Oakland gets first looks at IU Indy and Detroit Mercy

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Photo courtesy of TZR Sports

The attempted climb back up the standings continues for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies this week as they return home.

The first of two games is Wednesday on the blacktop, as IU-Indianapolis does battle with Oakland for the first time with their new name.

Iu-Indy currently sits at 2-5 in the conference, and 6-12 overall. While that may not seem impressive, this is a program that hasn’t won three conference games, and seven games overall, in a season since the 2020-2021 year.

First year head coach Paul Corsaro has got an improved roster from the last couple of years, with a good amount of his team coming over with him from D2 Indianapolis.

The Jaguar’s top three scorers are UIndy transfers. Paul Zilinskas is the leading scorer. He scores almost 18 points a game while shooting 42.4% from three on seven attempts per game. Jarvis Walker, who started his career at Purdue Fort Wayne, is second in scoring with 16 points per game. They form a formidable backcourt.

The third IU-Indy transfer is Sean Craig. He scores 10 points a game and grabs eight rebounds a night. Desean Goode and Keenan Garner are two of the best freshmen in the league as well.

While this is an improved Jaguar team, this is a game Oakland needs to jump out early and take advantage of. It’s a big opportunity for the Golden Grizzlies to move back to .500 in the league on their home floor.

Another chance to get a win awaits Saturday, and Oakland heads to Calihan Hall for a Metro Series date with Detroit Mercy.

The Titans are 2-6 in the league and are also an improved bunch after last year’s 1 win team.

However, injuries have ravaged the Detroit Mercy roster. Orlando Lovejoy, Mak Manciel and Jared Lary are the top three scorers for the Detroit Mercy, but all are currently sidelined with injuries. Their status for the game with Oakland is unknown. Legend Geeter, who averages eighth points a game, is also out.

The injuries were so bad that in Detroit Mercy’s last game they started five freshmen. It has been quite the start to the season for first year head coach Mark Montgomery, but this is a team that has been competitive. Detroit Mercy has the whole week off until Saturday.

While these two teams are improved from a year ago, this is still a real chance for Oakland to climb to, and over the .500 mark in league play. The Golden Grizzlies will be far better off in the standings if they can take advantage of the week ahead.

Wednesday’s game will tip off at 7pm Eastern Time, while Saturday at Calihan Hall has a tip scheduled for 1pm Eastern Time. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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