It’s officially make or (kind of) break time.
With only four games remaining on Oakland’s regular season schedule, there is not much time left to stack wins and get closer towards the top of the Horizon League standings.
As the Golden Grizzlies enter their Friday matchup against Purdue Fort Wayne, Oakland sits in sixth place in the league. To get a first round bye, they need to reach fifth. To achieve the ultimate goal of a first round bye and a quarterfinal game at home, they need to reach the top four.
Currently in fourth place is the Milwaukee Panthers, who Oakland makes a trip to next week. And who is a game and a half ahead of Oakland for fifth? None other than Purdue Fort Wayne.
While this is the opportunity you would ask for when trying to catch a team higher than you in the standings, this will not be an easy task. Purdue Fort Wayne has a high powered offense that is currently the highest rated unit in the league on Kenpom (87th). They are the only unit to crack the top 100.
That attack is led by possible player of the year frontrunner Jalen Jackson. The top scorer in the league averages 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. The 6’2 guard is elite at getting to the rim.
His backcourt mate Rasheed Bello is the other double digit scorer for the Dons. Bello pours in over 15 points a contest, and dishes out 4.2 assists per game as well. These two will be a huge focus on Oaklands scouting report.
One key in this game will be starting center Eric Mulder. When Oakland beat Purdue Fort Wayne 76-72 about a month ago, Mulder missed the game. Buru Naivalurua and Allen Mukeba each scored 22 points in that game, so something to watch will be whether Mulder can help slow down Oakland’s fantastic frontcourt pair.
It doesn’t get easier for Oakland this weekend. After the Friday contest with the Dons, Oakland returns home for a date with current league leader Cleveland State on Sunday.
Although the Vikings are in first place, they have dropped three of their last four games heading into their Friday night game at Detroit Mercy. The first matchup saw a 92-75 Cleveland State victory where Oakland looked outclassed. It turns out that Cleveland State is pretty good, and the season high in points allowed for Oakland was more of an outlier than who the team was.
The rematch Sunday should be fun, and it will be a fun day in the O’rena as it’s senior day.
Friday’s game will tip off at 7pm Eastern Time, while Sunday’s home contest will get started at 3pm Eastern Time. Both games will be live on ESPN+.
