tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53868124695378920592024-03-05T21:00:11.386-05:00Golden Grizzlies GameplanA fan blog dedicated to Oakland University men's basketball.Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-60118146375376997842011-10-23T18:06:00.001-04:002011-10-23T18:09:48.148-04:00Transitions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Before getting to the topic at hand, I want to begin by thanking everyone who purchased a copy of our unofficial guide to the 2011-12 Oakland basketball season, the <i>Black and Gold Preview</i>. For those who ordered last week, it should have arrived to your mailbox on Friday or Saturday. If you ordered over this weekend, expect it to arrive early this week. If you experience any trouble, please <a href="mailto:blackandgoldpreview@gmail.com">contact us</a>.<br />
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I had very modest expectations for this project considering it is geared toward a very niche audience, but those expectations have largely been met. In fact, we're just one order shy of the sales mark we set as a goal. With that said, if you haven't ordered one yet or know someone who might be interested, please do know that you can still purchase one. Full details are available by <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/10/announcing-black-and-gold-preview.html">clicking here</a>. Even at the present mark, I couldn't be happier with the level of support. Thanks again!<br />
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Next order of business: what is happening with the blog? Well, in short, Golden Grizzlies Gameplan will cease to exist this year. However, in its place I will be launching a new website this season called Summit Madness. Thanks in part to those who purchased a <i>Black and Gold Preview</i>, we've got a real domain name this time, which is currently live at this moment: <a href="http://summitmadness.com/">SummitMadness.com</a>. If you click through, you'll only see a banner and some sidebar content. It will officially "launch" on Monday, October 24. So while I'll still be analyzing Oakland hoops this year, it will be alongside analysis of the other nine teams in the Summit League as well. This is a great conference that looks as if it will be extremely competitive in 2011-12. There are tons of interesting players and teams, and with any luck, some folks might stop by Summit Madness to read our take on all things Summit League basketball.<br />
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That being said, there will no longer be any posts at this outlet. If you enjoyed the analysis offered here last season and in the <i>Black and Gold Preview</i>, I hope you migrate over to Summit Madness.<br />
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Thanks again for reading along over the last year!Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-34770131197823588102011-10-14T07:45:00.000-04:002012-02-28T01:14:19.934-05:00Announcing The Black And Gold Preview!<a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16498733/CoverDesign.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16498733/CoverDesign.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 264px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a>Today marks the official beginning of the college basketball season as teams begin to practice at Midnight Madness, and with this big day comes some exciting news from this blog. Starting today you can purchase the <span style="font-style: italic;">Black and Gold Preview</span>, an "unofficial" publication we have put together that offers a comprehensive preview of the 2011-12 Oakland men's basketball season. We are self-publishing this document as an <span style="font-weight: bold;">independent</span>, do-it-yourself initiative featuring articles with the kind of analysis you read here at Golden Grizzlies Gameplan throughout the last year.<br />
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The <span style="font-style: italic;">Black and Gold Preview</span> features 22 pages packed full of analysis and information all about Oakland basketball. It has a slick design and was printed on high-quality paper at a print shop and features a full-color cover and black and white interior pages. To get a feel for what you will be able to hold in your hands, check out the photo below.<br />
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You can order yours at this moment for the low price of $8.99. The first shipments will go out on Tuesday, October 18. The reason for that is because if you are one of the first 20 people to order before Monday, October 17 by 11:59pm, then you will be entered in a random drawing to receive a full-color copy of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Black and Gold Preview</span>. All other orders will feature a full-color cover, but black and white pages on the inside. In short, you have a chance to win the only full-color copy that will be made.<br />
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To help you get a further feel for what the publication is all about, check out the following content for <span style="font-weight: bold;">free</span> in PDF form:</div>
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<li><a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16498733/a_FinalCover.pdf">Cover</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16498733/a_About.pdf">About</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16498733/a_TOC.pdf">Table of Contents</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16498733/a_Intro.pdf">Introduction</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16498733/a_Preview1.pdf">An NBA Future?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16498733/a_Preview2.pdf">Summit League Team Preview: UMKC Kangaroos</a></li>
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You can order now through PayPal, the leading standard for safe and secure transactions through the web. You can use any major credit or debit card to purchase. Or you can use a PayPal account, but you DO NOT need to have a PayPal account to order. Please click the "Buy Now" button to order and follow the instructions.<br />
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NO LONGER FOR SALE. </div>
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Please note that we can only ship inside the United States for this flat rate. If you live outside of the U.S. and would still like to buy, please send an <a href="mailto:blackandgoldpreview@gmail.com">e-mail</a>.</div>
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So what is inside the inaugural copy of the <i>Black and Gold Preview</i>?</div>
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<li>Feature articles include an essay on mid-major fandom, an analytical piece on Reggie Hamilton's possible professional future, a look at the impact OU's trip to Canada could have on freshmen playing time, and more</li>
<li>Detailed look at the best games on the home schedule</li>
<li>Unique takes on all of the returning scholarship players</li>
<li>Breakdowns of every non-conference opponent</li>
<li>Complete previews of every Summit League opponent</li>
<li>Sidebar content featuring graphs and tables with data you won't find anywhere else, including playmaking ability metrics, clutch performance statistics, and raw possession data</li>
<li>And much more!</li>
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Again, all of this can be in your hands for the value price of $8.99. In an effort to be transparent, here's how we came to that price. The cost for printing, binding, shipping, packaging, and order processing makes up about 70% of the price. The remaining 30% will be used in part to reimburse the contributors who offered some of their time to make this happen. After that, any leftover amount will be used to help support a new online project for the 2011-12 season. What is that new project? Well, we've had enough new developments for one day. Come back here next Friday to find out more.<br />
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Thank you for stopping by and reading about this new endeavor. We sincerely hope you consider purchasing the <span style="font-style: italic;">Black and Gold Preview</span> so we can make something like this happen again.</div>
</div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-21318085085336035402011-09-16T22:20:00.000-04:002011-09-16T22:20:41.903-04:00News On The HorizonIn just four short weeks college hoops fans will celebrate the beginning of a new college basketball season at Midnight Madness events around the country. The anticipation is surely growing among the Oakland faithful. The 2011-12 schedule was just released, and news about Golden Grizzlies basketball is starting to pop up more often as the season approaches. There is a lot to look forward to this year as an OU fan!<div><br /></div><div>If your anticipation for the season is already high, I am hoping to add some fuel to that fire in the form of some neat news relating to this blog. Details will be posted beginning on the day of Midnight Madness: Friday, October 14. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading. </div><div><br /></div><div>Go Grizzlies!</div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-87571677077376790212011-06-26T22:01:00.001-04:002011-06-26T22:07:10.688-04:00Q&A with Peachtree Hoops on Keith Benson and the Atlanta Hawks<div><i>The Gameplan returns from its summer-long hiatus for a one-off post on Keith Benson and his role with the Atlanta Hawks. </i></div><div><br /></div>Last week Keith Benson became the first ever Oakland University men's basketball player to hear his name called at the NBA Draft. The two-time Summit League Player of the Year went 48th overall to the Atlanta Hawks. He was the only pick by the Hawks organization in the 2011 NBA Draft.<div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbXt4spDehx47fpgZ_byoQBFcKwFvugxxiRuciJ1lsgZtSOSF2JQldrwptvIKcw_W5g8pyY3aIwh1h0cP8EyzATNRmqQftHgC08KAsUZ4u6BCCgmwHNRCPCU1q8vOns4PQehcI87EpRw/s1600/Benson13.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbXt4spDehx47fpgZ_byoQBFcKwFvugxxiRuciJ1lsgZtSOSF2JQldrwptvIKcw_W5g8pyY3aIwh1h0cP8EyzATNRmqQftHgC08KAsUZ4u6BCCgmwHNRCPCU1q8vOns4PQehcI87EpRw/s400/Benson13.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622713797291214114" /></a><div>To learn a bit more about the Hawks as a team and a franchise, I reached out to <a href="http://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Peachtree Hoops</a> of the SBNation.com network. Jason, a manager of the site, was kind enough to answer.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What positions were the Hawks looking to strengthen or add depth to through the draft this year? Does Keith Benson, a power forward/center, help fill a need?</b><br /><br />Jason: They're always looking for productive front court depth, maybe a shooter at small forward or defender, and point guard help. Benson helps potentially fill those minutes in the front court, but he has to be able to continue his fine defensive rebound rate from college to fill the "productive" part.<br /><br /><b>I always hear rumblings about how Al Horford is forced to play center when he’d rather be leaned on more as a power forward. In your view, what kind of player would be the perfect complement to Al Horford in the post?</b><br /><br />J: A legit seven footer to play center. Someone who will draw the opposition's center so that Al doesn't have to continue to try and back down and post folks who are 2-4 inches and 30-50 pounds more than he is.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>(Ed. note: Well, that description doesn't really sound like Benson. It will be interesting to monitor how the Hawks approach Benson's position.)</i><br /><br /><b>Tell us a bit about the team chemistry of the Hawks. I remember a lot of talk during last year’s playoffs about how unreal it was that the Hawks were contending even though some had thought Larry Drew had “lost the team.” How do you think the playoff run helped this team and its view of the coach?</b><br /><br />J: Larry Drew didn't lose the team down the stretch. They were worn out from having to play all the minutes due to the profound lack of depth after Jamal Crawford and Zaza Pachulia off the bench. Jeff Teague doesn't count because he was relegated to spot status for no good reason other than being young, from what we all could tell.<br /><br />This is a team that has grown up together, but a couple of the known blind spots to their main players--like Josh Smith and his jump shots and Joe Johnson and his ball holding--are starting to wear on the team as they fail to advance past the second round.<br /><br /><b>Jeff Teague wowed a lot of folks in the playoffs, particularly in the Bulls series. He was a high draft pick, but it still took some time for him to see lengthy court time. Is it fairly uncommon for the Hawks to play rookies in anything more than garbage minutes? Or has that been more a result of the team not having too many rookies lately?</b><br /><br />J: In this last era of Hawks players, I would say that there is no cut and dry answer here. Yes, Acie Law, Salim Stoudamire, and Jeff Teague have struggled to break through whatever roadblocks continue to confound them and provoke the coaches to keep them on the bench. Time has proven out the coaches on Stoudamire and Law, but Teague pushed through when no other options were there, and maybe something has clicked with both Larry Drew and Teague that will see Jeff get regular rotational minutes next year.<br /><br /><b>As a diehard Hawks fan, what would you like to see out of a second round draft pick like Keith Benson? What would be your realistic expectations for him over the next three seasons?</b><br /><br />J: Understanding where the Hawks got him, all I really would like to see is for Benson to be able to:<br /><br />A. Understand and execute all defensive assignments.<br />B. Be able to capture and maintain defensive position in order to grab defensive rebounds.<br />C. Any additional defensive presence like shot blocking would be great as long as it doesn't impact (B).<br />D. Don't be a Captain Stonehands offensively. He should finish strong around the basket.<br /><br /><b>Finally, there will be many Oakland Golden Grizzlies fans who will now have at least a passing interest in the Atlanta Hawks. Give us a couple of good reasons why we should be excited to watch the Hawks other than to see our favorite former OU baller.</b><br /><br />J: The Hawks are a playoff caliber team with three All-Star caliber players in Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Joe Johnson. When they are going, they can really create a lot of exciting basketball--after all their home court, Philips Arena, isn't called "The Highlight Factory" because they show a lot of clips on the jumbotron--and if Jeff Teague gets regular minutes, he can create a lot of excitement as well.<br /><br /><i>Thanks a lot to Jason and Peachtree Hoops for helping out!</i><br /></div></div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-17694485756149386932011-03-23T21:16:00.000-04:002011-03-23T21:17:07.049-04:00Closing TimeThe 2010-11 season came to a close last Friday, and with that comes the closing of the blog for the off-season. Though the Gameplan came into existence during last year's off-season, I found it was much more enjoyable to write about and analyze actual games than hypotheticals. As such, there won't be much content here over the summer. The one exception will be if there is an NBA Summer League, especially if Will Hudson ends up with an invite. The Summer League, held in Las Vegas every summer, is one of my favorite basketball events, and it'd be a thrill to do a post or two on it if it features two former Golden Grizzlies. However, due to the potential NBA lockout, it remains to be seen if there will in fact be a Summer League in 2011. <div><br /></div><div>If you read along this season, thanks a lot for stopping by. The blog was read more often than I ever expected, which perhaps shows that there are many Grizzly fans hungry for just about any coverage of their favorite basketball team. It was an honor to even be considered one such outlet. </div><div><br /></div><div>Several conference-related posts also proved that The Summit League has some incredibly strong fanbases. It's no coincidence that the most popular posts from this season were those featuring analysis of North Dakota State and South Dakota State. It was a lot of fun to learn more about the conference this season, and several nice comments from other Summit school fans made that effort worth it. </div><div><br /></div><div>If the blog comes back for 2011-12, it will start up on the eve of Midnight Madness. If not, it was fun while it lasted. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks again to anyone who read, commented, retweeted, or e-mailed during this season. If you ever have something to say, feel free to drop me an e-mail: goldengrizzliesgameplan [at] gmail.com. </div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-79847528482541652132011-03-16T19:51:00.002-04:002011-03-16T20:08:46.012-04:00NCAA Tournament Preview: Oakland vs. Texas<div align="center"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/311xopk.jpg" border="0" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 530px; height: 116px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">NCAA Tournament Round of 64</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">(13) Oakland </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">vs. (4) Texas</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Friday, March 18, 2011 | 12:15pm EST</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Watch: CBS / <a href="http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/2010-12-19/ncaa-march-madness-demand">MMOD</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Radio: <a href="http://www.1310wdtw.com/main.html">1310 WDTW</a> / <a href="http://www.wxou.org/">WXOU</a></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i54.tinypic.com/27ypxj7.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left; ">After a week of build up that included tons of words written and expert opinions given from sources both national and local in scope, Oakland and Texas are finally on the verge of actually playing basketball. This is the moment the Golden Grizzlies have been working toward for every moment since bowing out to Pittsburgh last season. The summer workouts, fall practices, brutal non-conference slate, and conference execution were all for the chance to get back to the NCAA Tournament and make some noise while there. Even though the team's seed is better this year, its opponent might be just as tough. Texas finished second place in the Big 12 and has had the look of a national championship contender at times this season. Oakland and Texas were in the tournament last season, but both suffered exists in the Round of 64. The Grizzlies and Longhorns are hungry to change their respective fates in this year's version. </div><div><br /><div style="text-align: left; "><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i56.tinypic.com/2ljgu11.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left; ">Shortly after the bracket was revealed, I put together <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/03/oakland-texas-first-look-offense-vs.html">a brief post</a> juxtaposing Oakland's offensive efficiency stats with those of Texas' defensive efficiency. From the tables there, we could see that Oakland excels on the offensive side of the ball, particularly on its two-point baskets, while Texas' strength is on the defensive end, especially in denying two-pointers. Here, I want to take a deeper look at the Texas defense, its calling card for much of the season.</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">As is hopefully common knowledge by now, the Texas defense is elite. Every Longhorn player is a capable man-to-man defender, which helps explain why their defense is so good despite the fact <a href="http://kenpom.com/stats.php?s=RankDTO_Pct">they don't force turnovers</a> at an alarming rate. Their guys contest shots, and they do it to the tune of allowing opposing teams to <a href="http://kenpom.com/stats.php?s=RankDeFG_Pct">effectively shoot</a> just 42% from the field. Due in part to this dynamic, Texas only gave up 0.879 points per possession during its league play. That figure jumps up to 0.902 points per trip when including the Big 12 Tournament. Still, it's a stellar mark. Here's a chart featuring the team's defensive points per possession through its 19 league games (green line). Offensive efficiency is also included in the blue line.</div></div><div style="text-align: left; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/15hkaqw.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 507px; height: 336px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/15hkaqw.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Though Texas' defensive efficiency is gaudy even at 0.902 at the season's end, we can see from the green line that it has been trending upward over the last six games or so. Because Texas was so dominant early in conference play, the collective average still looks fantastic. But let's take a closer look at the stretch run, defined as games played after February 17th. Texas' information is presented on the right side of the table, while Oakland's is included on the left for further discussion in a moment.</div><div style="text-align: left; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i51.tinypic.com/t6s01e.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 278px; height: 125px;" src="http://i51.tinypic.com/t6s01e.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>As the Texas column shows, the team's defensive efficiency plummeted over the last few weeks of the season. It allowed a full 0.114 more points per trip after February 17th than its season average in conference play. Offensively, the Longhorns were about the same; to see the difference, one would have to carry out the figure to the ten-thousandths. If Texas played even at its average defensive output down the stretch, it's very likely it'd be a number one seed right about now. However, the slight slip-up in the final weeks is enough to give Oakland fans a shed of hope that the Texas "D" won't be impenetrable. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">Oakland's figures during this same stretch are presented as well. Because the strength of the conferences is so different, I won't attempt to make any comparisons across the team columns. But we can see that relative to Oakland's average offensive efficiency in league play, the team was performing at an even more impressive clip down the stretch. Like Texas, OU's average defensive efficiency figure benefits from some early dominance, but the squad was allowing about 0.062 more points per trip than typical during the stretch run. There is reason to be concerned in that regard, but as a glass half-full fan, I am more impressed by the fact the Golden Grizzly offense has been performing at an elite level in recent weeks. They'll need that efficiency to punch holes in the Longhorn defense on Friday afternoon. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /><div style="text-align: left; "><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i52.tinypic.com/xm1gew.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><b>Key Match-Up</b></div><div><i>Will Hudson/Keith Benson vs. Gary Johnson/Tristan Thompson</i></div><div><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/303h53q.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; width: 76px; height: 76px; " /><div>Will Hudson and Keith Benson have been a formidable frontcourt duo for Oakland all season, both in and out of conference. Though it is true their strength, size, and experience gave them a distinct advantage over most Summit League takers, their production generally held up well against power conference competition too. OU will need all of their combined 17.2 rebounds per game against Texas' low-post pairing of Tristan Thompson (7.6 rebs/game) and Gary Johnson (6.8 rebs/game). Thompson, like Hudson, is an offensive rebounding machine, ranking fifth in the nation in raw offensive boards with 128, just ahead of Hudson's 127. Johnson has more of a presence on the defensive glass, similar to Benson. In a game featuring two great rebounding teams, the battle on the block among these players - all with last names ending in "-son" - figures to be key. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Texas Player To Watch: Jordan Hamilton</b></div><div><div><img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/282q3yv.