Post by Commissioner on Jan 19, 2021 20:41:19 GMT -5
Oakland
When: Friday, January 22, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 23, 5:00 p.m.
Where: The O'Rena, Rochester, Michigan (no live attendance)
TV: ESPN +; Saturday's game will also be on Channel 20, WMYD.
Radio: WLQV 92.7 FM and 1500 AM
The Titans will make history this weekend. Maybe. Assuming both games get played, it will be the first time in 112 years of basketball that the Titans will play one team four times in a single season.
When we last saw the Grizzlies, they were coming into Calihan Hall with an 0-9 record. They left, of course, at 2-9, and have split six games since. They now lead the series with Detroit 15-13, and have beaten Mike Davis six straight--making it 9 straight overall in the series. Oakland aims for this game. We play it like any other. And lose. And lose. And lose...
There's not a ton to add to what we wrote less than a month ago, except that we've now seen the Titans play a few games with Noah Waterman. And--this feels weird--the Titans have not lost since that OU series. That's almost a month without a defeat. OU, meanwhile, is coming off a sweep of Youngstown State last weekend at the McRena.
Since the Titan series, point guard Jalen Moore has been on fire, averaging 22.5 points and 9.7 assists. He's up to 3rd in the nation in assists per game at 7.6. Forward Daniel Oladapo has also played well--he's averaging a double-double in league play--13.3 points and 11.6 rebounds. The other starters remain freshmen forwards Micah Parrish and Trey Townsend, and guard Rashad Williams. Williams hasn't topped 20 points in a game since scoring 68 in back-to-back games at Oklahoma State and Michigan State in mid-December, and I have this awful feeling the streaky guard is due for a really big game this weekend. Parrish, meanwhile, has been getting better as the year goes on--starting with the Titan series, he's averaged over 9 points and 5 rebounds per game.
For the most part, Kampe is down to a 7-man rotation, using Kevin Kangu and Zion Young off the bench, although he's also been starting to work freshman forward Philpps Joseph into the roster. Joseph, who didn't play in the first series, has been averaging about 8 minutes a game since. He's a big body at 6-7, 240 lbs. Yusuf Jihad, who really hurt the Titans in the first game this year (recall he had 8 points on 4-6 shooting, and really held the Griz together when the Titans threatened to run away with the game in the first half) has pretty much disappeared from the court, but given his performance in Calihan, it will be interesting to see if Kampe calls his number. Guard Blake Lampman missed last week's games against Youngstown (he's had a thigh injury off and on all year, and I assume that was the issue). If healthy, he may play, too.
On the Titan end, the big difference may be--maybe--the return to form of Antione Davis, who had 56 points on 20 of 35 shooting (12 of 20 from three) last weekend. Just a flash of the old form? Or back to stay? Let's hope the former. The Titans looked very sharp in the first game last weekend, and in the second, showed some grit in fighting back from 14 down and then holding off Green Bay down the stretch. Noah Waterman, unlike in December, now has played a few games with his teammates, and that can't hurt.
My sense in those first two games was Detroit was the better team, but got out-coached and, frankly, got tight down the stretch. Even if I'm right, I don't see any reason to believe that either of those two negatives can't be corrected. Davis is a good coach and this team has shown some toughness. I'd really like to win both, but I think we have to come out with at least one--let's get the OU monkey off our backs and keep moving up the in the standings.
Little Asides: Antoine Davis is now at 1703 career points, 6th on the all-time Titan list. He needs 28 to tie Archie Tullos for 5th. Willie Green is 4th at 1779. Antoine began the year as the Titans all-time leader in average points per game and career free throw percentage, but has slipped back behind Dave DeBusschere in the first category, and (despite making 82% from the line this year) behind Archie Tullos and Rashad Phillips in the second.
The Titans are just 26-41 from the foul line in the last three games (63.4%). They are still 17th nationally at 77.7% for the year, but it would be helpful to start knocking them down at 80% again.
The Titans barrage of 3 point shots last week vaulted them from 255th to 85th in the country in three point percentage.
Projected Oakland Starters
PG: Jalen Moore, 5-11 Jr. (18.6 ppg, 7.6 apg, 3.7 rpg, 2.1 spg, 34.5% 3PtFG)
SG: Rashad Williams, 6-2 Jr. (13.7 ppg, 32.7% 3PtFG)
SF: Micah Parrish, 6-6 Fr (6.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 50.7% FG)
PF: Trey Townsend, 6-6 Fr. (8.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 55.1% FG)
PF: Daniel Oladapo, 6-7 Jr. (10.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 53.7% FG)
Key Bench Players
PG: Kevin Kangu, 6-4 Sr. (2.8 ppg, 31.7% 3PtFG)
SG: Blake Lampman, 6-1 Soph. (3.9 ppg, 22.0% 3PtFG)
SF: Zion Young, 6-4 Jr. (6.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 29.3% 3PtFG)
PF: Philpps Joseph, 6-7 Fr. (0.5 ppg)
C: Yusuf Jihad, 6-8 RS Fr. (1.9 ppg)
When: Friday, January 22, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 23, 5:00 p.m.
