ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland men's basketball team closes out its regular-season home slate Feb. 5-6 against Cleveland State for games at 7 p.m. (Friday) and 5 p.m. (Saturday). The Golden Grizzlies will celebrate their lone senior,
Kevin Kangu, throughout Saturday's matchup. Both games will air on ESPN3 and TV20 with
Neal Ruhl (play-by-play) and former Western Michigan head coach Steve Hawkins (analyst) on call. The weekend series is presented by the Oakland University Credit Union.
Oakland won all three contests against Cleveland State last season. OU swept CSU in regular-season competition and proceeded to face the Vikings in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament inside the Athletics Center O'rena. The Golden Grizzlies handily defeated CSU, 80-59, to advance in the tournament.
Xavier Hill-Mais led Oakland with a game-high 26 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.
OU is slightly ahead in the overall series, 11-8, but has won five-straight games against CSU, including 11 out of the last 13 matchups. The Golden Grizzlies have won by an average margin of 13.2 points in the five-game stretch.
CSU sits first in the conference standings at 12-2 despite being a seventh-place projection in the Horizon League Preseason Poll. The Vikings opened HL play 9-0 but followed the impressive start with series splits against Wright State and Milwaukee. The Vikings got back on track last weekend with a sweep versus Green Bay.
Senior forward Torrey Patton leads the Vikings averaging 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Viking guard Craig Beaudion has added 9.6 points and a team-high 2.9 assists per game in 17 games.
The Golden Grizzlies have won eight of their last 12 games after an 0-9 start to the season. OU's 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 four schools top-50 in the current NCAA NET rankings. Eight of Oakland's 19 games have been against teams top-100 in the NET rankings.
Oakland climbed to third place at 8-6 in the HL standings after sweeping Purdue Fort Wayne on the road. The Golden Grizzlies were in seventh place at 3-5 three weeks ago but have rattled off five wins in their last six conference games. Five of OU's 14 total HL matchups have been decided by five or fewer points, as Oakland holds a 3-2 record in those games.
The HL unveiled its bracket for the 2021 Horizon League Basketball Championships last week. The first round will feature the teams placing fifth through 12th competing on campus at the highest-available seeds on Thursday, Feb. 25. The top-four teams in the regular season will receive a bye to the quarterfinals to host the winners of the first round. The semifinals and championship will occur on March 8-9 at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis.
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Overall: Oakland leads 11-8
• At Home: 6-3
• At Cleveland State: 5-4
• At Neutral: 0-1
• Current Streak: Oakland, 5
• Last Meeting: W, 80-59 (at the O'rena, 3/3/20)
• Series Note: Oakland has won 11 out of the last 13 meetings
PLAYER NOTES
HE'S JUST A FRESHMAN
Trey Townsend garnered Nike® #HLMBB Freshman of the Week honor for the second time this season, after averaging a double-double with 15.0 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 60 percent (12-of-20) from the floor in Oakland's series sweep at Purdue Fort Wayne. On the season, Townsend leads Oakland in blocks per game (1.0) while ranking second on the team in rebounds per game (5.7), field goal percentage (55.3%), and 3-point percentage (35.3%).
SHOW US MOORE
Jalen 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 (18.9), assists per game (8.0), steals per game (1.9), free throw attempts (159), free throws made (120), and minutes per game (36:50). The Cloverdale, Ind. native has started 20-straight games and finds himself atop NCAA Division I rankings in several individual categories such as assists per game, total assists (168), free throw attempts, free throw makes, and total minutes (767:55). To add, Moore ranks top-10 nationally in triple-doubles (1 / second), total points (397 / second), and total steals (39 / eighth).
MR. CONSISTENCY
Parrish
has transformed into one of Oakland's most consistent performers at the three-quarter mark of the season. The freshman forward has shot above 50% in nine of the last 11 games and has scored in double-figures four times in his last seven appearances. On the defensive end, Parrish ranks second on the team in steals per game (1.6) and has recorded two or more steals in 10 games.
BUSY ON THE BOARDS
Daniel Oladapo has totaled 171 total rebounds, ranking eighth in the country and second in the Horizon. He has been active on the offensive end, averaging 3.38 offensive boards per game, good for 23rd nationally and second in the HL. Oladapo has grabbed a career-high 18 boards three times this season and is averaging 9.9 rebounds per game through 14 conference matchups.
BREAKOUT YEAR FOR THE BIG MAN
Oladapo has scored in double-figures in 13 games this season, including eight times in his last nine games. He is second on the team in scoring since conference play began with 13.3 points per game. His numbers at the free-throw line have improved, as he is shooting 65% (32-of-49) in his previous nine 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 ranks 32nd in the NCAA and third in the HL.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The Golden Grizzlies return one lone senior to this year's squad in
Kevin Kangu. Kangu appeared in all 33 games last season, making 18 starts, leading Oakland in assists (114), and averaging 5.1 points per game. The senior has logged the second-most minutes off the bench for OU this season and ranks second on the team in 3-point percentage (35.3%). Most recently, Kangu averaged 8.5 points per game on 50% shooting in the PFW series.
TEAM NOTES
ROAD SWEEPING
Oakland has swept two schools on the road this season, tied for a conference-most with Cleveland State and Wright State. OU closed 2020 with two wire-to-wire victories against Detroit Mercy at Calihan Hall, where Rashad Williams and Parrish each scored game-winning buckets on the weekend. Oakland coasted to consecutive wins at PFW last weekend to improve to 8-6 in conference play.
ENTERING FEBRUARY
The Golden Grizzlies have been successful in February over the last 10 seasons (2009-present) with an overall record of 68-23 (.759). Oakland twice went undefeated in February (2010, 2017) over the 10-year stretch while concluding the month with a losing record only once (2014).
WINNING RHYTHM
Oakland is on its best winning stretch of the season, as the team has won five of its last six games. The Golden Grizzlies opened the stretch with a home sweep against Youngstown State before spitting a two-game series to Detroit Mercy. OU got back in the winning column with a series sweep at PFW — a team that had won three-straight home contests before facing the Golden Grizzlies.
PASSING THE ROCK
Oakland has averaged a league-best 16.57 assists per game through 14 Horizon League matchups. The Golden Grizzlies have also taken care of the ball, as they rank first among HL teams with a 1.36 assist-to-turnover ratio. OU has averaged 19 assists in its last four games, including a season-high 25-assist output against Youngstown State (1/15).
FREE POINTS
As a team, the Golden Grizzlies rank ninth nationally in free throw attempts (367) and free throw makes (258). 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 by shooting 80% (126-of-157) at the charity stripe in its last nine games. OU has made over 80% of its free throws six times in the nine-game span and went a perfect 14-of-14 at the line versus Wright State (1/2).
TAKING WHAT'S OURS
Oakland ranks first in the Horizon League with 8.5 steals per game (29th nationally) and 178 total steals (third nationally). The Golden Grizzlies have tallied 10-plus steals in seven games and at least five in 19 of their 21 games.
Leaders in total steals:
Moore: 41 steals — eighth in the country — first in the HL
Parrish: 31 steals — 40th in the country — second in the HL
Townsend: 30 steals — 46th in the country — third in the HL