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />Though Thompson and Johnson are strong rebounders, Texas' leader in that category is sophomore Jordan Hamilton who averages 7.7 per game. The 6-foot-7 guard/forward also chips in a team-high 18.6 points per game. When Hamilton is playing efficiently and locked-in on defense, Texas is a very scary squad. During some of the team's late struggles, he was taking a greater proportion of the team's shots, particularly from long-range, and when they didn't fall, Texas came up on the losing end. Against Oakland, Hamilton's greatest advantage aside from his skillset is his size. OU is not very tall at the small forward spot, but Drew Valentine and Ledrick Eackles are athletes who will try as they might to guard Texas' premier player. </div><div align="center" style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div align="center" style="text-align: left; ">Learn more about other Texas players <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/03/oakland-texas-q-with-burnt-orange.html">here</a> in a question and answer I did with SBNation.com's Texas blog, Burnt Orange Nation. </div><div align="center" style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div><b>Oakland Player To Watch: Reggie Hamilton</b></div><div><img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/15gw10w.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />Reggie Hamilton will have the fun opportunity to go up against a great Texas backcourt that features freshman stud Cory Joseph and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Dogus Balbay. Oakland's Hamilton has been on some next-level stuff for much of the past two months, but he hasn't faced a guard tandem quite like this since becoming Oakland's lead ball-handler. The Golden Grizzlies will need every bit of the redshirt junior's playmaking skills in half-court situations as they attempt to maximize their possessions against the stingy defense of Texas. Most importantly, perhaps, Reggie's leadership and confidence will be an asset should the team succumb to a Texas run at some point in the game. </div></div><div><br /></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i56.tinypic.com/2z50qdj.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>This will be the first game between Oakland and Texas. According to <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/2011/3/14/2042407/ncaa-tournament-2011-march-madness-seeds">this very clever piece</a> from SBNation.com, the 13-seed is 22-for-104 since 1985 in the Round of 64. The Summit League is 2-5 in such games in this time period, while Big 12 teams as 4-seeds are 3-2 against 13-seeds. </div><div><br /></div><div>The past three tournaments have featured at least one 13-over-4 outcome, last year's coming in the form of Murray State's classic victory over Vanderbilt. </div><div><br /></div><div>Two neat 13-over-4 situations that bode well for Oakland. In 2006, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlnzietDLVM">Bradley overcame another Big 12 opponent</a>, Kansas, in the first round game held at the Palace of Auburn Hills on an Oakland University court. Furthermore, the most memorable NCAA Tournament victory for The Summit League (ex-Mid-Con) came in a 13-over-4 scenario when Valparaiso's Bryce Drew <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0haGKGiX9qA">shocked the world to lead</a> the Crusaders over Ole Miss. That game was held in Oklahoma City, just two hours away from Friday's game in Tulsa. </div><div><br /></div><div>Though most Oakland fans will see the game tip at 12:15pm, it will actually begin in Tulsa at 11:15am due to the time zone difference. This is the earliest either team has played this season. Texas has played just one game occurring sometime during the noon hour, a 67-70 loss to Nebraska on February 19th. Oakland has played three such games: a 76-77 loss to Michigan State, a 51-69 defeat to Michigan, and an 86-78 victory over IPFW.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Pre-Game Linkage</b></div><div>Check out the <a href="http://goldengrizzlyhoops.proboards.com/index.cgi?">Golden Grizzly Hoops forum</a> where fans have been posting links and thoughts to everything they can find about Oakland and the tournament all week.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-18391636769769422232011-03-16T01:51:00.001-04:002011-03-16T01:56:53.150-04:00Oakland-Texas: Q&A With Burnt Orange NationAs a part of the Gameplan's coverage of the upcoming Oakland-Texas match-up, I reached out to Peter Bean of SBNation.com's <a href="http://www.burntorangenation.com/">Burnt Orange Nation</a> to get the scoop on the Longhorns. Though we'll both be cheering hard for our respective sides come Friday afternoon, a little blogging cooperation can go a long way toward becoming more familiar with an opponent. With that said, here's the full question and answer session with Peter. Many thanks to him for taking the time to answer.<div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://collegefootballbelt.com/Logos/texas_logo2.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 430px; height: 233px;" src="http://collegefootballbelt.com/Logos/texas_logo2.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a></div><div><b>For those who haven't seen much Texas this year, how would you broadly characterize the regular season the team put together in 2010-11? What were the high points, low points? And how do fans feel about the team heading into the tournament?</b><br /><br />Burnt Orange Nation: Relative to expectations heading in, the season was an unqualified success. After losing three players to the NBA Draft, most of us thought this Texas squad looked like a 20-22 win team, with 9 or 10 conference wins. Instead, the Horns went 27-7 overall, finishing second in the Big 12 with a 13-3 ledger, then made the conference tournament finals before losing the rematch with Kansas.<br /><br />Speaking of the Jayhawks, the high point of the season was Texas' incredible comeback win in Lawrence in which they outscored Kansas 51-28 in the second half, breaking the Jayhawks' 69-game home winning streak. The low point came in late February when the team lost three out of four to Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas State, but consecutive wins over Baylor, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M appeared to right the ship heading into the tournament. Most Texas fans feel like this is a team that at its best can play its way to Houston, but we’re young and have hit some bumps down the stretch, making it hard to say for sure whether this team is ready to play consistently good basketball in March.<br /><br /><b>For the first half or so of Big 12 play, a lot of the advanced metrics writers were collectively freaking out about the incredible defensive efficiency figures Texas was putting up. Then the Nebraska game happened, and the Longhorns started to look more "normal" on the defensive end in subsequent games. What happened to bring the Texas "D" back down to earth? How do they get back to that earlier approach?</b><br /><br />BON: Part of it is that the other teams just started hitting more shots. Simple regression. But part of it was that Jordan Hamilton went through a terrible offensive slump, and our defense suffered with our struggling offense. It's easier to get in your set defense and play great D when you're filling it up on offense. If Texas is scoring against Oakland, the defense will be there, too.<br /><br /><b>Senior Gary Johnson (11.5pts/6.8rebs), sophomore Jordan Hamilton (18.6pts/7.7rebs), and freshman Tristan Thompson (13.3pts/7.6rebs) appear to give Texas a very strong and athletic frontcourt with very balanced scoring and rebounding. What kind of teams have given them trouble on the boards this season, if at all? If they are all playing to their strengths, just how far can Texas go?</b><br /><br />BON: Teams with real muscle inside have given Texas some trouble on the boards, but for the most part Texas has done terrific work on the boards. The Longhorns are most vulnerable when a team has more than one tall banger inside, because at 6-6 Johnson doesn’t have the length to deal with a true big.<br /><br /><b>Senior Dogus Balbay is a noted perimeter defender, but freshman Cory Joseph has also developed into a strong defender over the course of the season. Where is Joseph at in his development on both sides of the ball? Can he "change a game" with a certain aspect of his skillset? Is he further along than where Avery Bradley was last year?</b><br /><br />BON: Joseph is one of the most polished freshman I've ever seen, and though he's had his ups and downs he's largely been one of the most consistent players on the team. He's certainly further along than Avery Bradley was offensively, and while he's a good defender, he's at this point shy of elite. He struggles at times with guards who have the size and length to take him to the post.<br /><br /><b>Which two or three guys on the Texas roster should opposing teams be aware of that do not grab the headlines as much as some of the key starters? What kind of impact can each of them have on the game?</b><br /><br />BON: The name for Oakland to know is J'Covan Brown. He's the best "pure" basketball player on the team (it comes so naturally to him), but his head isn't always in the game and he can make some devastatingly bad plays that take him out of the game, either figuratively or literally. At his best, though? He can drop 15 in the blink of an eye and make everyone else around him better.<br /><br /><b>We know the Burnt Orange Nation is huge and very passionate. Will the BOK Center be a heavy Longhorn lean on Friday afternoon in Tulsa?</b><br /><br />BON: If this were a football game? Sure. As is, there won't be too many fans who travel to this one. Should we make it, I’d bet we’ll have a stronger presence in Anaheim than Tulsa. Expect most of the Oklahomans to pull for your Golden Grizzlies.<br /></div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-26608623577708861382011-03-15T11:00:00.003-04:002011-03-15T11:16:50.734-04:00The 23 Flavors: Rooting For Oakland<div>Every year in the days between Selection Sunday and the first tip on Thursday afternoon, millions of casual sports fans try as they might to soak up a season's worth of college basketball information to aid in their bracket selections. Inevitably, many of these folks will attempt to be smarter than their friends by going out on a limb with an upset pick. For a lot of people, that pick will be the 13-seed Oakland University over the 4-seed University of Texas. Whether they come up with it on their own based on a cooler mascot or because a national media expert told them to do so, it's already looking like a fairly popular upset pick. </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://kevinrothermel.typepad.com/kevinrothermelcom/images/dr_pepper_23_flavors.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 263px;" src="http://kevinrothermel.typepad.com/kevinrothermelcom/images/dr_pepper_23_flavors.png" border="0" alt="" /></a></div><div>The mere fact that people will be asking questions about Oakland and its basketball team because it is on the big bracket is one of the chief benefits of making the NCAA Tournament field. The attention is definitely warranted, but there are more reasons to be interested in a team like Oakland than its seed line. I've come up with 23 of those reasons below, a number which was picked as a nod to Coach Greg Kampe's favorite soda, Diet Dr. Pepper. You see, OU's coach is a very humorous guy, and that personality trait is on display for fans in his weekly Grizz Talk chats with Paul Kampe of <i>The Oakland Press</i>, his weekly radio show on WXOU, and his pre-game video updates callled "Coach's Corner" on the team's official website. Throughout the season, a meme of sorts has developed and permeated every single one of those updates about Coach Kampe's love of all things Diet Dr. Pepper. The venerable beverage is known for its unique mix of 23 flavors. And just like the DDP, Oakland is a unique program with 23 flavors of its own that make it worthy of the casual basketball fan's attention beyond the confines of your bracket. Presented in no certain order, the 23 flavors for why you should root for Oakland:</div><div><br /></div><b>#23.</b> <b>Coach Kampe has a running inside joke about a soda!</b><div>Some coaches are Twitter fiends, others blog about their coaching experiences, and many more make the rounds with national television shows on the regular. But what coach in the entire nation has a running inside joke about a pop he really enjoys drinking? The Dr. Pepper meme is symbolic of a much broader characteristic of Coach Kampe: he's very media friendly. As an Oakland fan, you will never get bored of listening to this man talk, and he always keeps it real.<br /><div><br /></div><div><b>#22. Great media support</b></div><div>Those various updates from Coach Kampe wouldn't be possible without a lot of great media support. <i>The Oakland Press</i> covers the entirety of Oakland County, but its year-long coverage of OU basketball is unmatched. Paul Kampe currently serves as the OU beat writer for the paper, and his weekly Grizz Talk show (featuring interviews with Coach Kampe and various players) is a fan favorite. Moreover, his <a href="http://twitter.com/paulkampe">Twitter feed</a> and <a href="http://opgrizzden.blogspot.com/">Grizz Den outlet</a> are great places to go for the latest Oakland news and information. The team also benefits from having some of the best student media coverage out there. Dan Fenner has served as <a href="http://www.oaklandpostonline.com/">the student newspaper's</a> beat writer for OU hoops all season, and Matt Pocket and Bryan Everson from <a href="http://www.wxou.org/">WXOU student radio</a> have been broadcasting games and hosting shows with Coach Kampe on a weekly basis. Great efforts, all-around. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#21. Top-notch broadcasting and communications</b></div><div>All of Oakland's road games are broadcasted live on WDFN 1130AM with play-by-play from Mario Impemba, who Detroiters likely know better as the voice of the Detroit Tigers. But during the winter months, Impemba spends his time on the road with the Golden Grizzlies. He's joined by Neal Ruhl who provides color commentary and plenty of catchphrases. Ruhl also delivers most of the "Coach's Corner" updates from far-away arenas, offering fans a glimpse into OU's game preparation. The Athletics department also does a fine job of covering the games; for example, this season the game recaps on the official website featured not only an original story and box score, but also photos, video highlights, and post-game press conference video. There's no way you'll be out-of-the-loop as an Oakland fan thanks to these efforts. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#20. A growing program with an appreciation for its roots</b></div><div>While all of you bracket filler-outers watched the Selection Show on CBS, a couple thousand or so Oakland fans mingled in the team's on-campus arena awaiting the seed announcement. There were students, administrators, faculty, and staff in the house as well as numerous alumni, families, and community members enjoying one another's company, free food, and many giveaways. The coaches and team made the rounds to interact with all of the fans. The presentation of the event was at the level of a big-time program, yet the atmosphere of it was one of familiarity. Oakland is a growing program, but it has to this point maintained an appreciation for its roots. It's a great thing with which to be associated. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#19. A glorious three-point shooter</b></div><div>Though players come and go, there is no doubt this year's team features a memorable cast of characters. Redshirt freshman Travis Bader is tops in the nation in three-pointers made among all Division I freshmen. He has made 92 in 34 games, which stands as the most since Seth Curry had 102 in 2008-09 in 35 games played to lead the nation. And Bader's not just jacking up a ton of shots, either. Among those freshman with a minimum of 100 attempts, Bader trails only Kentucky's Doron Lamb in three-point percentage. The young guard's stroke is smooth, giving Oakland the kind of threat on the perimeter that strong tournament teams typically employ. He's also another in a long line of superb three-point shooters Oakland has recruited in recent years, a diamond in the rough kind of guy that the coaching staff has been known to find. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#18. A power-six transfer with a smooth jumper</b></div><div>Though he'll be gone after this season, senior guard Larry Wright puts up 20 points or more every five to six games. In between, he'll still have a presence, but when he's on, he's <i>on</i>. And it just so happens that he is due for one of those stunning performances as his last 20 point effort came six games ago. On a broader level, Wright also represents the kind of power-six transfer player Oakland picks up every now and then. You won't find any McDonald's All-Americans at Oakland, but that doesn't mean there aren't big-time talents on the team in a given year.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>#17. A Serbian assassin</b></div><div>Ilija Milutinovic, Oakland's 7-footer from Serbia, hasn't had a whole lot of playing time during his college career, but his best game came in the team's biggest win. Though he only scored four points when Oakland upset Tennessee, they were four very key points that came at a time when Keith Benson was off the court taking care of an injury. Ilija stepped in and filled the void for a brief time. When he hit a fall-back jumper as the shot clock drained out, the ESPNU broadcaster anointed him as "The Serbian Assassin," perhaps one of the best nicknames you will <i>ever</i> hear.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>#16. Four-year seniors</b></div><div>There aren't many four-year seniors on elite teams these days, let alone two who do their work on the block. Oakland has such a tandem in seniors Keith Benson and Will Hudson. Combined, the forwards shoot 59% from the field and average 17.2 rebounds per game. They provide the Golden Grizzlies with a dual-threat that is as skilled, strong, and experienced as any other low post duo in the country. During the last few seasons, OU has had a commendable group of seniors each year who graduate while making an impact on the court. These are guys you can support. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#15. Professional talent</b></div><div>Just because no one on the Oakland roster is leaving for the NBA after a year doesn't mean the program hasn't produced professional talent. Rawle Marshall spent some time in the Association in the middle of the aughts, and Keith Benson could very well be the first Golden Grizzly to hear his name called by David Stern this June. Other players have gone on to play professionally overseas. In fact, one of last year's seniors, Derick Nelson, is expected to make his debut in Australia next month, an arrival <a href="http://www.theadvocate.com.au/news/local/sport/basketball/oh-lordy-nelson-is-on-his-way/2097502.aspx">the local papers have dubbed</a> as "the most high-profile American basketball import" they've seen in that region in a decade. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#14. Michigan-based recruits</b></div><div>There are seven Division I programs in the State of Michigan, including perennial powerhouse Michigan State. With so much competition, Oakland has still been able to nab a number of great in-state recruits over the years. This year's roster features nine Michigan-bred players, including regular contributors Keith Benson, Travis Bader, Drew Valentine, and Larry Wright. As the program has grown, more out-of-state recruits have come aboard, including starters Reggie Hamilton (Illinois) and Will Hudson (Wisconsin), but this team remains a heavy Michigan lean. For casual basketball fans in Michigan, Oakland is a team worth rooting for because it scours the state for strong high school talent and helps develop them into great college basketball players.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>#13. A rocking pep band</b></div><div>Oakland's pep band is superb. They're a large and loud group that is just as active during media timeouts while playing the fight song as they are during actual possessions while cheering the team on with chants. They might also put on more face paint and other spirit-related items than the student section. The OU pep band will be there in Tulsa on Friday afternoon to cheer on and play along throughout the game. Dedication.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>#12. The Grizz Gang</b></div><div>Although Tulsa is over 16 hours away from Rochester, Michigan, I'm hearing that the university's student government will be sending a couple of busloads of students to the NCAA Tournament game. This is nothing new for Oakland, as it has a history of supporting students' efforts to get to tournament games. The student section has grown rapidly over the last few years, and it even has a chant that is begging to be replicated by other sections around the country. It's three simple words: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2ONhuzrZck">Poop. Your. Pants.</a> When you hear a couple hundred students through your telecast yelling that in between Texas free throws, good luck holding back the laughter. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#11. Sweet gear</b></div><div>As the higher seed in the Texas game, Oakland will very likely be sporting its all-black uniforms with golden lettering. It's a sleek look, and this year it will be pulled together with some special edition kicks from Nike. The <i>Detroit Free Press </i><a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20110314/SPORTS08/110314026/OU-s-basketball-team-gets-special-shoes-from-Nike-NCAA-tournament?odyssey=tab">ran a story</a> about the new tournament shoes yesterday where you can get a look. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#10. Strength in the non-conference</b></div><div>Does the team you normally follow typically play a measly non-conference schedule? Well, you might not be convinced that Oakland is a legitimate team yet, but there is certainly no denying the strength of its non-conference schedule. Coach Kampe takes on the toughest teams each year in part to help prepare his team for conference play. This season represented a bit of a breakthrough for the Golden Grizzlies as they were competitive in nearly every game they played against power-six schools, including a defining win over then-seventh ranked Tennessee. Every power team Oakland played in November and December is in the NCAA Tournament this season. This is a battle-tested group of guys who will not fear a team because of its conference affiliation. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#9. The Summit League is better than you think</b></div><div>Flowing from that last "flavor," the March-only basketball fan might say, "True, but who does Oakland play in January and February?" This is a very valid question, and providing a convincing answer might prove difficult. The March-only fan has likely never heard of most of Oakland's conference counterparts, and schools with names like IPFW, IUPUI, and UMKC inspire little confidence. But bear with me. This past season was one of the league's best to date, and certainly the strongest since three of its members joined a few seasons ago. In 2008-09, the conference ended the year as the 26th ranked league by RPI; in 2009-10, it was 23rd; and in 2010-11, it was 21st. One must also consider this year's ranking came with the inclusion of a team that very nearly went winless (that team is no longer in the league after this season). While there is still much room for improvement, The Summit League is better than you think - and Oakland just went 20-1 in it, including the tournament. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#8. An exciting brand of basketball</b></div><div>Coach Kampe implemented the dribble-drive offense a few seasons ago, but we are perhaps seeing it at its best this year with Reggie Hamilton as its chief conductor. The team averaged 85.6 points per game this season, which is second in the nation! For my tempo-free compadres, OU's 115.9 adjusted points per 100 possessions ranks 13th in all of Division I. Hamilton has proven to be an elite player off the dribble; his drives not only result in a lot of buckets for himself, but they also open up his teammates for passes on the perimeter. This dynamic has given Oakland a high-octane offense that is just as exciting in transition as it is in the half-court.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>#7. The consummate team leader</b></div><div>Speaking of Reggie Hamilton, the redshirt junior has been a joy to watch this season. He's a versatile guard who shoots a high-percentage because of his ability to get great looks around the basket. But he's also a strong three-point shooter. Where Bader gets most of his looks in catch-and-shoot situations through screens or spot-ups in the corner, Hamilton can knock a defender off his feet with just a few dribbles. More often than not, that's all he needs to get enough space for the three-point attempt. His end-to-end speed and agility make him a tough guy to stay in front of no matter the situation. Most importantly, Hamilton has all of the intangibles a fan would seek in a high-profile talent: he's confident and well-spoken, and his teammates are ultimately better off because of his leadership. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#6. Black and gold</b></div><div>Are there two greater colors in existence? Give me black and gold over green and white, Carolina blue, or burnt orange any day. