ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland men's basketball team welcomes conference foe, Detroit Mercy, to the Athletics Center O'rena on Jan. 22-23 at 7 p.m. (Friday) and 5 p.m. (Saturday). Fans can watch both games on ESPN+ along with Saturday's game on TV20 Detroit. Neal Ruhl (play-by-play) and Dan Waterstradt (analyst) will call the Metro Series. The weekend series is presented by United Wholesale Mortgage.
This weekend was set to be the only in-season matchup between the two schools. The opponents of both teams on the Dec. 26-27 weekend canceled due to COVID-19. As a result, Oakland and Detroit had openings and chose to fill the weekend against each other.
The Golden Grizzlies ride a nine-game winning streak against the Titans into the weekend matchup. A pair of game-winning buckets led Oakland to a weekend sweep over Detroit at Calihan Hall earlier this season. Micah Parrish hit the game-winner with two seconds left in overtime in the opening game while Rashad Williams sunk a buzzer-beating three in the series closer.
Oakland leads 15-13 in the overall series and holds a home record of 7-1 versus the Titans. Since 2000, OU is 15-4 against Detroit with its last loss on Jan. 13, 2017, in a 93-88 home loss.
The Titans currently sit 3-7 overall and 2-4 in the Horizon League standings. Two-time All-HL selection Antoine Davis is averaging 19 points and 3.7 assists per game to lead Detroit. Graduate transfer Bul Kuol is pacing the Titan frontcourt with 16.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
OU has won five of its last eight games after an 0-9 start to the season. The Golden Grizzlies non-conference schedule featured four-straight Power-5 schools in Michigan (11/29), Purdue (12/1), Oklahoma State (12/5), and Michigan State (12/13) and five schools top-50 in the current NCAA NET rankings. Seven of Oakland's 17 games have been against teams top-100 in the NET rankings.
The Golden Grizzlies are tied for fifth place with Purdue Fort Wayne at 5-5 in the HL standings after sweeping Youngstown State at home last weekend. Jalen Moore posted consecutive double-doubles en route to averaging 24.5 points, 13 assists, and 3.5 steals in the series. The pair of performances led to Moore being named #HLMBB Player of the Week for the first time in his career. Daniel Oladapo and Williams scored in double-figures in both games to help Oakland improve to 3-1 at the O'rena.
Cleveland State sits atop of the HL standings at 9-1. Oakland is one of six schools in the League to play 10 conference games to date. The remaining six schools have logged between five-to-eight games due to cancellation or postponement.
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Overall: Oakland leads 15-13
• At Home: 7-1
• At Detroit: 8-12
• At Neutral: 0-0
• Current Streak: Oakland, 9
• Last Meeting: W, 83-80 (at Calihan Hall, 12/27/20)
• Series Note: Oakland's last loss at Detroit was on Jan. 10, 2015
PLAYER NOTES
SHOW US MOORE
Moore has put on a show in his first year sporting a Golden Grizzly uniform. The junior transfer leads the team in points per game (18.6), assists per game (7.6), steals per game (2.1), free throw attempts (131), free throws made (97), and minutes per game (36:17). The Cloverdale, Ind. native has started 16-straight games and finds himself atop NCAA Division I rankings in several individual categories such as total assists (130), free throw attempts, free throw makes, and total minutes (616:55). To add, Moore is third nationally in assists per game, fifth nationally in total points (316), and sixth nationally in total steals (36).
TAKING OVER THE #HLMBB
Moore has become a top-tier player in the Horizon League since joining the Golden Grizzlies. He is averaging close to a double-double with 20.1 points (third in HL), 9.2 assists (first in HL), and 1.8 steals (fourth in HL) through 10 conference games. Moore's play has transcended to a new level in his last five games, averaging 24.2 points, 10.8 assists, and 2.4 steals while shooting 44% (35-for-80) from the floor and 90% (39-for-43) at the charity stripe.
