Wagner is in the midst of a seven-game road trip to start the season, a task made more difficult when its coach was suspended in September.
The uphill journey continues for the Seahawks (0-4) on Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C., when they visit unbeaten Georgetown (4-0).
Despite its record, Wagner has performed admirably. The Seahawks threw a scare into Seton Hall before falling 68-61 on Nov. 7. The last two losses were at Fordham by two points and at UMBC by one in overtime.
The 71-70 setback Sunday at UMBC was particularly gut-wrenching as Wagner surrendered a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Interim coach Dwan McMillan took over barely a week before the season opener, replacing Donald Copeland, who was suspended as the school investigates allegations of player abuse.
Copeland, who has a 46-45 record in three seasons, guided the Seahawks to the NCAA Tournament in 2024.
Nick Jones is the top scorer for Wagner with 12.2 points per game, followed closely by Eddie Placer with 12.0 per game.
“We’ve got 11 new guys, really competitive guys, just learning the way of the Wagner culture,” McMillan said.
Georgetown, meanwhile, is off to its best start since 2017-18 under third-year coach Ed Cooley. The Hoyas own two wins over power conference schools, including a 79-74 victory last weekend against visiting Clemson.
Arizona transfer KJ Lewis scored 17 of his career-high 26 points in the second half and had five steals, while Malik Mack added 16 points and seven assists against the Tigers.
Lewis (19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game) and Mack (14.8 points), both juniors, have been the veteran leaders for Georgetown, along with 7-foot-1 St. John’s transfer Vince Iwuchukwu (11.8 points).
Cooley said he likes his team’s effort on the defensive end so far this season.
“We hang our hat on our toughness and our defense, because the ball is not always going to go in,” Cooley said. “We hang our hat on trying to be physical, connected and willing to try to defend.”
–Field Level Media