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#5. Depth</b></div><div>As the Oakland program has grown, so too has its recruiting profile. Consequently, there are some really good players buried on Oakland's bench who might be full-time players elsewhere. Because of the talent level on this year's roster, we haven't seen as much of talented underclassmen like sophomore Ledrick Eackles or freshman Ryan Bass. Eackles' biggest game of his career came in last year's NCAA Tournament, but a number of factors - including injury - have limited his playing time this season. Still, anyone who saw Eackles go up against Pittsburgh's guards last season know the young Louisiana native has a bevy of skills. Ryan Bass was too good for the team to redshirt him, and we've seen glimpses as to why when he's had a chance to play. Bass is a great passer and has shown a tenacity on the defensive end that, if cultivated, could make him a ballhawk in future seasons. There is also Blake Cushingberry, a big guard who can shoot the three, but he missed the season with a knee injury. Though it may seem like Oakland doesn't have much depth when one sees that six players get a majority of the minutes, the talent is definitely there. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#4. A yeoman's effort</b></div><div>If you want to root for a hard-working guy who never takes a play off, look for number 4 of the Golden Grizzlies as senior Will Hudson fits that description perfectly. Though anyone who watches an Oakland game could tell you that, we can also look at Hudson's offensive rebounding figures to back up the statement. Offensive rebounds are often the result of pure effort, and this 6-foot-9 forward has amassed 127 offensive rebounds this season. That's ten more on the offensive glass than he's had on the defensive glass, and it's a mark good enough for sixth in the entire nation (interestingly, Texas' Tristan Thompson has one more than Hudson). Will goes to work on every possession on both ends of the court. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#3. Confidence</b></div><div>During the stretch run, Oakland's players displayed a sense of confidence for the ages. There's not much showboating or chest-pounding with this team. Just confidence. They've played in some of the nation's toughest arenas this season against tournament teams, and they just finished going 20-1 against The Summit League, including three resounding wins in the conference tournament. Throughout league play, every Summit team gave Oakland its best shot yet fell short. It takes a lot of focus to get through such a schedule with nary a slip-up while remaining hungry and humble. One of the team's standout players during league season was sophomore Drew Valentine, and he continues to ooze with the confidence he's gained over the last three months. On the approaching tournament match-up, <a href="http://www.detnews.com/article/20110313/SPORTS0203/103130341/1133/SPORTS/Oakland-coach-on-NCAA-first-round-matchup--Texas">he told the Detroit News</a>: "I want to be that guy that defends their best player."<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>#2. An NBA prospect in the middle</b></div><div>Per game averages: 18.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 blocks. Nineteen double-doubles. 55.3% shooting from the field. The conference Player of the Year award and top defensive player honor. Keith Benson is a dominant player, perhaps the most dominant at his level. There's no show to his game. He does what's necessary to he help his team win, and it just so happens that by doing so he ends up with double-doubles and a number of crowd-pleasing blocks. If you're jumping on the wagon today, there might not be many more chances to see the big man as he's a senior and on his way to a professional career. But for now, there's a game coming up against Texas. Everything's bigger in Texas, they say, and that is certainly true of the Longhorn frontcourt as a whole. But Keith Benson, in an elimination game on the biggest of stages, might have something to say about that. And as fans, it's just a pleasure to sit back and enjoy. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>#1. Longevity and loyalty</b></div><div>Coach Kampe has been at Oakland for 27 years. He built the program from the ground up into a winner at the Division II level, oversaw the transition to Division I at the turn of the century, and now leads it into its third NCAA Tournament. Though it should almost be expected that some bigger schools will make a few calls to Coach Kampe this offseason about coaching vacancies, precedent suggests that those phone calls won't go very far. Kampe is an institution at Oakland, so there's not much reason to worry about it all ending the day a Big East school comes calling like you might encounter with some other strong mid-major programs. To end this, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Coach Kampe. During last year's March Madness, he was <a href="http://www.onmilwaukee.com/sports/articles/oaklandtranscriptdayone.html">asked a question about why he stays at Oakland</a>, and the answer is pretty moving:</div><div><blockquote>"It's amazing how often I get asked that. It really is. I've tried to change the answer just for the fun of it. But it really comes back down to the grass is always greener on the other side. And I'm just a guy who -- I come from Defiance, Ohio, little town. My dad put fertilizer on his yard and he tried to make it as green as he could make it. So pretty much my background -- this is my job, not to chase other jobs, but to do my job as best I can. And I really view that my job is to make Oakland a special place. I've said that many times and I'll say it again. And when I'm done with this thing I hope that people think it's a special place that kids want to go there. And we won a lot of games and we won them in the right way with good people and with good kids. And I'm also lucky that I have pretty good job security. [...] There's also something to be able to walk across the campus, to know everyone on the campus from the janitors to cooks. That's kind of a good lifestyle."</blockquote>Without a doubt, Oakland is a great program to root for. So pick the Golden Grizzlies on your bracket, but don't be afraid to stick around for a while. </div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-2106737773017064992011-03-14T02:10:00.001-04:002011-03-14T02:16:46.126-04:00Oakland-Texas First Look: Offense vs. DefenseEarlier this evening, it was <a href="http://www.ougrizzlies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031311aac.html">revealed</a> in front of an anticipatory O'rena crowd that Oakland earned a 13-seed and a match with the Texas Longhorns, a 4-seed out of the Big 12. Though many folks have <a href="http://www.burntorangenation.com/2011/3/13/2049075/texas-longhorns-seed-west-region-ncaa-tournament-oakland-grizzlies">questioned how Texas fell to a 4-seed</a>, the fact remains that OU and Texas will meet on Friday afternoon in the 4-13 match. On the surface, the contest will pit one of the nation's most efficient offensive teams in Oakland against the nation's best defensive team in Texas. Have a look:<div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/4fy0lg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 377px; height: 153px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/4fy0lg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>The table presents Oakland's offensive numbers and national rank, while the Texas side features the Longhorns' defensive figures. In terms of adjusted efficiency, Oakland is right up there in the top 15 in the country on the offensive side of the ball, while Texas earns the distinction as the most efficient defensive team in college basketball. Looking down the Texas column, it's easy to see why: for the season, the Longhorns have held teams to 29% shooting from deep and 41.5% from inside the arc, both of which rank in the top five of the nation. For its part, Oakland is the second best shooting team from inside the arc in all of Division I, making 55.8% of its two-point attempts. The Golden Grizzlies also get it done from beyond the perimeter where they shoot 37.7%, good for 39th place. The key aspect to consider here is that Texas managed to put up these figures against Big 12 offenses while Oakland's offensive numbers hinge quite a bit on Summit League competition. One of the major inquiries, then, heading into this game is if Oakland's offense can withstand the brunt of a Texas defense that has been tested time and again against elite competition over the last two months. </div><div><br /></div><div>For what it's worth, a lot has been written about the Texas defense this season, much of which came during the team's <a href="http://www.basketballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=636">historical 11-0 start to Big 12 play</a>. After a February 19th loss to Nebraska, though, Texas started to look a bit shaky, losing two of its next three games. What favors Oakland is that the collapse, <a href="http://www.basketballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=636">as John Gasaway termed it</a>, may have been precipitated by a simple <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/24499/doubting-texas-youre-not-alone">lack of the same focus and intensity</a> that the team had early on, which perhaps then exposed a team with an <a href="http://rushthecourt.net/2011/02/25/behind-the-numbers-cliches-and-champions/">offense that struggled to be elite</a>. Catch Texas on an off night and shots will fall, particularly for a sound shooting team like Oakland. But when the Longhorns are <i>on</i>, they're a beast to score against.</div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-11954693411333263192011-03-11T00:40:00.002-05:002011-03-11T00:57:21.899-05:00The Gameplan's Championship Recap: ORU<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i56.tinypic.com/35b72he.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 430px; height: 245px;" src="http://i56.tinypic.com/35b72he.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>For the second straight year, Oakland put on a show in the conference tournament championship game. Like IUPUI last season, Oral Roberts made a few runs that got the heart beating, but the Golden Grizzlies ultimately got the necessary stops to win this one going away. With the championship clinching win, it's <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/03/on-to-big-bracket.html">on to the big bracket</a> for the OU hoops squad. <div><br /></div><div><b>The Run</b></div><div>When Oakland played Oral Roberts down in Tulsa earlier this season, the Golden Grizzlies played a dominant brand of basketball in the first half, and only a last-second three-pointer by Roderick Pearson stood between them and a double-digit lead at the halfway point. ORU bounced back in the second half and eventually grabbed a small lead, but Oakland did work down the stretch to retain the lead on its way to victory. In the championship game, OU's players came out firing just like they did at the Mabee Center, but this time they would head in at the break with a twelve point lead. When Oral Roberts came out gunning to begin the second half, it looked like this one would play out just like that December meeting. </div><div><br /></div><div>ORU tied the game on a three-pointer by Warren Niles with 13:29 left in the game, and a mystical foul on Travis Bader led to Niles going to the line where he connected to give his team a one point lead. Then, despite precedent suggesting this one would be close, Oakland proceeded to put a thumping on the Golden Eagles for the next ten minutes in the form of a 28-9 run, all but assuring the automatic bid was safely defended. Here, I recap that run through the very subjective eyes of a stoked Grizzly fan:</div><div><blockquote>13:14: Keith Benson passes out of the double-team to Will Hudson under the basket. Hudson completes the lay-up. Very comfortable play, team shows its poise. OU regains one-point lead. [Run: 2-0]<br /><br />12:52: Dominique Morrison drives on Drew Valentine, Kito comes to help leading to an opening under the basket for Tim Morton, ORU's back-up big man. DoMo completes nice assist to Morton [Run: 2-2]</blockquote><blockquote>12:25: Reggie Hamilton hits a falling-back jumper after losing Ken Holdman thanks to a Keith Benson screen. He kisses it off the glass for good measure. A fairly unusual play for Reggie considering just 6.7% of all of his field goals in the regular season were two-point jumpers outside of the paint, per my stats tracking. [Run: 4-2]</blockquote><blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i51.tinypic.com/2gx2nes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 340px; height: 199px;" src="http://i51.tinypic.com/2gx2nes.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>11:53: Ken Holdman misses an open three. Drew Valentine grabs the board over Steven Roundtree. A break for the Grizzlies.</blockquote><blockquote>11:30: After a Larry Wright drive and miss, Will Hudson offensive rebound and miss, and Keith Benson offensive rebound, the officials call a foul on Steven Roundtree. Benson goes to the charity stripe, hits both. [Run: 6-2]</blockquote><blockquote>11:21: Tim Morton hits a jumper while extended in the paint. Kito was protecting the basket so he had some room, but who has Morton taking that shot, let alone hitting it? Brings ORU back to within one. [Run: 6-4]</blockquote><blockquote>11:07: Hamilton passes to Benson early in the possession. Benson posts up Morton deep in the post, gets an easy two. [Run: 8-4]</blockquote><blockquote>10:28: Warren Niles' pass to Ken Holdman is intercepted by Hamilton who proceeds to run the length of the court for a transition bucket [Run: 10-4]</blockquote><blockquote>10:13: Warren Niles loses Larry Wright off a screen, gets pass on perimeter, and opts for the NBA-range three. Misses. Rebound Benson. </blockquote><blockquote>9:57: Hamilton gets space off the dribble, shoots a quick three that misses. Ball bounces around a bit before heading toward the sidelines at centercourt - last touched by Benson. But Benson dives to the ground to save it toward Larry Wright who is promptly fouled. Wright sinks 'em both. A great effort by Benson to save the ball on that play. [Run: 10-4]</blockquote><blockquote>9:39: Damen Bell-Holter's shot attempt is swatted by Keith Benson.</blockquote><blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i56.tinypic.com/2uj6qa8.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 212px;" src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2uj6qa8.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>9:38: Hamilton races to grab the deflection, but he is called for a foul on Rod Pearson at center court. Coach Kampe can not believe his eyes! Though as Rasheed Wallace might warn, "The ball don't lie." Pearson misses the front end of the 1-and-1. </blockquote><blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/2hns26b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 330px; height: 211px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2hns26b.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>9:27: After a Drew Valentine rebound, Oakland races up the court where Hamilton dishes off to a streaking Benson for a lay-up. ESPN play-by-play man Lou Canellis proclaims, "He's headed to the next level as a lottery pick!" " [Run: 12-4]</blockquote><blockquote>9:07: Rod Pearson misses a lay-up that was altered by both Hamilton and Benson.</blockquote><blockquote>8:59: Hudson tosses the rebounded ball to Hamilton who drives straight to the bucket and finishes despite a foul by Damen Bell-Holter. Sinks the and-1 attempt. Lead is now back to double-digits. [Run: 15-4]</blockquote><blockquote>8:47: ORU scoring drought is over after a Will Hudson foul leads to two made free-throws by Dominique Morrison. [Run: 15-6]</blockquote><blockquote>8:39: OU breaks the ORU press, leading to a quick alley-oop pass from Valentine to Benson who dunks it home (the second one in this clip). [Run: 17-6]</blockquote><blockquote><div align="center"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="330" height="278" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jyIv2ExLufQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div align="center"><br /></div>8:19: Warren Niles forced into a long two-point jump shot after Hudson stops his path to the basket. Misses. Hamilton grabs rebound and...</blockquote><blockquote>8:11: ...takes the ball down the court and weaves through two defenders for yet another transition lay-up where a foul was called again. Canellis yells, "HE JUST DID THAT!" Yes, he did. He's a gunner. Hamilton misses the and-1 attempt. [Run: 19-6]</blockquote><blockquote>7:54: Damen Bell-Holter puts up a shot attempt over Keith Benson that soars over the top of the backboard. No comment.</blockquote><blockquote>7:40: Out of a media timeout, Hamilton spots up and drains a three over Ken Holdman. Ice cold! [Run: 22-6]</blockquote><blockquote>7:04: Will Hudson foul leads to two free-throws for Dominique Morrison. (It should be noted both fouls on Will so far in this run were on attempts to draw the charge) He goes 1-of-2. [Run: 22-7]</blockquote><blockquote>6:48-42: Ken Holdman finally gets the best of Hamilton, causing him to make an errant pass. Holdman shows off some of his own quickness by taking the ball from end-to-end for a lay-up. [Run: 22-9]</blockquote><blockquote>6:18: Grizzlies go to Benson on the block, guarded by Damen Bell-Holter. The sophomore big nicks Benson on the arm as he falls away with a jump shot. Shot does not fall, but one of the two free-throws does go in. [Run: 23-9]</blockquote><blockquote>6:01: Dominique Morrison misses a three contested by Valentine. Ledrick Eackles pulls down the board!</blockquote><blockquote>5:50: Hamilton cuts through the lane before dishing to Benson who is fouled by Steven Roundtree. The Newcomer of the Year fouls out with 5:50 left. Great year for the young forward, but foul trouble was an issue for him all year. During the free-throw attempts (Benson hits 1-of-2 again), they show the following graphic where, yet again, the loss to Wright State is lamented! [Run: 24-9]</blockquote><blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i53.tinypic.com/2589gft.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 330px; height: 210px;" src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2589gft.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>5:29: Rod Pearson makes a nice move toward the basket but misses as he attempts a wrap-around lay-up. </blockquote><blockquote>5:01: With a 16-point lead, Hamilton takes his time bringing the ball up the court, which clearly messed with his aura because he <a href="http://www.charliesheenhasonespeed.com/">only has one speed: go!</a> It goes without saying that he misses the shot attempt. </blockquote><blockquote>4:55-51: Drew Valentine pops the ball out of Dominique Morrison's hands, which conveniently lands in Hamilton's hands. Hamilton gives the transition pass to Drew who dunks it with authority. [Run: 26-9]</blockquote><blockquote>4:38-32: Rod Pearson again tries to get off a shot in the paint, but Keith Benson's outstretched arms send the ball into the palms of Ledrick Eackles. Eackles, showcasing his own end-to-end speed, runs with Hamilton up the court and dishes to the junior for yet another transition bucket. And with that Oakland has itself a 20-point lead, thus completing the majority of this run. [Run: 28-9]</blockquote></div><div>Most would agree the game was pretty much wrapped up at that point. OU bumped the lead to as high as 24 before ORU made a couple of late buckets to get it to a respectable fourteen point deficit at close. To recap the recap:<br /></div><div><ul><li>ORU's leading scorer during this stretch was Tim Morton with four points. Morrison had three points from free throws, and Holdman had a lay-up off the only forced turnover during the stretch. Furthermore, two of ORU's possessions ended because of an OU steal or block. A full six of the team's other possessions ended on missed field goals that were contested. Only two attempts - Holdman's three and Niles' NBA three - were mostly uncontested. </li><li>Hamilton led the team with 12 points during this stretch. Kito chipped in 10. Will, Drew, and Larry each had two. Winners, all of them.</li></ul><div>What a run! This team's will to win showed up throughout the season and conference tournament, but nowhere was it more needed than right after Bader went to the bench with his fourth foul and Niles put ORU ahead. The team's seniors stepped up, and its unequivocal leader proved why he has earned such a role. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Keith Benson In Championship Games</b></div><div>Oakland's senior center had his best championship as a Grizzly against ORU in terms of point production, but he has more or less had monster lines all three times he's played in the Tuesday finale on ESPN2. His per game averages in those three games:</div><div><ul><li>Points: 16.7</li><li>Field goal shooting: 59%</li><li>Rebounds: 15.0</li><li>Blocks: 4.0</li></ul><div>Benson also had four assists in this most recent battle. Most importantly, he leaves Oakland 2-1 in championship games. Not a bad winning percentage to have on one's resume. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Drew Valentine Signature</b></div><div>This is old news by now, but Drew Valentine was able to conduct his signature play <i>yet again</i> in the championship game. On this one, he steals a pass aimed for Dominique Morrison that leads to a transition dunk. </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/2wlzn89.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 189px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2wlzn89.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><div><b>What's Next?</b></div><div>Oakland heads to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season as The Summit League's automatic qualifier. The team will find out its seed, site, and first round opponent on Sunday evening's Selection Show on CBS. </div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-84868106743976572862011-03-09T00:58:00.004-05:002011-03-09T01:18:55.531-05:00On To The Big Bracket<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i54.tinypic.com/2hxawl5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 430px; height: 270px;" src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2hxawl5.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/166psi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 430px; height: 263px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/166psi.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div align="center"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="430" height="272" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2MJZkNfeKBE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Congrats to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies! Summit League Tournament champions for the second year in a row!Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-75783202494758546922011-03-08T11:45:00.001-05:002011-03-08T11:59:47.155-05:00Championship Game Preview: Oakland vs. Oral Roberts<div align="center"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/20k82gp.jpg" border="0" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 530px; height: 116px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">Summit League Tournament Championship</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">(1) Oakland </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">vs. (2) Oral Roberts</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Tuesday, March 8, 2011 | 9:00pm EST</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Watch: ESPN2 / <a href="http://www.espn3.com/">ESPN3.com</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Radio: <a href="http://www.wdfn.com/">WDFN</a> / <a href="http://www.wxou.org/">WXOU</a></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i54.tinypic.com/27ypxj7.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left; ">Oakland advanced to its third straight conference tournament championship game with a <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/03/gameplans-semifinal-recap-sdsu.html">win last night over South Dakota State</a>. The team starting firing early and often on its way to building a nice lead that sequestered any home court advantage for the Jacks. Now, just as it has been every year in Sioux Falls, Oakland remains as one of two teams to battle for the NCAA Tournament bid. The Golden Grizzlies will look to stay poised and focused in an effort to win the tournament crown for a second straight year. Oral Roberts, which advanced after taking care of business over IUPUI, will seek its first NCAA bid since 2007-08. The national television audience will be treated to a great game from the conference's most formidable foes. </div><div><br /><div style="text-align: left; "><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i56.tinypic.com/2ljgu11.