Post by motorcitysam on Mar 1, 2024 15:40:49 GMT -5
The long and painful 2023-24 regular season draws to a close on Saturday when the Titans meet the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland. Tip off is at 6:00 PM at the OU Credit Union Orena. The Grizzlies come into the game having clinched a share of the conference championship and the number one seed in the league tournament.
I remember the fuss on our Titan message boards when Oakland joined the HL. Some thought it was a good idea; others were against it. Some rejected the idea of OU as a real rival, longing for the days when we considered programs like Marquette our rivals. (To be fair, I'm not sure that Marquette ever considered us a true rival.) Some thought that the Titan/Grizzly rivalry would add a lot to both programs. I didn't think that the local media would pay much attention to UDM vs OU, but for the first few years, the game drew quite a bit of local news attention and fan attendance, relatively speaking. I have never made the trip up to the Orena, but the early games at Calihan had large, lively crowds, and were packed with emotion. The Grizzlies joined the conference in 2013-14, just after the Titans NIT season and just as we were rebuilding from the loss of Ray, Jason, Nick, and Doug, grabbed the early momentum in the series and haven't looked back. The one sided nature of the rivalry has been one of the most disappointing things about Titan basketball in the last decade. OU has won 18 of the 22 matchups since joining the HL.
A Titan victory on Saturday (combined with an IUPUI loss to Cleveland State) would move the Titans up to the 11th seed in the HL tourney. Realistically, the Titans will be a big underdog when the lines comes out and ESPN gives OU a 97% chance of getting the win.
Go Titans!
detroittitans.com/news/2024/3/1/mens-basketball-udm-looks-to-play-spoiler-at-oakland-in-hlmbb-regular-season-finale.aspx
I remember the fuss on our Titan message boards when Oakland joined the HL. Some thought it was a good idea; others were against it. Some rejected the idea of OU as a real rival, longing for the days when we considered programs like Marquette our rivals. (To be fair, I'm not sure that Marquette ever considered us a true rival.) Some thought that the Titan/Grizzly rivalry would add a lot to both programs. I didn't think that the local media would pay much attention to UDM vs OU, but for the first few years, the game drew quite a bit of local news attention and fan attendance, relatively speaking. I have never made the trip up to the Orena, but the early games at Calihan had large, lively crowds, and were packed with emotion. The Grizzlies joined the conference in 2013-14, just after the Titans NIT season and just as we were rebuilding from the loss of Ray, Jason, Nick, and Doug, grabbed the early momentum in the series and haven't looked back. The one sided nature of the rivalry has been one of the most disappointing things about Titan basketball in the last decade. OU has won 18 of the 22 matchups since joining the HL.
A Titan victory on Saturday (combined with an IUPUI loss to Cleveland State) would move the Titans up to the 11th seed in the HL tourney. Realistically, the Titans will be a big underdog when the lines comes out and ESPN gives OU a 97% chance of getting the win.
Go Titans!
detroittitans.com/news/2024/3/1/mens-basketball-udm-looks-to-play-spoiler-at-oakland-in-hlmbb-regular-season-finale.aspx
