Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home for a college basketball team trying to work out some early season kinks.

        And that's right where the University of Cincinnati will be for the next 3 1/2 weeks.

        The Bearcats play host to Wright State tonight at Shoemaker Center in the first of six consecutive home games. The next “road” game is the Dec. 14 Crosstown Shootout at Xavier.

        “We've just got to keep getting better,” coach Bob Huggins said Monday. “We have a bunch of guys that just don't know what they're doing, and those guys have got to make tremendous strides here in the next few weeks.”

        UC has won 35 consecutive home openers. At 0-1, the Bearcats are under .500 for the first time since the end of the 1987-88 season (under coach Tony Yates).

        Wright State, which is 0-5 all-time against UC and last played the Bearcats four years ago, won its opener 83-67 Saturday at St. Francis (Pa.).

        The Raiders are a perimeter-oriented team without a lot of size inside. Their postmen are two forwards, 6-foot-7 Cain Doliboa and 6-8 Thomas Hope. Wright State lost its beef when 6-10, 270-pound Israel Sheinfeld decided to leave school early to play professionally in Israel.

        Doliboa is a transfer from Dayton, who sat out last season. His brother Seth is a transfer from Bowling Green, who also sat out last season.

        The brothers from Springboro High are expected to provide a lot of help and leadership.

        Cain is starting. Seth came off the bench against St. Francis and picked up 18 points and nine rebounds.

        “They've been quite a blessing to us,” Schilling said. “More than anything else, they bring a great passion for the game. They love to play, and they're basketball guys.”

        While 6-2 guard Vernard Hollins may have been the star of the Raiders' first game (23 points, 10 rebounds), one of the more interesting stories is senior Jesse Deister.

        Deister was playing at NAIA Cedarville College outside of Dayton a few years ago when he approached Wright State coach Ed Schilling about transferring. Schilling said he didn't want it to appear that he was raiding a local program, so he told Deister that Wright State would not offer a scholarship to start out. He didn't think it was right.

        Undeterred, Deister left Cedarville and walked on to Wright State as a non-scholarship player. He sat out the 1999-2000 season but worked hard and was good enough in practice that he earned a scholarship for last season.

        The 6-foot-3 guard from Topeka, Kan., went on to start every game, average 13.6 points and be named Midwestern Collegiate Conference Newcomer of the Year. He hit game-winning shots in two of the last three games of the season and has set a school record by making 47 consecutive free throws (that ended Saturday). He shot .949 from the foul line last season.

        “And he's a terrific outside shooter,” Schilling said.

        The Raiders will essentially start with a three-guard lineup and try to keep the Bearcats spread out defensively. Wright State likes to penetrate with the ball and pitch it back out to shooters.

        “I think the game, for us, will be like the Northern Kentucky game in that they really want to take us away from the goal,” Huggins said.

        Defense isn't UC's problem right now.

        Rebounding is. Executing the offense is.

        The Bearcats had just two players score in double figures at Oklahoma State on Friday night (Steve Logan 31, Leonard Stokes 12). Huggins wants three or four.

        His concerns are more about his team than Wright State.

        The Raiders, with just nine scholarship players, are eager to find out about themselves, too. Schilling, a Miami University graduate, is in his fifth year as coach. Last year's team went 18-11, the most victories for the program since the 1992-93 season.

        “Regardless of what happens, it's going to be a very good game for our guys and a very good game for our program,” Schilling said. “There's nobody that will reveal the chinks in your armor, any weakness, more than Cincinnati. We look at it as a great opportunity to evaluate our program.”

        MOORE SIGNS:

        Chadd Moore, a 6-2 guard from Oak Hill Academy, signed his letter of intent to attend UC. That likely completes the Bearcats' fall recruiting class, which also includes Eric Hicks and Armein Kirkland.

        “I think Chadd's a good combo guard,” Huggins said. “Hopefully, in his time at Oak Hill, he'll become more of a point. Losing Lo (Steve Logan), we need somebody who can come in and — at the very least — give some time for Taron (Barker).”

        MCELROY INJURED:

        Senior Immanuel McElroy suffered a left ankle sprain in practice. Trainer Jayd Grossman said McElroy was questionable tonight.

        Huggins said junior Taron Barker or sophomore Field Williams would start if McElroy can't.

Hartong was a kicking pioneer NFL could be next for Ruffin Hoping to get right vs. Wright

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