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left; ">If history tells us anything, it's that this will be a close game that goes down-to-the-wire. Oakland and Oral Roberts have a long history of intense battles, and those have only been magnified under the bright lights of the league tournament. In championship games, each school has exactly one win over the other. Oakland's came in 2005 by a one-point margin, and Oral Robert's was in 2007 by a final score of 71-67. In all likelihood, then, it's reasonable to think this one could be just as close. So if the game is on the line, which players are most likely to have the ball in their hands, and which of those might be the best options? For that, we turn to a clutch gauge.</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">There may very well be established measures of a player's "clutchness," but given the short turnaround between games, I was not able to fully look into this area. So for the time being, I've concocted a distribution I'm calling the clutch gauge. First, I define the clutch time as under three minutes left in the game, and for the purposes of this project, the score must have been within eight points, either way. If the team was down by eight points, then we would assume those players on the court would be most likely to try to bring the team within reach. Likewise, if the team is up eight points at that point in time, there is still enough time left for possessions to be valued. I also only use conference games to ensure a somewhat balanced schedule (ORU had 11 such games, and OU had 9). So with the basics defined, let's look at ORU's clutch distribution:</div><div style="text-align: left; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i54.tinypic.com/adkvnc.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 242px;" src="http://i54.tinypic.com/adkvnc.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left; ">So we measure a player's contribution in this time frame by "Points Per Weighted Shot," which basically tells us how many points a player scored given the amount of shots he took (with free throws <a href="http://bigtenwonk.blogspot.com/2004/12/no-big-dance-for-buckeyes-ohio-state.html">"weighted" accordingly</a>). An average PPWS in The Summit League is about 1.09; essentially, the higher, the better. To ensure that a player isn't benefiting from simply taking one shot that he made, the "Percentage of Shots" column shows us the percentage of shots accounted for by that player. For ORU, when the game is close and under three minutes, we can reliably say that Dominique Morrison, Damen Bell-Holter, and Warren Niles will most often be taking shots. DBH seems to account for a lot of the team's free throws at this point in the game, so he gets a healthy boost. However, DoMo and Niles are the true shot creators here. More specifically, Niles might be the more dangerous of the two in the clutch. He's perfect on his free throws in this sample, and he's shooting about 62% on his three-pointers. As a result, he has a rather astronomical PPWS mark. Basically, if the game is in the final minutes and Niles is spotting up for a three, there is reason to be concerned as OU fans!</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">To a lesser degree, one must keep an eye on Ken Holdman. If he gets the ball to score, which he rarely does in these situations, he has at least proven effective. But more often than not, it's going to be Morrison or Niles, with a slight edge to Niles as the guy who can put the most points up with the least amount of shots. Now, to Oakland.</div><div style="text-align: left; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/2dgqt0w.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 221px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2dgqt0w.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>As a reminder, these numbers are developed through conference games only, so for Oakland it might not tell the whole story since a few of the team's closer games came in November and December. Still, there were enough league games where the Grizzlies had to "do work" to maintain a late lead for this to be useful. To no one's surprise, Reggie Hamilton proves to be the most clutch player on the team. Not only does he take a high percentage of the team's shots in the waning minutes, but he also connects on them, producing 1.68 PPWS. For Hamilton, that's largely a result of his accuracy at the free throw line (18 of 22 in these situations). Larry Wright and Keith Benson are next in order. Wright gets a major bump from some of the late threes he hit at North Dakota State. Benson doesn't look quite as strong due to missed free throws (9 of 14). Travis Bader has a great PPWS mark on the season, a reflection of his role as a three-point specialist, but he doesn't fair as well here simply due to a lack of sample size (meaning he hasn't often been called upon in the final minutes thus far). Finally, Will Hudson and Drew Valentine have both proven reliable with limited opportunities. In particular, Valentine's number suggests he has been ready to execute when his number is called in the final three minutes of tight games.</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">At the very least, these numbers can give us an idea of which players have proven to be the most clutch in close league games this season. It will be neat to monitor the roles of the players on the court in the final minutes if the score is indeed close. </div></div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /><div style="text-align: left; "><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i52.tinypic.com/xm1gew.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><b>Key Match-Up</b></div><div><i>Will Hudson vs. Steven Roundtree</i></div><div><img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2w4bnms.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; width: 76px; height: 76px; " /><div>Though Will Hudson has had a number of primetime performances this season, his two outings against Oral Roberts perhaps shine the brightest. Against his team's biggest rival, the senior averaged a stellar 21 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest, in part accomplished by going a combined 18-0f-21 from the field. Hudson's always been a high-percentage scorer, but 86% in the biggest of games is otherworldly, especially when one also considers the ORU frontcourt has played fairly strong all season. Sophomore Damen Bell-Holter and freshman Steven Roundtree had great years as full-time players for the first time. Roundtree, an athletic though stringy forward, held his own against Oakland the first time around, though in both games he was prone to foul trouble. Even so, he made his contribution on the offensive glass, as he often has done this year, and showed off glimpses of potential both on the block and off the dribble. In past meetings, the experience and toughness of Hudson won out, but both Roundtree and Bell-Holter have played well down the stretch. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Oral Roberts Player To Watch: Dominique Morrison</b></div><div><div><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/afby1f.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />In his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRKkySaoUFk">post game interview</a> last night, Coach Scott Sutton brought up the fact that Dominique Morrison, who came to ORU after the school's string of NCAA Tournament appearances, had yet to achieve his ultimate goal of winning the conference tournament. Morrison, we can expect, is hungry to lead the Golden Eagles back to the Big Dance, and he gets a shot at doing so against a team he has played well against this season. In fairness to the Grizzlies, Morrison plays well against just about every team, but for the first time we get to see how the junior responds with an automatic bid on the line. He'll surely keep Oakland's defenders busy.</div><div align="center" style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div><b>Oakland Player To Watch: Keith Benson</b></div><div><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/magoqr.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />As with Morrison, Oakland's Keith Benson is the face of his team. He's the star, the two-time first team player, and the most likely to end up making big bucks playing this game. Benson has had a strong tournament so far and notable performances against ORU this year alongside Will Hudson in the frontcourt. Kito also showcased his stamina in those two previous matches by logging a full 40 minutes of playing time in each. History shows us that Benson has come out to work in championship games, particularly on the glass (15.5 rebounds/game) and through his shot-blocking (4.5 blocks/game), and it was also Kito who had the go-ahead dunk against NDSU before Ben Woodside ruined everything in 2009. Moreover, who can forget the two incredible defensive stops he had late in the championship game against IUPUI last season? He got the best of Alex Young with just under three minutes left, and then a minute later he pounded a shot attempt by Billy Pettiford that led to a face-melting and-1 lay-up by Derick Nelson. The game was over at that point. I can only hope we are lucky enough to watch another similar performance from the Player of the Year this time around.</div></div><div><br /></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i56.tinypic.com/2z50qdj.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>As noted earlier in the post, the teams have met twice in the conference tournament. Oakland beat Oral Roberts as a seven seed in the 2005 tournament on a last-second shot by Pierre Dukes. ORU bested OU two years later as a part of the team's three-year reign as overlords of The Summit League's automatic bid. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Pre-Game Linkage</b></div><div>Finally, check out the <a href="http://goldengrizzlyhoops.proboards.com/index.cgi?">Golden Grizzly Hoops forum</a> where fans have been posting links and thoughts to everything they can find about Oakland and the tournament all week.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-79734370987521797182011-03-08T01:53:00.003-05:002011-03-08T02:09:28.355-05:00The Gameplan's Semifinal Recap: SDSU<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/29divlw.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 430px; height: 220px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/29divlw.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>True to the form of their previous meetings, the semifinal game between Oakland and South Dakota State was an offensive juggernaut where a lot of points were scored. Oakland got out to a hot start in the opening minutes and never looked back, eventually winning by a score of 110-90. Though SDSU received large contributions from its underclassmen - notably Nate Wolters, Jordan Dykstra, and Chad White - Oakland's experience, hunger, and confidence proved to be the difference, allowing the Golden Grizzlies to dominant most facets of the match. For more on how the game went down and reaction to it from the coaches and players, check out the game stories from Paul Kampe of <i>The Oakland Press</i> <a href="http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/03/07/sports/grizzlies/doc4d75aaa225b70513708660.txt">here</a> and Dan Fenner of <i>The Oakland Post</i> <a href="http://oaklandpostonline.com/2011/03/07/sports/rd2-men/">here</a>. And post-game press conference video from the conference is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl1ySWkJU1s">here</a>, plus a WXOU interview with Drew Valentine <a href="http://podcasts.wxou.org/?mode=viewid&post_id=57">here</a>.<div><br /></div><div><b>Superlatives</b></div><div>Where does one start with a performance like the one the Golden Grizzlies turned in on Monday evening? Scoring 110 points in a tournament game? The stunning production of sophomore Drew Valentine? The 57% three-point shooting? Keith Benson's well-rounded game? Travis Bader's squandering of SDSU's Clint Sargent? The ridiculous turnover rate? Or how about ESPN's Andy Katz <a href="http://twitter.com/ESPNAndyKatz/status/44922519865659392">chiming in about his respect</a> for all things Oakland? Well, as has often been the case on this blog, let's first turn to Oakland's offensive efficiency. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you read the <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/03/semifinal-preview-oakland-vs-south.html">preview</a> for this game, you'll remember the table included with the possession-based offensive efficiency data. In two meetings, Oakland had scored 0.13 more points per possession than its conference season average on SDSU's defense, while SDSU managed to go for just 0.04 more points per trip than its own average on Oakland's defense. In the semifinal game, SDSU managed to boost this to 0.06, but it allowed Oakland to go for 0.31 more points per possession than its season average! It was, simply put, an absolute drubbing. Consider that Oakland's 1.50 points scored per possession was not only a season-high for the team, but it also ranked second in the entire nation out of <b><i>ALL</i></b> games played between Division I teams this season. Here's the top five, according to BBState.com:</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/2hydv1v.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 329px; height: 141px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2hydv1v.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>It's interesting that the top three performances all happened in the past three days. Syracuse's is probably a bit misleading given the fact that Depaul is a cellar dweller in the Big East, but the drubbings put forth by Ohio State and Oakland were against fairly solid teams from their respective conferences. It's been no secret that Oakland's offense has been great, but for most of the season that has been the case despite the team's tendency to turn the ball over. The team has improved in that department over the year, but one of the reasons it was so efficient last night was because of its superb turnover rate. On this night we were able to see just how explosive Oakland can be sans those turnovers. To put the team's 5.5% turnover rate in perspective, consider the following:</div><div><ul><li>1. Oaklands 5.5% turnover rate against SDSU was a team best out of all Summit League teams, besting the next best by nearly a full percentage point (interesting: two of the top five were by SDSU against Oakland in the regular season).</li><li>2. Oakland's next best turnover rate all season was 10.8% against Southern, a game which still stands as Oakland's most dominating performance of the season (taking into account both sides of the ball).</li></ul><div>Astouding, really. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>In other statistical superlatives, the team's 57.7% field goal shooting was its third best shooting performance of the year, and its 57.1% shooting from beyond the arc was second only to the home game against IUPUI. The 22 team assists mark was tied with several other games as its third best output of the season. Games like this only come around so often, and for Oakland, it certainly came at the right time. Talk about an "A game."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Tournament Breakout Of Drew Valentine</b></div><div>On a night when all of Oakland's starters scored at least 12 points and contributed so much more in other numerical categories, there was no one with a more beefy line that sophomore Drew Valentine. The forward went off for 24 points by going 7-of-8 on his two-pointers, 3-of-5 on his three-point shots, and 1-of-1 from the free throw line. Drew also chipped in a team-high 11 rebounds, three of which came on the offensive glass. But no discussion of his offensive game would be appropriate without a look at his signature move, which he completed just minutes into the game:</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i54.tinypic.com/1zzszlv.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://i54.tinypic.com/1zzszlv.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>We've seen Valentine execute that same play against so many different Summit League teams this season, so it was a great way for him to get going in this game. From there, he proceeded to get things done in transition, off the dribble, via tip-ins from offensive boards, and the standard lay-up. Here was what his shot chart looked like for the game, where the light blue lines represent drives, blue circles as makes, and white circles as misses. The "L" is for layup, "D" for dunk, and "3" for three-pointers.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/1iismf.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 430px; height: 267px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/1iismf.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Unfortunately, the shot chart doesn't capture well the intangibles Valentine demonstrated during the game. He finished at the rim like his more seasoned counterparts, and his determination on the boards was a pleasure to see. In his <a href="http://podcasts.wxou.org/?mode=viewid&post_id=57">post game interview</a> with WXOU's Bryan Everson, Valentine mentioned that he hasn't needed to be a featured scoring option this year with all of the great scorers on his team, but he made it clear that he can indeed be such a player when it's necessary. There's no doubting that sentiment now after this performance, which was all sorts of clutch. Like Blake Cushinberry's semifinal game last year, this is the kind of output that widens the eyes of Grizzlies fans. There's no telling what kind of ceiling the still young Drew Valentine has ahead of him, but if he makes plays like the one below, it must be pretty high.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="430" height="353" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8z3qTuudouw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>How About Bader?</b></div><div>Travis Bader continues to exude the utmost confidence in his abilities despite the fact he's still just a redshirt freshman. At one point during the telecast, the commentators brought up the question of who they'd rather have in a game of H.O.R.S.E.: Bader or SDSU's Nate Wolters. One guy responded with Wolters because he had not seen Bader showoff much creativity. Within 30 seconds of that brief discussion, Bader made a winding move to the basket off the dribble that led to a nice two-point bucket. The commentators immediately gave credit to Bader for proving them wrong. What they didn't know was that it was a fairly new play for Oakland's starting shooting guard. Truth is, we haven't seen him attempt many shots from inside the arc like <i>that</i>. But in a key game, he again came through. He also came through from downtown, hitting four of his seven shot attempts. But hey, what's new in that regard? Well, how about a deeeep three that rivals Jimmer Fredette territory:</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/13ynqe8.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 358px; height: 267px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/13ynqe8.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><b>And Then There's That One Guy</b></div><div>Despite Oakland's balanced attack thus far, it was Reggie Hamilton and Drew Valentine who proved most captivating in these first two tournament games. Meanwhile, Oakland's center has - almost quietly - put together two very strong performances thus far. Fitting for a senior Player of the Year. What I enjoyed most about Benson's contributions against SDSU was his aggressive play on the offensive boards. It's not often that Kito has just as many offensive as defensive boards, but he did just that on Monday night. He was hitting jumpers and going up hard against SDSU's weaker frontline. And he completed a couple very nice passes that lead to easy baskets for his teammates. His most exciting play, though, came on an alley-oop pass where he not only connected, but also posterized Jordan Dykstra in the process:</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i56.tinypic.com/11lj3op.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 269px;" src="http://i56.tinypic.com/11lj3op.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><b>What's Next?</b><br />The Golden Grizzlies are set to face off against Oral Roberts on Tuesday night at 9:00pm EST. The game will air live on ESPN2. The national television audience will get a chance to see a great game between the league's top teams and programs, and an NCAA Tournament bid is on the line.</div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-18044115022261707442011-03-07T09:32:00.004-05:002011-03-07T11:54:26.189-05:00Semifinal Preview: Oakland vs. South Dakota State<div align="center"><img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/ji1bt4.jpg" border="0" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 530px; height: 116px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">Summit League Tournament Semifinal</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">(1) Oakland </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">vs. (5) South Dakota State</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Monday, March 7, 2011 | 7:00pm EST</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Watch: Fox Sports Detroit / <a href="http://www.espn3.com/">ESPN3.com</a> / <a href="https://www.nmnathletics.com//subs/Landing.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3900&db_oem_id=3900&TRACK_CROSS_DOMAIN=&gclid=">Summit TV</a> ($)</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Radio: <a href="http://www.wdfn.com/">WDFN</a> / <a href="http://www.wxou.org/">WXOU</a></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i54.tinypic.com/27ypxj7.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left; ">For the second straight season, Oakland had a day off for the Sunday quarterfinal games while it awaited the winner of a South Dakota State-IPFW match. This year, however, the Jackrabbits were able to get the best of the Mastodons to advance to the semifinals. On Monday night, the league's two most explosive offenses will battle for the third time this season. The Golden Grizzlies will look to build on their impressive win over Southern Utah that featured sound offensive execution, great defensive play, and steady ball-control. The Jackrabbits will try to harbor the greatness that was their first half performance against IPFW as they attempt to usurp the seasoned squad from Michigan. </div><div><br /><div style="text-align: left; "><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i56.tinypic.com/2ljgu11.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left; ">Throughout the season, South Dakota State's calling card has been its offense. While the team gets major contributions from guard Nate Wolters off the dribble, it's been most deadly from beyond the arc. At present, the Jacks are currently shooting 41.3% from downtown, good for fifth in the nation. And that's not inflated from a lack of sample size: a full 36% of the team's shots come from three-point land. Pair such shooting with an above average offensive rebounding pedigree and a ludicrous turnover rate (the team turns it over on just 14.4% of its possessions, second in the nation right now) and it's no longer a mystery as to how this team has been so explosive offensively. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">Oakland is no slouch with the ball either. OU can get it done from the perimeter (40.1% in conference games), but it's bread and better is in the paint. The team is second in the country in <a href="http://kenpom.com/teamstats.php?s=RankFG2Pct">two-point field goal percentage</a> (55.6%) and far and away first in the conference. While the Golden Grizzlies are a bit more turnover prone than the Jacks, they're a superior team on the offensive glass and when it comes to drawing trips to the foul line. So while the two teams accomplish their offensive efficiency in different ways, the bottom line is they're both among the best in the country. It's no surprise, then, that the two games they've played thus far have been offensively slanted. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i54.tinypic.com/2gxfz39.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 482px; height: 81px;" src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2gxfz39.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>The table presents scoring data in both traditional points and points on a per-possession basis, the latter of which adjusts for pace of the game. The "rank" column shows where that particular possession-based offensive performance ranked for the team for the entire season, excluding non-DI games. Two of Oakland's top five offensive performances came against South Dakota State, and the team needed every one of those points as SDSU scored at an impressive clip against Oakland. But as SDSU's rank shows, these formidable scoring outputs barely cracked its own top ten. One might wonder, then, how the team ended up with the fifth seed in the conference tournament. The answer lies on the other side of the ball. In conference play, Oakland allowed just 1.00 points per possession on average while SDSU gave up 1.08 points per trip.