DON'T LET RASHAD GET HOT
Williams has proven to be one of Oakland's hottest shooters this season. The second-year starter put up 32 points on a career-best 10 triples at Oklahoma State (12/5) and a season-high 36 points on eight 3-point makes at Michigan State (12/13). He added 20-point performances at UIC (12/20) and Green Bay (1/9). The junior guard is averaging 16.4 points per game on 41% shooting (30-of-72) in his last five games. He has knocked down 18 3-pointers in the span and at least one in all five games. On the season, Williams ranks second in the country with 47 3-point makes.
COOL, CALM, AND COLLECTED
Micah Parrish averaged 9.5 points and five rebounds on 8-of-9 (89%) shooting in the Golden Grizzlies' weekend sweep over Youngstown State. The freshman also added two blocks and one steal in the series. Parrish shined in Oakland's 81-74 win against YSU, as he went a perfect 5-of-5 from the field to finish with 13 points. The native of nearby Ypsilanti contributed with six rebounds and two blocks in the win as well. The Golden Grizzlies held a +20 plus/minus with Parrish on the floor on the weekend, including a team-high +13 plus/minus in the series closer.
BUSY ON THE BOARDS
Oladapo has totaled 149 total rebounds, which is third in the country and first in the Horizon. He has been active on the offensive end, averaging 3.8 offensive boards per game, good for 12th nationally and first in the HL. The junior forward has grabbed a career-high 18 boards three times this season and is averaging 11.6 rebounds per game through 10 conference matchups.
BREAKOUT YEAR FOR THE BIG MAN
Oladapo has scored in double-figures in five-straight games and eight times in his last 10 games, including a season-high 20 points at Green Bay (1/8). His numbers at the free throw line have drastically improved, as he is shooting 78% (21-of-27) in his last five games compared to 40% (12-of-30) in his first 12 games. The Bladensburg, Md. native holds five double-doubles on the season thanks to his improved play on offense, which is 17th-most in the NCAA.
TEAM NOTES
FREE POINTS
As a team, the Golden Grizzlies rank eighth nationally in free throw attempts (334) and 10th nationally in free throw makes (235). However, the Golden Grizzlies shot 63% (132-of-210) at the free throw line in their first ten games, including just two games above 70%. Oakland has turned it around since by shooting 83% (103-of-124) at the charity stripe in its last seven games. OU has made over 80% of its free throws five times in the seven-game span and went a perfect 14-of-14 at the line versus Wright State (1/2).
INCREASED SCORING
Oakland has scored 70-plus points in 11 of its last 12 games with an average of 76.8 per game. The Golden Grizzlies reached the 70-point plateau just once in the first five games, averaging 56.6 per game. The improved offense has resulted in success, as OU holds a winning record of 5-3 in games with 75-plus points scored.
SHOOTING FROM DEEP
The Golden Grizzlies have launched 457 3-pointers through 17 games, which is the third-highest total in Division I. Oakland has converted on 30% (141-for-457) of its attempts. Rashad Williams is pacing the team with an NCAA-high 159 three-point attempts. Four Golden Grizzlies' have shot 50-plus 3-pointers.
TAKING WHAT'S OURS
Oakland ranks first in the Horizon League with 8.8 steals per game (27th nationally) and 150 total steals (second nationally). The Grizzlies have tallied 10-plus steals in five games and at least five in all 17 games.
Leaders in total steals:
Moore: 36 steals — sixth in the country — first in the HL
Townsend: 26 steals — 37th in the country — second in the HL
Parrish: 22 steals — 69th in the country — fifth in the HL
FINDING A GROOVE
Oakland has started with Moore, Oladapo, Parrish, Townsend, and Williams for 11 of its last 12 games, posting a record of 5-6 in the process. The starting five have accounted for over 80% offense in eight of their 11 games together. The group combined for a season-high 76 points (97% offense) in a losing effort at Green Bay (1/9). In total, the Golden Grizzlies have started five different lineups this season.
ATTENDANCE POLICY UPDATED
The Horizon League Board of Directors announced that all men's and women's basketball League games will be played without fans for the remainder of the regular season. Team pass lists and complimentary tickets will also be prohibited.