Where: The O'Rena, Rochester, Michigan (no live attendance)
TV: ESPN +; Saturday's game will also be on Channel 20, WMYD.
Radio: WLQV 92.7 FM and 1500 AM
The Titans will make history this weekend. Maybe. Assuming both games get played, it will be the first time in 112 years of basketball that the Titans will play one team four times in a single season.
When we last saw the Grizzlies, they were coming into Calihan Hall with an 0-9 record. They left, of course, at 2-9, and have split six games since. They now lead the series with Detroit 15-13, and have beaten Mike Davis six straight--making it 9 straight overall in the series. Oakland aims for this game. We play it like any other. And lose. And lose. And lose...
There's not a ton to add to what we wrote less than a month ago, except that we've now seen the Titans play a few games with Noah Waterman. And--this feels weird--the Titans have not lost since that OU series. That's almost a month without a defeat. OU, meanwhile, is coming off a sweep of Youngstown State last weekend at the McRena.
Since the Titan series, point guard Jalen Moore has been on fire, averaging 22.5 points and 9.7 assists. He's up to 3rd in the nation in assists per game at 7.6. Forward Daniel Oladapo has also played well--he's averaging a double-double in league play--13.3 points and 11.6 rebounds. The other starters remain freshmen forwards Micah Parrish and Trey Townsend, and guard Rashad Williams. Williams hasn't topped 20 points in a game since scoring 68 in back-to-back games at Oklahoma State and Michigan State in mid-December, and I have this awful feeling the streaky guard is due for a really big game this weekend. Parrish, meanwhile, has been getting better as the year goes on--starting with the Titan series, he's averaged over 9 points and 5 rebounds per game.
For the most part, Kampe is down to a 7-man rotation, using Kevin Kangu and Zion Young off the bench, although he's also been starting to work freshman forward Philpps Joseph into the roster. Joseph, who didn't play in the first series, has been averaging about 8 minutes a game since. He's a big body at 6-7, 240 lbs. Yusuf Jihad, who really hurt the Titans in the first game this year (recall he had 8 points on 4-6 shooting, and really held the Griz together when the Titans threatened to run away with the game in the first half) has pretty much disappeared from the court, but given his performance in Calihan, it will be interesting to see if Kampe calls his number. Guard Blake Lampman missed last week's games against Youngstown (he's had a thigh injury off and on all year, and I assume that was the issue). If healthy, he may play, too.
On the Titan end, the big difference may be--maybe--the return to form of Antione Davis, who had 56 points on 20 of 35 shooting (12 of 20 from three) last weekend. Just a flash of the old form? Or back to stay? Let's hope the former. The Titans looked very sharp in the first game last weekend, and in the second, showed some grit in fighting back from 14 down and then holding off Green Bay down the stretch. Noah Waterman, unlike in December, now has played a few games with his teammates, and that can't hurt.
My sense in those first two games was Detroit was the better team, but got out-coached and, frankly, got tight down the stretch. Even if I'm right, I don't see any reason to believe that either of those two negatives can't be corrected. Davis is a good coach and this team has shown some toughness. I'd really like to win both, but I think we have to come out with at least one--let's get the OU monkey off our backs and keep moving up the in the standings.
Little Asides: Antoine Davis is now at 1703 career points, 6th on the all-time Titan list. He needs 28 to tie Archie Tullos for 5th. Willie Green is 4th at 1779. Antoine began the year as the Titans all-time leader in average points per game and career free throw percentage, but has slipped back behind Dave DeBusschere in the first category, and (despite making 82% from the line this year) behind Archie Tullos and Rashad Phillips in the second.
The Titans are just 26-41 from the foul line in the last three games (63.4%). They are still 17th nationally at 77.7% for the year, but it would be helpful to start knocking them down at 80% again.
The Titans barrage of 3 point shots last week vaulted them from 255th to 85th in the country in three point percentage.
Projected Oakland Starters
PG: Jalen Moore, 5-11 Jr. (18.6 ppg, 7.6 apg, 3.7 rpg, 2.1 spg, 34.5% 3PtFG)
SG: Rashad Williams, 6-2 Jr. (13.7 ppg, 32.7% 3PtFG)
SF: Micah Parrish, 6-6 Fr (6.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 50.7% FG)
PF: Trey Townsend, 6-6 Fr. (8.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 55.1% FG)
PF: Daniel Oladapo, 6-7 Jr. (10.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 53.7% FG)
Key Bench Players
PG: Kevin Kangu, 6-4 Sr. (2.8 ppg, 31.7% 3PtFG)
SG: Blake Lampman, 6-1 Soph. (3.9 ppg, 22.0% 3PtFG)
SF: Zion Young, 6-4 Jr. (6.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 29.3% 3PtFG)
PF: Philpps Joseph, 6-7 Fr. (0.5 ppg)
C: Yusuf Jihad, 6-8 RS Fr. (1.9 ppg)