</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">The coaches will say that only one stat matters in this regard, and that is the one marked down in the win or loss column. And while it is true that Oakland won both games, these stats do tell part of the story as to why. Consider that even though each team has an elite offense, Oakland scored over 0.13 more points than its average (1.19) on SDSU's defense, while SDSU managed just 0.04 over its own average (1.17) on Oakland's defense. Both teams will need their elite offense if they want to win on Monday evening, but if it goes like the last two meetings, it might be more about which team's defense forces a more "average" performance from the opponent.</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i52.tinypic.com/wiax7c.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table>Inevitably, a lot of the build-up to this game has been, and will continue to be, about the inherent advantage South Dakota State has with the tournament being held in Sioux Falls. I experienced that advantage first-hand at Sioux Falls Arena last year during the team's quarterfinal game against IPFW. When the fans stood for the fight song at the beginning of the game, I got chills. It was amazing to see that many people embracing a Summit League squad, even if they were all there before the school was even in the conference. But a funny thing happened. The Jacks dropped that game, just like they had a year before to Oakland in the semifinals (but not before upsetting Oral Roberts in the quarters). No one will doubt that this year's team is much better suited to win than the previous two versions, and it's possible the home crowd will be advantageous as the Jacks try to upset Oakland. But if it does, it will only be that way in the minds of the fans and the people writing stories about the game. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">This Oakland team is well-equipped to handle just about any crowd or setting in the nation. The non-conference schedule from this year speaks for itself, as does the team's win at Thompson-Boling Arena where Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl had been very close to unbeatable. If I sound like a homer right now, well, that's probably right on. But the history backs up those sentiments. Instead of focusing on a perceived home court advantage, I would instead urge the conversation to shift toward one of simply appreciating the Jacks fanbase this evening. Oral Roberts radio man Geoff Haxton <a href="http://twitter.com/GeoffHaxton/status/44587262498971648">tweeted</a> a video shortly after yesterday's game that showcases the crowd eruption after Nate Wolters buried a key three-pointer:</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="430" height="353" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tczDGoomj3g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">It's awesome, quite simply. The conference is lucky to have such a passionate fanbase attached to one of its member schools, and it's a pleasure to see it on display every March in Sioux Falls. So appreciate it, learn from it, and be in awe of it. If it gives the SDSU team a lift, so be it. But don't expect it to phase this experienced Oakland bunch. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /><div style="text-align: left; "><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i52.tinypic.com/xm1gew.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><b>Key Match-Up</b></div><div><i>Drew Valentine vs. Griffan Callahan</i></div><div><img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/adg1ep.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; width: 76px; height: 76px; " /><div>If the "names" in this game end up achieving their typical levels of output, then one thing to keep an eye on is team depth. Which team will have guys step up who might not otherwise get the spotlight? In Oakland's Drew Valentine and SDSU's Griffan Callahan, we have two players with such potential. Though both have been regular starters and contributors, they don't get as many of the headlines. Their output may vary from game-to-game, but most of the time you know what you are getting from these two individuals. They share a similar build, and they're both very capable three-point shooters who do such work sneakily alongside noted distance threats Clint Sargent and Travis Bader. From an Oakland standpoint, Valentine has the edge on Callahan with his inside game and rebounding ability. Callahan, however, is the more careful player as he rarely turns the ball over. Valentine vs. Callahan might not be a match-up we'll see a ton of during the game (especially since SDSU uses a starting line-up that has four guys at or near 6'4"), but this pair comprises two players who could come up with a surprise performance. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>South Dakota State Player To Watch: Dale Moss</b></div><div><div><img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/szxtzs.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />Dale Moss, a senior guard for South Dakota State, has had a fairly unassuming career. He's never been a big box score guy, but he's always had a way of energizing his team with <a href="http://i54.tinypic.com/t80k87.gif">hustle plays</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0ELJ82oZYU">big dunks</a>. In the numbers department, he has had his best season as a senior, serving as one of the team's better offensive rebounders and high-percentage scorers. But what he did last night against IPFW was some next level stuff. Moss went 7 of 8 from the field; the lone miss was a three-pointer. He shot a season-high 12 free throw attempts and connected on seven of them. Combined, he accumulated 21 points to go along with nine rebounds and two blocks. The dude went off! Moss has never really had a night quite like that, so there's no telling how he'll follow up against Oakland. But it's worth noting that the veteran was playing out of his mind on a night when his team needed it the most. </div><div align="center" style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div><b>Oakland Player To Watch: Larry Wright</b></div><div><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/ilimmc.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />In the quarterfinal preview, I pegged Reggie Hamilton as the guy I was most excited to monitor because it was his first time leading Oakland in an elimination game. True to form, Hamilton killed it. While he looks like he can't be stopped right now, one player I am hoping to see do a lot of stopping is Larry Wright. The senior guard's defensive ability has proven to be an asset for Oakland in several key instances this year, and the team will need another solid contribution in this game. Wright has the length and quickness to keep up with Nate Wolters, the main offensive force for SDSU. In two games against Oakland this year, Wolters has gotten his points, but he's largely been a volume shooter in those contests (17 of 44 in those games). While Wright won't exclusively guard Wolters, one would expect him to see some time defending him and perhaps Clint Sargent as well. Hopefully he and the rest of the Grizzlies defenders can force them both into tough, contested shots. </div></div><div><br /></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i56.tinypic.com/2z50qdj.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>According to the StatSheet.com archives, Oakland is 8-1 all-time against South Dakota State. The lone setback for OU came at Frost Arena during the 2008-09 season. Since then, the Golden Grizzlies have won five straight over the Jackrabbits. The two squads met in the semifinals of the 2009 conference tournament where Oakland, the two seed, won over SDSU, the seven seed, by a score of 74-56. That was the lone tournament game between the two schools. </div><div><br /></div><div>Since Oakland first appeared in a Summit League conference tournament in 2001-02, there have been seven games pitting the one seed against the five seed. The one seed is 7-0 in that time span. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Pre-Game Linkage</b></div><div><i>The Oakland Press</i> has a preview of semifinal action <a href="http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/03/07/sports/grizzlies/doc4d74173c91645097989484.txt">here</a>. A <i>Detroit Free Press</i> preview with Coach Kampe's thoughts on attaining greatness <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20110307/SPORTS08/103070350/Greg-Kampe-Oakland-will-find-out-soon-s-great-team?odyssey=mod">here</a>. And a quick snapshot of the game from the <i>Detroit News</i> is available <a href="http://www.detnews.com/article/20110307/SPORTS0203/103070355/1133/SPORTS0105/">here</a>. Also stay tuned to the tournament section of the Sioux Falls <i>Argus Leader</i> <a href="http://www.argusleader.com/section/summit">website</a> for game coverage, including a live video preview of the semifinals to start the evening. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, you can always check out the <a href="http://goldengrizzlyhoops.proboards.com/index.cgi?">Golden Grizzly Hoops forum</a> where fans have been posting links and thoughts to everything they can find about Oakland and the tournament all week.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-71997284150453764102011-03-06T15:39:00.001-05:002011-03-06T15:51:36.077-05:00The Gameplan's Quarterfinal Recap: SUU<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i56.tinypic.com/117us5k.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 216px;" src="http://i56.tinypic.com/117us5k.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Oakland won its quarterfinal game against Southern Utah last evening by a score of 82-66. Similarly to the last game between these two squads, Oakland built a solid lead in the last two minutes of the first half before pulling away during the second half. For now, the Golden Grizzlies advance and await for their next opponent to be determined at the conclusion of tonight's SDSU-IPFW tilt. For a full recap of last night's game, you can check out game stories from a number of sources, including <i><a href="http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/03/05/sports/grizzlies/doc4d72f501caef6628592065.txt?viewmode=default">The Oakland Press</a></i>, <a href="http://oaklandpostonline.com/2011/03/05/sports/rd1-vs-suu-men/"><i>The Oakland Post</i></a>, and the <i><a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20110306/SPORTS08/103060646/Oakland-82-Southern-Utah-66-Grizzlies-roll-back-Summit-League-semis?odyssey=mod">Detroit Free Press</a></i>. Additionally, the conference provided video of the post-game press conference <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xSyGkQuj9I">here</a>, and WXOU also has its own post-game interview with Coach Kampe available <a href="http://podcasts.wxou.org/?mode=viewid&post_id=56">here</a>. Great coverage, all around!<div><br /></div><div><b>Defensive Score Sheet</b></div><div>Last night's quarterfinal game was a much more efficient affair than the regular season closer between Oakland and Southern Utah a week ago in Cedar City. Both teams scored well above last week's rate, despite the fact the score was nearly the same. As a result, the defensive score sheet from this game was a bit less extreme than last week's edition. For a brief introduction to the concept of a defensive score sheet, <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/03/defensive-score-sheet-oakland-vs.html">check out the debut post from Friday</a>. Now we'll dive right into the charts, starting with Oakland.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/25s04cj.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 353px; height: 244px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/25s04cj.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>When comparing charts between games, one might wonder why this week's individual defensive ratings are higher. This is due to the fact that individual defensive ratings are calculated in part from the team defensive rating. The tournament game featured a much more average defensive performance by Oakland, on a per-possession base, than the last one which was on the extreme low end (note that OU's "average" defensive output is tops in the league - so this is a good thing). As a result, the numbers look higher, when indeed they are still quite strong. The column that really stands out to me is that of Percent of Team Defensive Possessions. We would expect, on average, each player to account for 20% of a team's defensive possessions, and Oakland comes really close to achieving this standard. As opposed to the last game where Keith Benson was active at a very high clip, this time he's right on the average mark at 20%. SUU went at Travis Bader quite a bit for the second straight game as the redshirt freshman, along with Benson and Will Hudson, faced the highest number of possessions in raw terms. In what has been a trend between these two teams, Ilija faced an incredible amount of possessions in very limited minutes. But his stop percentage improved drastically here (from 16% to 35%). Kudos.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now we turn to Southern Utah's score sheet. Unlike Oakland, SUU allowed the offense to score well above what it has allowed on average in conference play.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i51.tinypic.com/2d17mah.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 359px; height: 285px;" src="http://i51.tinypic.com/2d17mah.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Oakland's bigs went at SUU's frontcourt from the post and the guards attacked them from the perimeter, so we end up seeing guys like Matt Massey and Kyle Davis accounting for a lot of the team's defensive possessions. Ray Jones, Jr. was also above the average by this standard, no doubt due to the many times he found himself trying to prevent Reggie Hamilton from driving to the hoop in the first half. Here's one play where Hamilton shakes off Jones and scores over Massey's out-stretched arms:</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/11tvchw.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 231px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/11tvchw.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a></div><div>There's nothing too alarming here with the rest of the SUU defensive score sheet, though I do want to showcase the individual lines of Matt Massey and another of SUU's many post options, Matt Hodgson.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i56.tinypic.com/294rjwy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 530px; height: 91px;" src="http://i56.tinypic.com/294rjwy.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Massey had a stop percentage of just 12% in the time he was on the floor, in large part due to Keith Benson getting the best of him. Benson was hitting most of his jumpers and hook shots, and he was going up hard when deep in the post. Massey took the brunt of those makes, and while he hit a few jumpers over Benson himself, he was definitely overmatched on this night. Matt Hodgson, on the other hand, used his length to bother shots. He and Benson shared the court at times during the game, and a few of those forced misses or defensive boards were while guarding Benson. Perhaps most incredibly, Hodgson didn't commit any fouls that sent a player to the stripe - this from a guy whose minutes have often waned due to foul trouble. Hodgson did, however, make a lazy pass that led to this:</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/21owt49.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 247px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/21owt49.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>And that was the story of the game for Oakland. No matter the adjustments Southern Utah made, they were just too talented and focused for the Thunderbirds to pull an upset. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Reggie The Conquerer</b></div><div>In his first elimination game as a Golden Grizzly, junior Reggie Hamilton did not disappoint. His performance in the first half was simply otherworldly. He scored 21 points during the opening 20 minutes, hitting everything from floaters in the lane to spot-up threes from downtown. He used his defense to create offense, and he got to the free throw line off the dribble-drive. All aspects of his skillset were on display, including his constantly improving ball control (just two turnovers). That run he made in the first half ensured Oakland's lead was safe while SUU was still within striking distance, and his teammates picked up where he left off in the second half. What I enjoyed about Hamilton's performance, more than the numbers, was his demeanor. At one point while he was shooting a free throw, the camera panned in on him and he looked mean, confident, ready to win. It's the "gunner" face:</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/rsto46.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/rsto46.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>Hamilton had that face early in the season, especially during the first few road games, but I had thought it was born more out of frustration from his early struggles than anything else. But as I watched him more and as he found his fit as the team's lead guard, it began to look more and more like that gunner mentality. Sure, such play can lead to mistakes from trying too force the issue, but more often than not, it has worked for Hamilton to the benefit of the team. It's a trait that is unique to him on this squad; no one else has exhibited that same kind of "take it to you" attitude. And for Hamilton to put it on display in the tournament, as he has done often in conference play, is a good omen for the Golden Grizzlies as they try to move forward. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>An Excuse To Show You Travis Bader's Block</b></div><div>We all know Travis Bader has the smoothest stroke on the team, but apparently he's also been working on his swatting form. At about the midpoint of the second half, Bader had a great block on Ray Jones, Jr. from the weak side. Not only was the block cool, but it lead to a transition three-pointer for Drew Valentine assisted by, you guessed it, Travis Bader!</div><div align="center"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="430" height="353" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sn3iG5204WA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /></div><div>That was Bader's fifth block of the year, so it's safe to say it's a moment that should be treasured. Bader's passing ability has also been on display in recent weeks, including this quarterfinal game where he had four dishes. He was also the recipient of a pretty sick pass from Larry Wright:</div><div><br /></div><div align="center"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="430" height="353" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AT912IFjEgU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /></div><div>Bader also had an NBA-range three, available in .gif form <a href="http://i56.tinypic.com/2i9m14y.gif">here</a>. In non-Bader multimedia entries, you can also check out a great play from Larry Wright <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ8JEDQk3YI">here</a>. What I liked most about that one was that he was aggressive on the defensive glass and used his quickness in the open court and agility in the paint to get a good look in transition. Finally, a little love for Keith Benson: a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9TxZaTYc18">stop and pop jumper</a> tailor made for the NBA. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>What's Next</b></div><div>Oakland moves on to the semifinals face the winner of tonight's SDSU-IPFW game. In addition to being available on ESPN3.com, the game will air live on Fox Sports Detroit, which is also a win for the local area! That game will be played Monday night at 7:00pm. </div><div><br /></div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-9082909719041371482011-03-04T19:27:00.006-05:002011-03-05T01:27:43.094-05:00Quarterfinal Preview: Oakland vs. Southern Utah<div align="center"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/bdp2df.jpg" border="0" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 530px; height: 116px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">Summit League Tournament Quarterfinal</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">(1) Oakland </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">vs. (8) Southern Utah</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Saturday, March 5, 2011 | 7:00pm EST</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Watch: <a href="https://www.nmnathletics.com//subs/Landing.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3900&db_oem_id=3900&TRACK_CROSS_DOMAIN=&gclid=">Webstream</a> ($) | Radio: <a href="http://www.wdfn.com/">WDFN</a> / <a href="http://www.wxou.org/">WXOU</a></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i54.tinypic.com/27ypxj7.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">After achieving a 17-1 record in conference play, Oakland heads to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the conference tournament. As the number one seed, OU is the first to play on Saturday evening in a game that pits the team against Southern Utah. These two squads met a week ago in Utah where the Golden Grizzlies came away with an 82-68 victory. Prior to that loss, the Thunderbirds had won three straight games including a big one over IUPUI in Indianapolis. It took a bit of time for Coach Roger Reid's young team to come together, but they finally did during the stretch run. It wasn't enough to propel them any further in the standings, though, so they still enter this game as the eighth and final seed in the tournament. The talk from the Oakland camp all week has been about <a href="http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/03/04/sports/grizzlies/doc4d6eb45d8f3e2681050630.txt">staying focused</a>, while the Southern Utah contingent has stressed the desire to <a href="http://www.suunews.com/news/2011/mar/02/mens-basketball-faces-oakland-summit-league-tourna/">leave it all</a> <a href="http://www.suunews.com/news/2011/mar/02/mens-basketball-faces-oakland-summit-league-tourna/">on the court</a>. Whatever happens, it looks to be a battle as it's win or go home from here forward.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i56.tinypic.com/2ljgu11.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">If you stopped by the blog earlier, hopefully you had a chance to check out the introduction to the Defensive Score Sheet. Though it would have been great to debut that feature earlier in the season, I figured last week's Southern Utah match would be a great starting point given the looming rematch on Saturday evening. If you haven't read the post yet but appreciate data-driven insight, please <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/03/defensive-score-sheet-oakland-vs.html">check it out</a>. I'm going to revisit the defensive ratings from that post here, though with a different focus this time.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From the data in that post, we learned that in last Saturday's match the most active defenders were the big men on both teams. Since Oakland and Southern Utah are well-stocked in the frontcourt, such a statement comes with little surprise. Even though SUU's bigs put up a fight, the data showed that OU's seasoned veterans came away with the more dominating performance on the defensive end. On most nights, that has been the case. Oakland's guards, on the other hand, have rarely been patted on the back for their defense. Though they have made key stops or have had quality nights guarding the opponents, most nights guys like Reggie Hamilton and Travis Bader are more lauded for their contributions on the offensive end. Yet against Southern Utah, the information gleaned from the Defensive Score Sheet shows they were quite influential on the defensive end, too. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i53.tinypic.com/fbb4gp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 378px; height: 145px;" src="http://i53.tinypic.com/fbb4gp.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>As a reminder, the lower the defensive rating, the better. Both of Oakland's starting guards concluded the game with stellar defensive ratings while active on a decent portion of defensive possessions. In raw numbers, Southern Utah went at Travis Bader the third-most of any player (just behind Kito and Will), and the redshirt freshman held his ground, stopping 62% of those scoring opportunities. Bader also had a steal and four defensive rebounds, all of which helped him attain his strong defensive rating for the night. Hamilton did a fine job as well, though it is interesting to note that the opposition did not attempt many shots against him. Still, when they did, he stopped 58% of them while chipping in two steals and one defensive board. SUU's starting guards were scored on more than they stopped their respective opponent, as both Ray Jones, Jr. and Ryan Brimley had stop percentages under 50%. These trends hold up with the reserves as well, though SUU did receive solid defensive contributions from some of its role playing guards in very limited minutes. