When the league schedule was released before the season, two things caught the eyes of Oakland fans everywhere. The season started at Calihan Hall in Detroit, and finished in the O’rena with a matchup with those same Detroit Mercy Titans.
The Metro Series has always meant something, but on Saturday, it will mean something a little extra for the Golden Grizzlies.
Oakland sits atop the Horizon League standings with a league record of 14-5, a half game up on Youngstown State at 14-6, and a full game ahead of Green Bay at 13-6. With Youngstown State wrapping up their regular season and Green Bay heading into a date with Milwaukee, that means that Oakland will need to win Saturday to win the championship outright.
Although sharing the championship is still an accomplishment, Oakland does not plan to be in the giving mood.
The Golden Grizzlies haven’t won an outright championship since joining the Horizon League a little over a decade ago, so the prospects of finally getting it done has to sound appealing to the team.
In typical college basketball fashion though, who stands in their way is the arch rival, who will be more than hungry to spoil the planned coronation in the O’rena.
Detroit Mercy comes into the game at 1-29 overall and won 1-18 in the league. Their overall record is currently the worst in the country, and they sit in last place in the Horizon League.
However, the Titans have had some competitive battles in the league. The first game between Oakland and UDM was close into the second half, before Oakland pulled away for a 65-50 victory. Not only could Detroit Mercy play the game of their season and keep this tight because of college basketball, but it’s also a rivalry game. What do they say about rivalry games?
If the Titans are going to hang in there for 40 minutes,their key guys will have to play extremely big. The duo of Jayden Stone and Marcus Tankersley are the leading scoring tandem in the league, with Stone as the number one scorer in the league. All eyes will certainly be on them when the Titans have the ball.
There will be eyes on a few individual Golden Grizzlies as well, as it is senior day.
Oakland will honor four players on Saturday. Blake Lampman, Jack Gohlke, Rocket Watts and Trey Townsend.
Townsend has been the do-it-all guy for Oakland this year. He is assuredly a lock for first team all league, and may be the favorite for player of the year in the conference. He logged an all league second team performance last season, and an all freshman team appearance in 2020-2021. Townsend has started all 123 games he has played in his Oakland career. It should be noted that he has a 5th year of eligibility left due to Covid, and all options are on the table for him after the year. For now though, he and Oakland are in lockstep on the goal of an NCAA Tournament appearnce.
Lampman is wrapping up his fifth-year, and will break the school record for games played when he steps on the court Saturday. He burst on the scene as a freshman making the all freshman team, and has grown to the role he finds himself in this year, which could see him end up on an all league team. Coach Kampe has raved about Lampman and has called him one of the best leaders he has had in his career.
Watts is also using his last year of eligibility. After an all big ten freshman team season at Michigan State, he left to play his third season at Mississippi State. His final two years saw him as a Golden Grizzly. The highly touted recruit has shown what he can do at Oakland, making the all tournament team in the Cayman Islands Classic this year. His late game defensive ability has keyed some wins as well, making an appearance on the leagues all defense team possible.
Finally, Gohlke came to Oakland for his last season of eligibility from D2 Hillsdale. He has made an immediate impact. Gohlke has fit right in with the chemistry of this group, as well as adding an element with his shooting ability. He is currently second in the country in threes made this year, with a chance to overtake the top spot. Gohlke has been a monster off the bench, and is most likely the favorite for 6th man of the year in the conference.
Saturday should be an emotional day in the O’rena. The combination of a great group of seniors, a rivalry game, and a championship at stake should provide a charged up atmosphere. After the final buzzer, the team will stick round on the floor for a meet and greet with anyone in attendance. The action will tip off at 6pm on ESPN+.
