Oakland only has one game on the docket this week, but that doesn’t mean there is less excitement in store.
On Thursday, the Golden Grizzlies will give the first D1 third team All American in school history a place in the rafters while they welcome Youngstown State for a huge battle on the blacktop.
Kay Felder was the 54th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and played multiple NBA seasons after becoming a national story at Oakland. A big crowd is expected as Oakland celebrates his career.
That big crowd should be treated to fun action on the court as well, as the two teams embark on a huge game that has major implications on the league standings.
In the Horizon League, the top five teams get a first round bye in the league tournament, with the top four getting that quarterfinal at home. Currently, Youngstown State sits in a tie for fourth with Robert Morris, one game ahead of Oakland. With Youngstown State already owning a win over the Golden Grizzlies, Oakland cannot afford dropping another head to head tiebreaker to a team just ahead of them, like they already have with Robert Morris.
The first matchup between the two teams came way back in early December. The Penguins won 66-50, as Oakland shot 2-16 from the three point line. Allen Mukeba and Buru Naivalurua were both held to under 45% from the field as well, a big key in this one will be how efficient those two are.
The interior defense of Youngstown State is anchored by 7’3 Gabe Dynes, who is third in the country in blocks per game. EJ Farmer and Nico Galette lead the scoring attack for the Penguins on the season, just as they did against Oakland in their first matchup. Farmer went 5-8 from three that day, and scored 22 points. Expect Oakland to key in on him when the Penguins have the ball.
One other other major key will be on the glass. Youngstown State beat Oakland in the rebounding margin in the first matchup. When Oakland wins the battle on the boards this year their record is 10-4, when they lose it, they are 0-10. That is something to monitor not only in this game, but also for the the rest of the games this season.
Tip off is scheduled for 7pm Eastern Time inside the O’rena on Thursday night. ESPN+ will handle the television side of things.