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Oakland's defense has been superior to that of Summit League opponents throughout the conference season, largely through its incredible post defense. That will always come in handy against a big team like Southern Utah, but if the game from last Saturday tells us anything, it's that Oakland's guards were also able to shut down <i>and</i> score on Southern Utah's guards. If they can match such a feat in the quarterfinal game, the Golden Grizzlies will be difficult to surmount. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i52.tinypic.com/xm1gew.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><b>Key Match-Up</b></div><div><i>Will Hudson vs. Kyle Davis</i></div><div><img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/1zp46sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; width: 76px; height: 76px; " /><div>Though SUU's Ramell Taylor had the bigger game last Saturday at the forward spot, Kyle Davis has been the most consistent throughout Summit League Play. Taylor, who dropped 15 points and eight rebounds on Oakland, had only been in double figures three other times all conference season. Davis, on the other hand, has quietly had a strong freshman season for the Thunderbirds. Though he struggled to put the ball in the basket last week against Oakland, he had been on a bit of a roll as he averaged 12.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in February. According to what some of the players <a href="http://www.suunews.com/news/2011/mar/02/mens-basketball-faces-oakland-summit-league-tourna/">told Carter Williams of SUU News</a>, they will be trying to limit the second-chance opportunities Will Hudson usually provides Oakland via the offensive glass in this game. Davis will likely get first dibs at accomplishing that task, though Hudson does not figure to be easy to stop. He attained a double-double in three of Oakland's final four games, and a full 46% of his rebounds were on the offensive end during that stretch. Because of his strong performance against Oakland, Taylor may also be a player to keep an eye on as he contends with Hudson. Many of his made field goals last weekend were of the "falling back jump shot" variety, though he did have four offensive boards. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Southern Utah Player To Watch: Jackson Stevenett</b></div><div><div><img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/fw2536.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />That surge Southern Utah made during the last month of the season coincided with very consistent play from sophomore Jackson Stevenett. The 6-foot-5 sophomore has been playing very well as of late and topped off the regular season with a respectable line of 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists against Oakland. He also had a great dunk that showcased some of his sneaky athleticism. The Thunderbirds have had very balanced scoring all season, but Stevenett seems like the kind of guy that could have a big scoring night given the many ways he can score. Matt Massey is like that too, especially when his jumper is falling, but he's more prone to foul trouble than the young Jackson. </div><div align="center" style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div><b>Oakland Player To Watch: Reggie Hamilton</b></div><div><img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/15gw10w.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />Oakland is so deep this season that any player could have an outstanding game this weekend, or the team could simply have a balanced effort to pull out a win. So ignoring match-ups or trends for this pick, the guy I am most excited to watch in this game is Reggie Hamilton. Coach Kampe has mentioned many times this season that Hamilton is the guy from last season without a ring (since he was sitting out due to transfer rules), and throughout conference play, we have seen the junior guard play like a guy hungry to win that championship. Fresh off being honored as a First Team All-Summit League selection, Hamilton will play his first elimination game as a Golden Grizzly. I can't wait to see how he responds. </div></div><div><br /></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="530" height="30" background="http://i56.tinypic.com/2z50qdj.jpg"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>In two meetings this season, Oakland went 2-0 against Southern Utah. On a per-possession basis, the Golden Grizzlies held the Thunderbirds to 0.89 points, a full .16 points lower than their typical offensive output in conference play. Oakland scored 1.09 points per trip, well below their season average of 1.19, a number impacted by last week's game where OU shot just 39% from the field. The teams have met just once in the conference tournament back in the 2002-2003 season. OU was a three seed and lost 55-66 to SUU which had the six seed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since Oakland first appeared in a Summit League conference tournament in 2001-02, the number one seed has won the tournament seven times, the two seed once, and the seventh seed once (Oakland in 2004-05). Additionally, the number one seed has made the championship game in every year since at least 1993-94. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Pre-Game Linkage</b></div><div><i>The Argus Leader</i> out of Sioux Falls is bringing everyone great coverage of the tournament all weekend. They've established a launching page for the tournament which will contain everything written, recorded, or tweeted about the tournament, available <a href="http://www.argusleader.com/section/summit">here</a>. In addition, Paul Kampe, Oakland beat writer for <i>The Oakland Press</i>, is in Sioux Falls covering all of the action on both the men's and women's side. I would highly encourage keeping tabs of his <a href="http://www.twitter.com/paulkampe">Twitter feed</a> for immediate news and insights. Dan Fenner of <i>The Oakland Post</i>, OU's student newspaper, is also at the tournament. His Twitter feed can be found <a href="http://www.twitter.com/danfenner">here</a>, where he has posted news and insights from the games as well, and the launching page for all of his coverage from the tournament is <a href="http://oaklandpostonline.com/topics/sports/basketball-coverage/">here</a>. Lots of great coverage should be expected from those outlets throughout the tournament. We are lucky as fans to have them covering the team and tournament!</div><div><br /></div><div>As for the Gameplan, it'll be game previews for as long as Oakland has games to play. If the team makes it past Tuesday, then a recap and more coverage will follow. And I hope to use all of the great television action over the tournament as fodder to create a stockpile of animated .gifs. Fun times.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, you can always check out the <a href="http://goldengrizzlyhoops.proboards.com/index.cgi?">Golden Grizzly Hoops forum</a> where fans have been posting links and thoughts to everything they can find about Oakland and the tournament all week. </div></div></div></div></div></div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-63996932774653354762011-03-04T14:03:00.002-05:002011-03-04T14:13:14.372-05:00Defensive Score Sheet: Oakland vs. Southern Utah<div style="text-align: left; ">In two meetings this season, Oakland held Southern Utah to an average of just 0.898 points per possession, significantly below the Thunderbirds' conference average of 1.056. Oakland used this advantage to win both games by double digits, even after shooting just 39% in the contest a week ago. The match in Cedar City, then, was marked by a solid defensive effort by both teams. Though we are able to understand team defensive efficiency fairly well from box score data, there has never been a sure-fire way of doing the same for individuals. However, a Defensive Score Sheet, introduced by Dean Oliver in his seminal book <i>Basketball On Paper</i>, can help fill this gap.</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">The Defensive Score Sheet is basically a way of tabulating what a player does on the defensive end of the court. The recorder marks down each time a player allowed a field goal, forced a miss, committed a foul leading to a miss or make, or forced a turnover. To see which players were most effective in that defensive meeting a week ago, I created one of these sheets after I watched a replay of the game. Assigning credit and blame for defensive stops or lack thereof is a fairly subjective matter, but for the time being let's assume my results are more or less consistent with reality. To see what this looks like, let's go to Will Hudson's line (click to enlarge)</div><div style="text-align: left; "><a href="http://i56.tinypic.com/2d6pl74.jpg"><img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/2ura1c1.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 530px; height: 74px; " /></a>Hudson was very engaged on the defensive end of the court. Southern Utah rarely takes three-pointers (and is in fact last in the nation in percentage of shots taken from beyond the arc) and often goes to its plethora of big men for scoring opportunities. As a result, Hudson faced a lot of scoring possessions - and he did fairly well in denying them points. Now the next stage of the analysis utilized by Oliver is much more complex. It involves a series of detailed calculations that include everything from these raw numbers to items like defensive field goal percentage and rebounding percentage. I first learned about this through the work of David Hess who has been doing this for Kansas all season long. For a brief introduction into some of the terms, you can check out Hess' outline <a href="http://audacityofhoops.blogspot.com/2011/01/project-defensive-score-sheet.html#more">here</a>. I've read the work of Hess and Oliver's chapter on individual defensive ratings many times over, and a lot of it is still over my head. But after working through the calculations a few times, I feel comfortable enough posting the results. Please note any errors are my own.</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">(I also have to give special thanks to J. Leverenz of the Kentucky blog <a href="http://www.aseaofblue.com/">A Sea Of Blue</a>. He has been doing the <a href="http://www.aseaofblue.com/2011/1/24/1952249/defensive-score-sheet-uk-at-south-carolina">Defensive Score Sheets for UK this season</a> and was kind enough to pass along some of his tools and tips for this project. While the tables might appear nice and orderly, a lot of work goes into making these, so many thanks to him for helping make it a bit easier.)</div><div style="text-align: left; "><a href="http://i55.tinypic.com/2qkjsll.jpg"><img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2qkjsll.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 353px; height: 242px; " /></a>I'm leaving a bit out of the tables for now, but these three columns represent well the areas from which we can draw some conclusions. Thoughts on the Oakland side:</div><div style="text-align: left; "><ul><li>The lower the defensive rating, the better. Larry Wright comes out with the best defensive rating from this game. He managed to stop 84% of plays against him while he was in the game whether by forcing a miss, a turnover, or grabbing a defensive board. Drew Valentine, who had four steals in this game, also comes out with a stellar defensive rating despite the fact that he only accounted for 10% of team defensive possessions while he was in the game. Either Southern Utah didn't try to attack him, or he did a great job of denying his player a shot attempt (which then wouldn't register on this chart).</li><li>I highlighted Keith Benson's numbers across the board for a reason. While he was in the game, he faced a team high 24% of SUU's scoring attack, and he stopped them 63% of the time. The average we would expect a player to face is 20% (100% divided by five players on defensive), so Kito's mark is likely higher for two reasons: 1) SUU went to its big men a lot, and 2) Kito is an eager help-defender. His stop percentage is likely affected by the subjective nature of this task. For example, Matt Massey hit a few 15-foot jumpers that Kito did not directly contend, but that is because his role in the defense is to guard the basket. So how does one assign blame for such makes? That is why this is such a tricky experience. Still, Benson ends up with a great defensive rating.</li><li>Everyone else on the team posted a solid defensive rating. Will Hudson, despite his great looking raw numbers, ends up with a 91.5 rating. This is still a great rating, but it lags behind his teammates. This is where the math involved in calculating these percentages goes over my head as one would think Hudson's rating would have been better because of his strong raw numbers shown above. I think this results from the fact that Hudson is involved on so many defensive plays, including those where he runs out to contest a shot from another player's man. Also, Hudson took the brunt of SUU's offensive attack early on as he guarded two guys, Kyle Davis and Ramell Taylor, who hit a few fading jumpers that were well contested. This is perhaps where the numbers do the defender a disservice.</li><li>Finally, while Ilija was in the game it appears as if Southern Utah went at him quite a bit - 29% of the time. He had a pretty weak stop percentage and defensive rating as a result.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left; ">Now let's turn to Southern Utah's defensive percentages.</div><div style="text-align: left; "><a href="http://i55.tinypic.com/2n83sl2.jpg"><img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2n83sl2.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 359px; height: 302px; " /></a><ul><li>As expected, SUU's starting frontcourt duo, Kyle Davis and Matt Massey, faced the brunt of the offensive attack by Oakland. They had to contend with both Keith Benson and Will Hudson, to mixed results. Davis does a decent job while he's on the court by stopping 55% of defensive scoring possessions. Massey, on the other hand, struggled to get stops. I can also tell you that his figures were hurt by the fact that his fouls lead to four made free throws versus two misses, and he also failed to record a defensive rebound. </li><li>Tyson Koehler held his ground in the paint for short spurts, but when scoring opportunities abounded for the Golden Grizzlies, he largely came up short. </li><li>Jackson Stevenett, an underrated forward, is a bit of a do-everything man for the Thunderbirds. He ends up looking pretty solid by this standard, especially considering the amount of minutes he played. </li><li>Finally, Damon Heuir did a fine job in his limited minutes. He did not allow a single point to be scored against him, stopping two plays and helping on another. He also had a defensive rebound and a forced turnover. Because of this, Heuir is rewarded with a low defensive rating. </li></ul><div>The defensive rating charts tell us that this game was very much played in the paint, and the big men were very active on the defensive end as a result. Additionally, the numbers show that Larry Wright did a particularly great job on the defensive end, while SUU received nice defensive contributions from role players in short minutes. It is very likely that the quarterfinal match on Saturday will again feature a lot of scoring opportunities for the big men. Knowing what we know of last weekend's meeting, it will be interesting to monitor which side ends up with the defensive advantage. If time and video permits, I will attempt to track these totals again for the rematch. </div></div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-30206512030913342922011-03-01T00:28:00.000-05:002011-03-01T00:28:42.575-05:0020 Tips: A VisualizationThroughout the season our "Weekly Recap" posts were highlighted with a screencap or photo of the tip-off of that week's games. In cases where the tip was obscured or missed, the alternative was simply shot of center court featuring an Oakland player with the ball. Below you will find all of the road game shots in one handy visualization with the score of the games included as well. It's kind of neat to look back on all of the places that the team played this year: four Big Ten arenas, two NBA courts, a few great mid-major venues, nine conference destinations, among others. The games are presented in order, except for the IPFW game, which was placed earlier in the sequence to even out the rows.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i53.tinypic.com/153p7ax.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 530px; height: 1572px;" src="http://i53.tinypic.com/153p7ax.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-28043633299989198832011-02-28T10:54:00.001-05:002011-02-28T10:59:42.956-05:00The Gameplan's Weekly Recap: UMKC/SUU<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/1zva4w0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 530px; height: 162px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/1zva4w0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: left; "><b><div style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><div style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>The Big Picture</b></span></div></b></span></div></b></div><div>Oakland closed its regular season this weekend with a sweep of UMKC and SUU on the longest trip in conference play. The wins came in different ways, one an offensive shootout and the other a defensive effort, but they ultimate sealed a second-straight 17-1 season for the Golden Grizzlies. In the biggest of pictures, hopefully we all get a chance to reflect on what the program has done over the past two years in going 34-2 in conference play. The conference tournament is just a few days away now, but this was another exceptional season for Oakland. Many congrats to the program are due as well as many thanks for providing us with a lot of exciting, and winning, basketball to watch this year. </div><div><a name="effmarg"></a><br /></div><div><b>Winning Basketball</b></div><div>Oakland used a hyper-efficient offensive night against UMKC and a hard-nosed defensive approach against SUU to finish the season as the conference's leader in efficiency on both ends of the court. It didn't always look like this would be the case, especially in the last few weeks, given the explosive SDSU offense and the much-improved ORU defense. But as it stands, Oakland's 1.19 points per possession and 1.00 points allowed per possession stand as tops in both categories. That's a testament to the team's winning ways, an approach that over the course of the season has valued offense just as much as defense. And while statistics often give us more reason to doubt than to champion, this weekend's results, as wacky as they may be, should show the versatility of this team.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's consider first the UMKC game. It was a high scoring game on an average number of possessions for Oakland, which led to an incredible scoring rate of 1.40 points per trip. That stands as Oakland's most efficient night in conference play. On the other hand, UMKC went for 1.22 points per trip, again a season-high for points allowed by the Oakland defense. It was, quite simply, a night when the Golden Grizzlies out-performed the opponent on the offensive end. Such games have gone in Oakland's favor all season long in conference play, even against high-powered South Dakota State.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the UMKC game, Oakland showed off its defensive might against SUU in holding the Thunderbirds to 0.89 points per possession. That stands as the team's best defensive performance of the second-half of conference play, and it lags only behind truly dominant home games against Centenary, UMKC, and Western Illinois for the entirety of league play. On the other side of the ball, the Golden Grizzlies only went for 1.02 points per possession, far below their season average but still quite higher than what they allowed the T-Birds. We've now twice seen in the last two weeks (SUU and NDSU) the team struggle on the offensive end but come out with a win because of its defense.</div><div><br /></div><div>While we may not be sure of the precise way Oakland will be oriented on a given night, this season's efficiency data shows us that one way or another it will be a winning formula. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Return To Form</b></div><div>Another reason Oakland was successful on this road trip was because of its rebounding effort. The raw numbers show as much, but the rebounding rates the team posted were astronomical. For the first time since the second week of conference play, the Golden Grizzlies posted back-to-back double-digit rebounding rate differentials. Additionally, the team posted two of its top three offensive rebounding performances of the conference season this weekend:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. 54.5% offensive rebounding rate (at UMKC - 2/24/11)</div><div>2. 48.4% (at SDSU - 1/27/11)</div><div>3. 45.0% (at SUU - 2/26/11)</div><div>4. 40.0% (home UMKC - 12/4/10)</div><div>4. 40.0% (at ORU - 12/30/10)</div><div><br /></div><div>So on average, Oakland rebounded approximately 49% of its own misses in the games against UMKC and SUU ... quite a feat! A week after losing the board battle to both NDSU (4.4% difference) and SDSU (2.7% difference), the Golden Grizzlies rebounded with truly dominant performances this week. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; "><b>"Free Ilija" Watch</b></div><div style="text-align: left; ">It's our last "Free Ilija" update, and it's highlighted by something the seven-footer rarely gets a chance to do: free throws! The Serbian Assassin attempted three free throws at SUU on Saturday night, making two of them. Before Ilija is ultimately "freed" next season, there is always a chance his number will be called in Sioux Falls this weekend. And as he showed us at Tennessee, he can make an impact even if he only plays for five minutes. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; "><b>Non-Keith Benson Stud Of The Week: Will Hudson</b></div><div style="text-align: left; "><i>A weekly shoutout to the best Golden Grizzly not named Keith Benson.</i></div><div style="text-align: left; ">Will Hudson continues to play at a high level as his career winds down. He notched back-to-back double-doubles this weekend, marking the first time he's done that all season. He continues to work incredibly hard on the offensive glass, which in turn has afforded him a lot of open looks. Simply, the senior has come to play, and Oakland has been all the better for it. A final factor to note: in the last four games Hudson has made 21 of his 26 free throw attempts (81%). While he had a rough patch in the middle of the season at the stripe, his free throw shooting has been strong as of late and will surely be needed in Sioux Falls. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; "><b>What's Next?</b></div><div style="text-align: left; ">Oakland will head to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this weekend to begin play in the conference tournament. The first game is a Saturday rematch with Southern Utah. It's win and advance or lose and go home from here on out. Best of luck to the Golden Grizzlies as they prepare for the tournament. </div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-88310920678767866742011-02-25T16:35:00.003-05:002011-02-25T16:47:07.281-05:00Game Preview: Oakland at Southern Utah<div align="center"><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2qm19jr.jpg" border="0" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 530px; height: 116px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">Game 31: </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">Oakland (21-9, 16-1)</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; "> at SUU </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">(11-17, 7-10)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Saturday, February 26, 2011 | 9:30pm EST</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Watch: <a href="http://www.suutbirds.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?SPSID=95890&SPID=11728&db_oem_id=20100">T-Bird Zone</a> ($) | Radio: <a href="http://www.wdfn.com/">WDFN (1130 AM)</a></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">Oakland wraps up the regular season on Saturday night with a trip to Cedar City, Utah, to take on a surging Southern Utah squad. The Golden Grizzlies are coming off one of their best offensive performances of the year on Thursday night when they scored a whopping 1.402 points per possession. However, the team also allowed UMKC to go for 1.215 points per trip, a season high in conference play. OU's offense continues to be the definition of elite, but it must shore up the defense in order to ensure a win against Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds are 5-2 in the month of February, and the two losses (to UMKC and ORU) came by a combined five points. These fellas are really on a roll and have put their early season struggles behind them. </div></div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>Lightning Striking At The Right Time</b></div><div style="text-align: left; ">You may remember that Southern Utah started the season by dropping a home game to California Baptist out of the NAIA level of college hoops. The team really struggled throughout the season's first two months, and all the losing served as more reason to be glad that SUU would be leaving The Summit League after next year. Though the T-Birds did get a nice win over North Dakota State in the early portion of league play, they didn't start putting together solid offense with enough defense to win until the last month. For visual proof, see how the team's efficiency margin has trended this year:</div><div style="text-align: left; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/35lf5fq.