Where is Wright State located? Explaining city and more to know about Raiders basketball program

One of the best aspects of March Madness is that the tournament brings together schools of all shapes and sizes. The tournament field isn't restricted to Power 5 schools, and several mid-major schools will have high-profile matchups where people learn about them by picking against them in their brackets. 

Wright State made the 2026 NCAA Tournament as a No. 14 seed and got matched up with No. 3 Virginia in the first round. The Raiders are making just their fifth appearance in the tournament.

Wright State is a member of the Horizon League, and many basketball fans may not be familiar with where the school is located, given that "Wright" and "Horizon League" don't provide any geographic qualifiers. 

Here is more on Wright State University's location, including city, origin and more. 

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Where is Wright State located?

Wright State University is located in Fairborn, Ohio. Fairborn is located between Columbus and Cincinnati, and is outside Dayton. The city is located 71 miles northeast of Cincinnati, 58 miles southwest of Columbus, and 16 miles northeast of Dayton.

As of fall 2025, Wright State has a total enrollment of nearly 12,000 students between its campuses, per the school's website. 

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What conference is Wright State in?

Wright State is a member of Horizon League. It was founded in 1979 as the Midwestern City Conference and changed to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1985. The conference became the Horizon League in 2001 and has retained the name. The Horizon League fields 19 sports across men's and women's events, but it is a non-football conference. 

As of March 2026, there are 11 members of the Horizon League, but the conference will be expanding to 12 teams in the summer. 

• Cleveland State University
• University of Detroit Mercy
• University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
• Indiana University Indianapolis
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Northern Kentucky University
• Oakland University
• Purdue University Fort Wayne
• Robert Morris University
• Wright State University
• Youngstown State University
• Northern Illinois University (joining for 2026 season)

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Wright State name origin

Wright State sits right outside Dayton, Ohio. Dayton is the home of the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, who are credited with inventing the world's first successful airplane. The brothers designed the airplane in their local bicycle shop in Dayton, so the name Wright State actually is an homage to the Wright brothers. 

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Wright State NCAA Tournament history

Wright State became a Division 1 basketball team in 1987. The Raiders were initially an independent team for four years, then joined the Mid-Continent Conference. After three years, Wright State then moved to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1994, and it became the Horizon League in 2001, where Wright State is still a member to this day. 

The Raiders first made the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 1993. Wright State was a 16-seed and played Indiana in the first round. The Raiders lost 97-54. 

Here is a look at Wright State's history at the NCAA Tournament.