Offutt left WSU, but there is definitely bad blood between he and the Raiders. But Offutt concedes it'll be all about the game once play gets going.
"The vengeance stuff is probably going to last about five minutes, then it'll be Xs and Os," Offutt added.
Ohio has only lost once on the road in 2011 (a loss at Louisville in the closing minutes), and that's what head coach John Groce has preached to his team.
"Coach always talks about road warriors, and obviously we're doing pretty good on the road," Offutt added. "We want to build our reputation on the road of being tough."
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