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 305px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/35lf5fq.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>The team's efficiency margin is in the negatives for the entirety of conference play, but as the trend line shows, it's been on the up-and-up for the better part of the second-half. Better yet, the team's efficiency margin for the month of February is +0.11. Oakland's over the same span is +0.09. Will Oakland's offensive firepower be enough to take down a vastly improved Thunderbirds team in Cedar City? That's why they play the games, I guess. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left; "><b>Key Personnel Match-Up</b></div><div style="text-align: left; "><i>Oakland's Frontcourt vs. SUU's Frontcourt</i></div><a href="http://i52.tinypic.com/2ltr7t1.jpg"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2ltr7t1.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 76px; " /></a><div>Over the last two years or so SUU coach Roger Reid has recruited a lot of size. In fact, SUU has so much size in its frontcourt that it's fairly comparable to Oakland. The SUU frontline isn't quite as experienced as OU's, but it is surely big enough to compete with the opponents on Saturday night. Mott Hodgson's minutes still vary quite a bit, but the 6-foot-11 sophomore did have a breakout night as recently as a week ago at IUPUI. Matt Massey also has size and versatility, and freshman forward Kyle Davis has been on a tear as of late (13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in February league contests). Jackson Stevenett, who checks in at about the same size as OU's Drew Valentine, has also been on a bit of a hot streak lately (double figures in four straight games). Keith Benson, Will Hudson, and Valentine will have their hands full in this one, and depending on how the game is called, Ilija Milutinovic could also be called upon to pitch in. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>SUU Player To Watch: Ryan Brimley</b></div><div><img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/33zcrpl.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />Ryan Brimley, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Parcell">Kenneth Parcell from <i>30 Rock</i></a>, is the lone senior on this year's young Southern Utah team. As such, he'll be <a href="http://www.suunews.com/news/2011/feb/23/mens-basketball-prepares-final-home-stand-season/">the only one celebrating Senior Night</a> on Saturday evening. Like a lot of his teammates, Brimley's minutes have fluctuated quite a bit this season as Coach Reid seemingly worked to find the right rotations, and the senior has been rather ineffective during the last two weeks. However, it's Brimley's last game at Centrum so it's likely that the senior will at the very least have the opportunity to impact the game. He's capable of doing so, especially when given the green light to shoot threes, though it is worth noting SUU takes the least amount of three-pointers in the entire nation. </div><div align="center" style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div><b>Oakland Player To Watch: Larry Wright</b></div><div><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/ilimmc.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />Larry Wright has been playing a lot of minutes in the last two weeks, a move that has chipped away at Drew Valentine's just a bit. Never fear, however, as Wright has been shooting fairly well from the field in that stretch and has been rebounding like it's mid-December. Wright has also stepped up his game on the defensive end of the court, which included a great performance guarding NDSU's Michael Tveidt a few weeks ago that Coach Kampe lauded after the game. If the altitude is not kind to Oakland's scoring threats from deep, the team could use a healthy dose of Wright attacking the basket. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>History</b></div><div>The all-time series between these two schools is split evenly at 13-13, according to StatSheet.com. Long-time Oakland fans know well of the team's struggles in Cedar City. Last year's seniors didn't pull out a win there until their last season, which means this year's senior class will attempt to win its second game in a row to graduate with a 2-2 record at Centrum.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you're interested in getting in on the conversation with other Oakland fans before, during, and after the game, we highly suggest checking out the Golden Grizzly Hoops <a href="http://goldengrizzlyhoops.proboards.com/">forum</a>.</div></div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-91731945333478245372011-02-24T11:28:00.001-05:002011-02-24T11:46:48.993-05:00Game Preview: Oakland at UMKC<div align="center"><img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/2vt76e1.jpg" border="0" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 530px; height: 116px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">Game 30: </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">Oakland (20-9, 15-1)</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; "> at UMKC </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">(16-11, 9-7)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Thursday, February 24, 2011 | 8:05pm EST</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Watch: <a href="http://www.umkckangaroos.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?SPSID=89987&SPID=10799&db_oem_id=18300">RooVision</a> ($) | Radio: <a href="http://www.wdfn.com/">WDFN (1130 AM)</a></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">Oakland heads to Kansas City for a game against a UMKC team that is much-improved since the two teams met back in early December. The Golden Grizzlies won that game by more than 30 points, but that looks more like an outlier for a Kangaroos squad that is currently 9-7 in league play. One of the reasons the Roos have been successful this season is their improved play at home. Prior to the start of the year, they moved from the Municipal Auditorium into the on-campus Swinney Recreation Center, a venue they are currently 11-2 in this season. If Oakland can channel its early December game, then even a favorable home court won't help UMKC in this one. However, recent trends would indicate this one will be much closer than the previous meeting, especially considering the Roos still stand to improve their seeding by ending the season with a couple of wins.</div></div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>The Rouse Of The Roos Revisited</b></div><div style="text-align: left; ">When these teams met almost three months ago in Rochester, UMKC was riding high on a winning record achieved through the early part of non-conference play. The Oakland game, at least at the time, looked to put UMKC back in its place, a sign that the team had simply benefited from a very fluffy schedule (UMKC's non-conference strength of schedule <a href="http://kenpom.com/index.php?s=RankNCSOSPythag">ranks 320 out of 345</a>). However, UMKC bounced back in January with several inspired performances, many coming in overtime, that have helped the team climb in the conference standings. Even if the Roos lose out to finish the year, they'll still finish with at least a .500 league record for the first time in five seasons. It's also the most successful season headed by Coach Matt Brown, whose tenure has thus far been marked by plenty of losing and player defections. It's an interesting turn for Brown, a coach who might have been another losing season away from losing his job. However, the job he's done in leading the Roos to a winning record this season should be commended. He's done it with an extremely short bench that's been decimated by injuries, particularly in the frontcourt. Senior leader Spencer Johnson has stepped in to become a rebounding machine for the Roos, and had the team had a few more bodies available, some of those overtime losses could have very well been victories. Whatever happens to UMKC from here, Brown's performance this season should not be soon forgotten. For the first time, he has the Roos winning more games than they lose, which is a big step for a program that has struggled mightily in recent years. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Key Personnel Match-Up</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Reggie Hamilton vs. Reggie Chamberlain</i></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/20palol.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 76px; height: 76px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/20palol.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div>When Reggie Hamilton transferred from UMKC, the team was able to pick up another Reggie, Reggie Chamberlain, via the transfer wire. After sitting out last season due to the transfer, Chamberlain has emerged as a legitimate scoring threat for the Roos. Earlier in the season the junior guard wasn't necessarily a featured option for the team, but he has come on as of late and is averaging 16 points per game in February. If he has a weakness worth exploiting, it's his three-point shooting as he's making just 33.3% of his attempts in league play. Reggie Hamilton, meanwhile, has been shooting lights out for Oakland as the team's second-leading scorer, and he's also been the best distributor in The Summit League in conference games. While Hamilton and his backcourt pals will have to contest with both Chamberlain and Bakari Lewis, the Reggie vs. Reggie match-up figures to be interesting to monitor. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>UMKC Player To Watch: Jay Cousinard</b></div><div><img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2lctyra.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />Jay Cousinard has been a stud for UMKC this season. He gives the team an athletic presence on the wing, someone who can create his own shot off the dribble and draw contact in the paint. While he's not a prolific three-point threat, he's shooting a serviceable 41.1% from beyond the arc in conference play. Most of his damage comes closer to the basket where he is making 61.5% of his two-point attempts, and when he doesn't get a shot off, it's most likely because he's been fouled as he's third in the league in free-throws attempted in league play, just behind WIU's Matt Lander and OU's Keith Benson. The senior also chips in 6.1 rebounds per league contest. The dude should be a First Teamer when this year is over, and he's got just two more games to show why. </div><div align="center" style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div><b>Oakland Player To Watch: Drew Valentine</b></div><div><img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/5b9nyw.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />With the seniors playing their last two games at home last weekend, Valentine didn't play his typical amount of minutes which limited his production opportunities just a bit. Against UMKC, however, Oakland will need Valentine's rebounding as the opponents feature a few great rebounders at the forward spot. If Valentine can chip in a few points via offensive boards while helping to limit UMKC's second chance opportunities, the Golden Grizzlies will be more effective at making it tough for guys like Spencer Johnson and Jay Cousinard to rebound. Valentine will likely also spend some time guarding Cousinard, UMKC's featured scorer, so the sophomore will be in a position to have an impact on the game one way or another.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>History</b></div><div>Oakland has won nine straight games over UMKC dating back to the 2006-2007 season. These teams always tend to have high scoring games, though those have more often come at the O'rena than in Kansas City. As noted earlier, this game will be held in UMKC's on-campus gym instead of the historic Municipal Auditorium. The team moved its home games to Swinney Recreation Center this year. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you're interested in getting in on the conversation with other Oakland fans before, during, and after the game, we highly suggest checking out the Golden Grizzly Hoops <a href="http://goldengrizzlyhoops.proboards.com/">forum</a>.</div></div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-22561910377131974822011-02-22T11:37:00.002-05:002011-02-22T11:50:49.060-05:00Week 9 In The Summit League: Tempo-Free Trends<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/c6h3m.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/c6h3m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>After a big weekend for the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, the field of eight is now set for the conference tournament. However, the only seed that has been wrapped up is that of the number one, which goes to Oakland. Everything on down has yet to be settled. In fact, SUU could still jump up from the eighth to the seventh seed with a sweep at home this week. There is a lot on the line then in this final week of Summit League play. In an attempt to see which teams are progressing and which are regressing heading into this final week, I've charted the tempo-free offensive and defensive efficiency trends for all of the qualifiers below. Generally, the higher a team's offensive efficiency, as measured by points per possession, the more explosive the team. However, in order to win games, said teams must pair that offense with a low defensive efficiency mark, as measured by points allowed per possession. All data is for conference play only, and teams are presented in order of their efficiency margin (o-ppp minus d-ppp).<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1. Oakland (+.19)</b></div><div> <div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i53.tinypic.com/5odxj9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 488px; height: 296px;" src="http://i53.tinypic.com/5odxj9.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Oakland has been the most dominant team in the league all season long. While South Dakota State's offense has at times ranked ahead of Oakland's, the Jacks' defense has never been up to snuff with that of the Golden Grizzlies. As the blue trendline shows us, OU's tempo-free defensive efficiency has been trending toward 1.000 over the last few games, perhaps a sign that the team was never going to blow out teams all season long; the conference is just too strong this year. But its offense, despite a dip as of late, has remained in the upper-echelon of this measure. That's a deadly combination and the principle reason why OU remains the favorite. (For more on Oakland's efficiency trends, see the <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/02/gameplans-weekly-recap-ndsusdsu.html#effmarg">weekly recap post from yesterday</a>).</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>2. South Dakota State (+.12)</b></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/2ahz0pk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 488px; height: 296px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2ahz0pk.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>South Dakota State has been the hottest offensive team in the league. The team's points per possession mark has barely fluctuated since the second or third week of conference play. That low offensive mark in SDSU's first game of the season against NDSU was the ultimate outlier. While recent history would suggest that the Bison will yet again beat the Jacks in next weekend's rematch, the red trendline shows that the Jacks have every reason to believe they can finally breakthrough against the foes from Fargo. On the defensive side, we can see that SDSU has had its ups and downs, literally, but that the team has gotten it together in recent weeks. The points allowed per possession is still rather high at 1.07, but at least they've been consistent. When they find that consistency, a little bit of defense is all the Jacks need to let their offense win games for them. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>3. Oral Roberts (+.07)</b></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i53.tinypic.com/efmplc.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 488px; height: 296px;" src="http://i53.tinypic.com/efmplc.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></div></div><div>No surprises here. Oral Roberts is peaking at the right time thanks to improved offense and defense. During the early part of the season, it seemed as if the team couldn't put together a string of solid games, yet here we are at the end of February talking about the Golden Eagles as a legitimate contender for the conference tournament. ORU still has two more games this weekend to increase that growing efficiency gap, and if the team is able to win both of those games, it will head to Sioux Falls on an eight game winning streak. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>4. IUPUI (+.06)</b></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/ot0rqg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 488px; height: 296px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/ot0rqg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Interestingly, IUPUI has never dropped into the negative area of efficiency margin, though the trendlines show us that the team was playing some of its best ball in the middle of the season. The blue line representing defensive efficiency has been creeping up over the past three weeks, but the team's offensive efficiency has more or less remained constant. When the Jaguars put it together, they're a dangerous team. But at this point their track record shows they're just as capable of stunning wins (Oakland) as head-scratching losses (SUU at home).</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>5. North Dakota State (+.025)</b></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i53.tinypic.com/e8pkd1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 488px; height: 296px;" src="http://i53.tinypic.com/e8pkd1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>North Dakota State jumps ahead of IPFW by virtue of a one-thousandth point lead. The greatest asset for NDSU all season long has been its defense, which is currently allowing 1.03 points per possession (good for second in the league). However, the team's offense has been far from elite; consequently, the Bison men have dropped more games than they've won. And at present, the offense isn't improving much. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>6. IPFW (+.024)</b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/348haoo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 488px; height: 296px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/348haoo.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div>For much of the first half of conference play, IPFW was a legitimate contender thanks to an elite defense and a fairly stellar offense. As the team approached the halfway point, its defense quickly deteriorated. And soon after, its offense came back down to earth as well. Those early performances make you think that this could still be a scary team come March, but reason does not. The Dons haven't been in early season form for many weeks now, and their recent performances do not suggest it is getting any better. Granted, tempo-free statistics don't take into account the will to win of a great senior class, so the Dons could still make a run, but the data suggests it would be a big surprise at this point.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>7. UMKC (-.030)</b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i51.tinypic.com/zwm58z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 488px; height: 296px;" src="http://i51.tinypic.com/zwm58z.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div>Somehow, despite winning more games than its lost, UMKC is still on the negative side of the efficiency margin. When looking at its chart, don't be fooled: the team's giving up more points than it scores on a possession basis. But as these trendlines thankfully show us, the Roos have had to do a lot of work to correct some early blowouts. In fact, up until this last weekend, Matt Brown's team had successfully inched closer and closer to the positives before falling back just a bit after a bad loss to IUPUI. However, one thing remains certain: put the Roos up against a team like NDSU or IPFW and they have a shot to move on in Sioux Falls despite the negative margin. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>8. Southern Utah (-0.032)</b></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i56.tinypic.com/fc7mhl.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 488px; height: 296px;" src="http://i56.tinypic.com/fc7mhl.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Like the Kangaroos, the Thunderbirds sit on the negative side of this measure, but they've been getting better as of late. They've done it by shoring up the defense as the offense has been rather strong all year long (and consistent). But as the blue line shows us, SUU has been prone to major defensive lapses. Yet in recent weeks, that line has evened out a bit. This is good news for T-Bird fans as it means the team has improved its standing in the conference and secured a bid to the conference tournament. However, one has to wonder how much better the defense can get. At its best, SUU is still giving up 1.09 points per possession. That might be acceptable against some of the lower seeds, but it won't be enough to topple one of the higher seeds SUU is likely to face. </div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-64791595592423866132011-02-21T11:35:00.002-05:002011-02-21T11:50:11.704-05:00The Gameplan's Weekly Recap: NDSU/SDSU<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i54.tinypic.com/e9hwti.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 530px; height: 134px;" src="http://i54.tinypic.com/e9hwti.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: left; "><b><div style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><div style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>The Big Picture</b></span></div></b></span></div></b></div><div>Oakland sent its seniors off with two more wins at the O'rena this weekend, including a 105-96 victory over South Dakota State on Senior Night. Keith Benson, Will Hudson, and Larry Wright all put up big numbers in their last home game and capped the night off with a series of speeches to the crowd that showcased their character. It also gave the Oakland fans a chance to show their appreciation for the trio of seniors who have delivered back-to-back regular season championships. With the regular season championship clinched on Thursday night, the next time the Golden Grizzlies will have cause for celebration is if they win the tournament championship in Sioux Falls. </div><div><a name="effmarg"></a><br /></div><div><b>Efficiency Trends</b></div><div>In conferences like The Summit League, teams are not rewarded with at-large berths to the NCAA Tournament. Consequently, the only way for a program like Oakland to make the field of 68 is to claim the automatic bid that comes with winning a conference tournament championship. Generally, then, we can expect coaches to have their teams playing their best basketball heading into the beginning of March. In Oakland's case, this is something we've heard Coach Greg Kampe talk about time and again over the years. His focus on preparing his team for March has undoubtedly been the force behind Oakland's success in the conference tournament. But beyond general inferences, how can we quantify whether a team is truly peaking at the right time? To answer, let's turn to efficiency margin.</div><div><br /></div><div>The concept of efficiency margin is fairly simple: points scored per possession less points allowed per possession. It's a tempo-free way to explain a basketball team's efficiency, and it's relevance is boosted when one uses only games played in conference since the playing field is deemed even. <a href="http://www.basketballprospectus.com/news/?author=146">John Gasaway of BasketballProspectus.com</a> looks at the efficiency margin of teams in high major and elite mid-major conferences each week, and following that model, I have been keeping track of this measure for The Summit League throughout the season. But instead of calculating the efficiency margin for one point in the conference season, I thought it would be interesting to see how it changes over the course of the year. With this idea in mind, I charted Oakland's efficiency margin in conference play for the 18 games played in the past three seasons. The 2010-11 EM is through the 16 games played thus far:</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i52.tinypic.com/2dcd06w.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 473px; height: 306px;" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2dcd06w.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>To aid in consuming the information presented here, first note that a positive efficiency margin is an indication of a good team (one which scores more points than it gives up). The higher the efficiency margin, the more dominant the team. Second, note that the horizontal axis represents the number of games played in the conference season. </div><div><br /></div><div>We'll start with the 2008-09 season, one in which Oakland got off to a rough start before getting hot throughout the month of February. If any season represented the coaching mantra of "peaking at the right time," this was it. Oakland used its improved offensive and defensive efficiency to make a run to the conference championship game. Unfortunately, North Dakota State was a better team that year, and even the in-season adjustments Oakland made weren't enough to topple the Bison. In the 2009-10 season, the Golden Grizzlies were more or less dominant throughout, including an incredible stretch in the month of January where their efficiency margin was as high as +.24. While the team wasn't quite ascending during the last few weeks, it was at least very consistent hovering around the +.13 mark. Using that consistency streak, Oakland would go on to win the tournament championship.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now we turn to this season. Janus-like, we can look at this in two different ways. First, the green line representing 2010-11 is clearly on the decline. Over the course of the last month, both Oakland's possession-based offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency have been falling; consequently, so has its efficiency margin. For the first time in league play, Oakland now rests under +.20 in this measure. Essentially, the Golden Grizzlies haven't been as dominant as they were in the early part of the season. Opposing teams are closing the gap.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, that closing gap is still gaping! We can look at this decreasing efficiency as merely a team coming down from an incredible high. After all, there aren't too many teams who could keep up a +.30 efficiency margin throughout the course of a season. As a result, Oakland in 2010-11 has had more room to fall than previous versions, yet it still owns a decided advantage over the rest of its conference counterparts. Here, in it's entangled glory, is a visualization of efficiency margin trends in The Summit League. </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/jrzk04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 473px; height: 400px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/jrzk04.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>I will have more on each team that should be easier to discern in tomorrow's conference wrap-up, but the basic idea should come through here: OU has been far and away the most efficient team all season long. So even though Oakland hasn't been quite as dominant lately, the team has still found a way to win. In blowouts, close games, and everything in between, these Golden Grizzlies have come out victorious. Such a pedigree will surely come in handy in Sioux Falls.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hamilton, The Distributor</b></div><div>After his 11 assist performance on Saturday against South Dakota State, Reggie Hamilton is now averaging 6.4 assists per game in conference play. That mark sets him alone as the leading distributor in league play just ahead of SDSU's Nate Wolters (6.1). Since becoming Oakland's lead ball-handler around the time Larry Wright was first injured, Hamilton has proven to be quite effective at finding his teammates for open shots. The only knock against the junior in this role is that he has often coughed the ball up, but his assist-to-turnover ratio has improved in recent weeks. In last week's recap, I showed how Hamilton has become the team's leading player in terms of creating his own shot, but he has also been great at creating shots for others as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>I first saw the concept of attributing a player's assists from <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/luke_winn/12/09/power.rankings/index.html">SI.com's Luke Winn</a>, who developed his own spin on <a href="http://hoopism.com/?p=434">Hoopism.com's study</a> on assists in the NBA. Since this model has been replicated a bit on other team-specific blogs, I thought I'd do a slightly different spin on the visualization, though the basic premise is the same. Here, we see the distribution of Reggie Hamilton's assists through 16 conference games. </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/6jcy7q.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 530px; height: 359px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/6jcy7q.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>It should come as no surprise to Oakland fans that a majority of Hamilton's assists are to Keith Benson, Drew Valentine, Will Hudson, and Travis Bader. After all, these are the players he is most often on the court with, and it's also been Oakland's starting line-up for the better part of league play. Benson is the primary benefactor of Hamilton's passes, which makes sense as the 6-foot-11 center is often the focal point of the offense. I was hoping some trend would become apparent with the rest of the guys, yet I found that Hamilton's assists were distributed fairly evenly. There is about a one percent difference in assisted baskets between Valentine, Hudson, and Bader. Hamilton doesn't really favor a particular guy, he just hits who is open or in position to score. As a sign of Oakland's good fortune this season, the team has several guys capable of knocking down shots from all over the court, and Hamilton has done a great job of finding his teammates in those spots. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; "><b>"Free Ilija" Watch</b></div><div style="text-align: left; ">Ilija's playing time continues to disappear as Oakland finds itself in increasingly tight games, but he was able to have an impact on the South Dakota State game by draining a three in the corner. With that make, he improves to 4-of-10 on three-point shooting in conference play. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; "><b>Non-Keith Benson Stud Of The Week: Will Hudson</b></div><div style="text-align: left; "><i>A weekly shoutout to the best Golden Grizzly not named Keith Benson.</i></div><div style="text-align: left; ">All three seniors closed out the O'rena with a bang, but Will Hudson was the one doing the most banging around for the Golden Grizzlies this week. In his <a href="http://www.ougrizzlies.com/allaccess/?media=231431">post-game interview</a> on Saturday, there was plenty of evidence of this: a stitched-up eye, scratches on his biceps, a bruise. Hudson took his fair share of hits this weekend, yet he remained as tough as ever throughout. In two games, he gobbled up 18 rebounds (eight on the offensive glass) and blocked five shots in total. He also went 9-of-11 from the field and 14-of-18 from the charity stripe for 32 points. He was, simply, a beast. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; "><b>What's Next?</b></div><div style="text-align: left; ">Oakland will wrap up the regular season with a tough road trip to UMKC and SUU. The Kangaroos have been a tough out at their on-campus arena this season, and the Thunderbirds always seem to give Oakland close games in Cedar City. It will be interesting to see how the team approaches these games, considering the travel involved and the need to stay healthy and alert for Sioux Falls, and the fact that the regular season championship is already wrapped up. </div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-23976783942105919352011-02-18T15:36:00.002-05:002011-02-18T15:44:54.267-05:00Game Preview: Oakland vs. SDSU<div align="center"><img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/10z05xj.jpg" border="0" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 530px; height: 116px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">Game 29: </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">Oakland (19-9, 14-1)</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; "> vs SDSU </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; ">(18-9, 10-6)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Saturday, February 19, 2011 | 6:00pm EST</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Watch: <a href="http://www.ougrizzlies.com/allaccess">OU All-Access</a> ($) | Radio: <a href="http://www.wxou.org/">WXOU</a> (88.3 FM)</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; ">Saturday's tilt between Oakland and SDSU comes with equal parts sadness and excitement. For the former emotion, it'll be the last time we see Keith Benson, Will Hudson, and Larry Wright play a game at the O'rena. All three players have been major contributors for Oakland over the years, and while it will be hard to see them say goodbye to their home arena, it also serves as cause for celebrating their careers. And while the actual outcome of the game won't have a major impact on Oakland's season (the team has already clinched the league championship), the Golden Grizzlies will surely be motivated to send this trio of seniors out with a bang. The night's opponent, South Dakota State, is on a bit of a roll as of late. The Jacks have won four straight as it looks like they've finally found a way to put together enough defense to allow their explosive offense to win games. It's also been a season of firsts for the Jacks as they are coming off their first win at IPFW in their fourth year of league play. Now they'll look to get their first win at the O'rena while spoiling Oakland's Senior Night. </div></div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b>The Ultimate POT</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Back in the early part of the conference season, I introduced a concept here, gleaned from <a href="http://bigtenwonk.blogspot.com/2005/11/style-sensitive-hoops-critique-style.html">Big Ten Wonk</a>, about the perimeter-oriented team. Using <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/01/game-preview-oakland-at-ipfw.html">IPFW as the subject</a>, the numbers showed that the perimeter-oriented offense of the Dons in turn made them a league leader in turnover rate but squashed their chances of getting to the free throw line or accumulating many offensive rebounds. Well, now that we're almost to the end of conference play, I decided to gather the numbers again for league games only. The result of that process shows us that South Dakota State is now the ultimate perimeter-oriented team. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i55.tinypic.com/2cz32xk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 241px;" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2cz32xk.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>This first table shows us that 37.2% of SDSU's shots come from beyond the arc, which puts the team just behind UMKC in that department. Unlike UMKC, though, SDSU makes a high percentage of these shots. As a result, the team's perimeter orientation is well-employed. They take a lot of threes, and they make a lot of threes. However, as the next table shows, this is not without its statistical consequences.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i54.tinypic.com/xo4evs.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 367px; height: 241px;" src="http://i54.tinypic.com/xo4evs.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>First, perhaps the best consequence of such an orientation is a lessened turnover rate. The thinking on this matter is that the more shots a team takes from deep, the fewer chances it has to turn the ball over on a dribble-drive through mishandling or an opponent's block. SDSU's gaudy turnover rate is also helped by Nate Wolters, who rarely turns the ball over even as one of the team's most productive players off the dribble. Second, we see that SDSU is an average team when it comes to offensive rebounding percentage. Here, one might assume that with more players on the perimeter there are less bodies attacking the basket for the offensive board. The evidence suggests this is partly true, though it helps that the Jacks have a few guys who have proven effective on the offensive glass (Dale Moss, Jordan Dykstra). Finally, without as many guys driving to the basket, SDSU rarely gets to the free throw line. In fact, in conference games only the team has the lowest free throw rate in The Summit League. Again, Nate Wolters throws a wrench in that assessment as he is one of the best in the league at drawing contact. Clearly, SDSU has a perimeter-orientation and takes advantage of its benefits, and while the disadvantages are proven, the team has a game-changer in Wolters who has the ability to make moot several of these points. </div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Key Personnel Match-Up</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Reggie Hamilton vs. Nate Wolters</i></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i51.tinypic.com/96mcjo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 322px; height: 167px;" src="http://i51.tinypic.com/96mcjo.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></div><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2gy6srt.jpg" border="0" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 76px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /><div>When the All-League teams are announced a few weeks from today, the First Team should feature the two lead guards in Saturday's match-up. Nate Wolters is a sure-fire pick for the conference's top team, evidenced by the 18.8 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.5 rebounds he's averaging per game. Not only has Wolters been an impact player for SDSU, he's been their featured option in just his second year. The 6-foot-3 point guard had 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists on Thursday night to lead his team to its first win on the road against IPFW. Dude's a baller, simply put. On the other side of the ball stands Reggie Hamilton. The junior is having a stellar season for Oakland, averaging 16.8 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.6 boards a game. Those numbers are greater in conference play where Hamilton has been responsible for a number of late-game heroics to help will Oakland to victory. Even though these two guys won't always exclusively guard one another in this game, it will definitely be the most intriguing match-up as it features two potential First Team guards looking to keep their teams hot heading into the conference tournament. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>SDSU Player To Watch: Clint Sargent</b></div><div><img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2a4u6j4.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />It seems that every Oakland opponent down the stretch here has featured a noteworthy senior playing his last game at the O'rena. SDSU's senior class might not be the winningest bunch compared to other senior classes around the league, but they sure have been influential in helping the program make the transition into a Division I contender. Clint Sargent has perhaps been the most productive of the Jacks' senior bunch over the course of the past four years. The Iowa native has primarily served as the team's principle threat from beyond the arc where he is shooting 41.4% on the season. Sargent seems to get hot in spurts, and if history is any indication, his 1-for-6 line on Thursday means that he's likely to bounce back with a much better performance against Oakland. </div><div align="center" style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div><b>Oakland Player To Watch: Keith Benson</b></div><div><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/magoqr.jpg" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; cursor: pointer; width: 75px; height: 75px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />In the game against NDSU, Keith Benson did what seniors do. With the game close throughout the second half, Benson came up big to help lead his team to victory. After making just 2-of-7 field goals in the first, Benson went 6-of-11 in the second in addition to racking up four of his five blocks. And one of those blocks occurred with 47 seconds left on an NDSU shot attempt that could have tied the game. Keith Benson has rarely come up short in big moments for Oakland, and he showed on Thursday that such a trend is far being overturned. For now, Kito will have his last opportunity to come up big with timely dunks and game-altering blocks inside of the O'rena on Saturday night. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>History</b></div><div>Oakland is 3-0 at home against SDSU since the Jacks joined The Summit League in the 2007-2008 season. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you're interested in getting in on the conversation with other Oakland fans before, during, and after the game, we highly suggest checking out the Golden Grizzly Hoops <a href="http://goldengrizzlyhoops.proboards.com/">forum</a>.</div></div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5386812469537892059.post-29271222157986982392011-02-16T18:30:00.000-05:002011-10-12T18:13:26.900-04:00Game Preview: Oakland vs. NDSU<div align="center">
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Game 28: </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Oakland (18-9, 13-1)</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> vs NDSU </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">(13-12, 7-8)</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Thursday, February 17, 2011 | 7:00pm EST</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Watch: <a href="http://www.ougrizzlies.com/allaccess">OU All-Access</a> ($) | Radio: <a href="http://www.wxou.org/">WXOU</a> (88.3 FM)</span></div>
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The Golden Grizzlies welcome the Bison to the O'rena on Thursday night for what will be the second-to-last home game of the conference season. Oakland hasn't quite had its "A-game" in its last two contests, which is something it will need on this latest homestand. NDSU is a squad that gave Oakland a tight game last month in Fargo, and despite an up-and-down schedule, the Bison remain a tough opponent. These two squads always seem to have close games in the confines of the O'rena, though Oakland has always come out on top. That's been somewhat of a trend for the Golden Grizzlies at home for the past few seasons, and with this weekend being the last home games for a trio of dominant seniors, the home court advantage figures to be as strong as ever. </div>
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<b>In The Middle</b></div>
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When looking at the North Dakota State statistical profile, one will notice that the team is average in just about every category. From field goal percentage and assisted basket percentage to turnover rate and fouls per game, the Bison consistently rank in the middle of the pack in The Summit League. It's boring, really. This is a squad that is fair at almost everything, but far from elite or crippling in any one thing. As a result, NDSU has no staggering weaknesses, nor could one consider it to have a major strength. And that's precisely why the team has hovered around .500 for the season. Now with all of that said, NDSU does excel in one very important area: rebounding, especially offensive rebounding. In conference games only, NDSU trails only Oakland in rebounding percentage. Here, compared to Oakland, from BBState.com:</div>
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1. Oakland: 52.8%</div>
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2. NDSU: 52.7%</div>
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For those doing the math, that's just a one-tenth difference. Essentially, this game will be a battle of two great rebounding teams. As noted, though, NDSU is also good on the offensive glass, rebounding 36.1% of its misses compared to Oakland's 33.8% mark. When the teams met in January, NDSU outperformed Oakland on the boards, resulting in Oakland's <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/01/gameplans-weekly-recap-sdsundsu.html#boards">largest rebounding percentage differential</a> at that point in league play. To overcome Oakland in Rochester, the Bison will need to do a lot more than rebound at an elite level, but that's at least a facet of the game to watch.</div>
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<b>Key Personnel Match-Up</b></div>
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<i>Will Hudson vs. Eric Carlson</i></div>
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It wasn't more than two weeks ago that NDSU junior forward Eric Carlson exploded with a 32 point, 12 rebound performance in a win against UMKC. It was Carlson's first huge game of the season, which comes as a bit of a surprise for a player who was tabbed in the preseason for Second Team All-League. While the Minnesota native has been solid in recent games, he hasn't exactly parlayed that UMKC night into more double-doubles. Will Hudson, a player who could very likely end up on that Second Team list, hasn't scored as much in the past two weeks as he did earlier in the season, but his rebounding - particularly on the offensive glass - has remained an integral component to Oakland's winning ways. With Senior Night approaching for Will The Thrill, one can only hope he gets a few more touches to end his career at the O'rena with a bang. For now, Carlson will be one player standing in the way of such a night.</div>
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<b>NDSU Player To Watch: Marshall Bjorklund</b></div>
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<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2m31szr.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 75px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 75px;" />Marshall Bjorklund's best night as a Bison in conference play came against Oakland in Fargo back on January 22. The 6-foot-8 freshman put up 21 points and 8 rebounds on a night where his teammates consistently fed him the ball in the post. Though he struggled early against Oakland's frontline, he was able to draw contact throughout the night that led to some Keith Benson foul trouble. Bjorklund hasn't quite received the same kind of touches in subsequent games, but after that game we know one thing about Bjorklund: he's not going to lack the confidence to go up against Oakland's bigs. For more, I posted an in-depth look of Bjorklund's previous performance on the blog yesterday, linked <a href="http://grizzliesgameplan.blogspot.com/2011/02/one-game-rise-of-ndsus-marshall.html">here</a>. </div>
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<b>Oakland Player To Watch: Larry Wright</b></div>
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<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/ilimmc.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 75px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 75px;" />Larry Wright was Oakland's hero in the last meeting between these two teams. He absolutely lit it up from the field in the second half and put an end to the Bison upset bid. Wright's three-point shooting has been inconsistent since then, and for whatever reason he's gone away from attacking the basket as much as he did during some of his better performances in December. Even now, we never know just how Wright will impact the game, but the simple fact is that he has the diversified skillset that enables him to be a weapon in a variety of ways. With just two more games left at the O'rena, it's Larry's turn to show everyone that smooth jumper and those twisting drives to the basket for the final go-around.</div>
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<b>History</b></div>
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Oakland is 3-0 at home against NDSU since the Bison joined The Summit League in the 2007-2008 season. All three games have been relatively close affairs: the first two wins were by a combined five points, while last year's win was by seven points. History suggests a close game on Thursday evening. </div>
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<b>Pre-Game Linkage</b></div>
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Check out the latest edition of the unofficial student section newslater, The Half-court Press, by <a href="http://bit.ly/ecqcNh">clicking here</a>. Additionally, you can listen to the podcast of the latest Greg Kampe Show, hosted by Matt Pocket and Bryan Everson of WXOU, by heading <a href="http://podcasts.wxou.org/?mode=viewid&post_id=50">here</a>. Finally, you can read a piece by <i>Bison Illustrated</i> on NDSU's final two weeks of the season <a href="http://bisonillustrated.com/s.php?s=562">here</a>.</div>
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If you're interested in getting in on the conversation with other Oakland fans before, during, and after the game, we highly suggest checking out the Golden Grizzly Hoops <a href="http://goldengrizzlyhoops.proboards.com/">forum</a>.<br />
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</div>Coreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01365143600073544373noreply@blogger.com0