Oakland University men’s basketball travels to Green Bay to take on the Phoenix in the Quarterfinals of the Horizon League Championship on March 5.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Green Bay (16-15, 11-7 HL) #3 Seed | Thursday, March 5 – 8 PM ET | RESCH CENTER | Green Bay, WI | Horizon League Championship #3 vs #6 – Quarterfinals
COVERAGE BROADCAST
ESPN+ | TALENT: Brian Kuklinski (PxP) and Bill Rabeor (Analyst) | RADIO: WDFN-AM (1130), iHeart Radio app | TALENT: Neal Ruhl (PxP)
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – Oakland University men’s basketball travels to Green Bay to take on the Phoenix in the Quarterfinals of the Horizon League Championship on Thursday, March 5. Tipoff from the Resch Center is set for 8 pm ET.
The Golden Grizzlies are coming off their largest in-league victory of the season, knocking off Cleveland State, 80-59. Four different scorers finished in double digits for Oakland – highlighted by senior forward Xavier Hill-Mais’ fifth double-double in the past six outings. Hill-Mais went for a game-high 26 points to go with 12 rebounds.
Sophomore guard Tray Maddox Jr. finished with 17 after having a game-high 14 points at the break. Maddox Jr. tied his career high with four made three-pointers. The Novi native had a game-high five assists.
Oakland and Green Bay split the season series, each holding serve on home court. On January 16, at the Resch Center, it was senior center Brad Brechting leading the charge, finishing with 26 points and 14 rebounds.
Down five, 71-66, Maddox Jr. stepped into a three on the wing from Hill-Mais to make it a one-possession ballgame with seven seconds remaining. The Golden Grizzlies wouldn’t come closer, as the Phoenix knocked down a pair of free throws to put the contest out of reach, 73-69.
On Senior Day in the O’Rena on February 23, Oakland battled the Phoenix into double overtime, coming away with the 92-88 victory. The Black and Gold attacked the glass, outrebounding Green Bay, 53-40. It was Oakland’s first 50+ rebound game since pulling down 55 at Washington in Alaska Airlines Arena on December 19, 2015.
The Golden Grizzlies’ starting five combined for all 92 points, with four of the five finishing in double figures. Hill-Mais led the way with 31 points and became the second Golden Grizzly to eclipse the 30-point mark in a single game this season – Williams has posted tallies of 37 and 34 this season. Williams finished with 19 points highlighted by five triples.
The Golden Grizzlies enter the week as the No. 6 seed in the bracket. Oakland is 4-6 in the Horizon League Championship since joining the league and 18-15 all-time in Division I league tournaments. The Golden Grizzlies are 15-8 all-time as the higher seed in conference tournaments.
As the three seed in the bracket, Green Bay earned a first round bye. Last time out for the Phoenix, Kameron Hankerson led Green Bay with 17 points to a 74-67 victory over Cleveland State. The Phoenix have won six of their last eight games.
Freshman Amari Davis and senior JayQuan McCloud earned themselves spots on the Horizon League All-League teams. Davis finished his impressive first season with the Phoenix as the Freshman of the Year in the conference and a part of the All-League Third Team after averaging 15.8 PPG while shooting over 50 percent from the floor. McCloud earned himself First Team All-League honors after leading the Phoenix in scoring at 17.4 PPG and leading the league in assists at 5.1 per game.
Inside the Series
Overall: Green Bay, 11-9
At Home: 6-4
At GB: 3-7
At Neutral: 0-0
Current Streak: Oakland, 1
Season Meetings: L, 73-69 (1/16/20 at Resch Center) | W, 92-88 2OT (2/23/20 at O’Rena)
Notes
- Oakland’s scoring with Williams versus without is a difference of 9.5 ppg. Oakland’s eight-game streak of at least 70 points came to a close on February 27 in a 71-68 loss at IUPUI.
- The last time Oakland did not convert a shot from behind the arc was on Jan. 30, 1988 vs. Wayne State University. The Golden Grizzlies have hit a three-ball in 1,002-consecutive games, which is the fifth-longest streak in the NCAA.
- Oakland is 4-6 in the Horizon League Championship since joining the league and 18-15 all-time in Division I league tournaments. The Golden Grizzlies are 15-8 all-time as the higher seed in the conference tournament.
- Xavier Hill-Mais was named to the All-League First Team for the second-straight season.
- Blake Lampman was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.
- With the win at UIC on Feb. 29, Oakland avoids its first 20-loss season since 2013-14. Since the Golden Grizzlies’ started playing basketball as the Pioneers in 1967-68, Oakland has had four 20 loss seasons – only one under head coach Greg Kampe.
- Kay Felder – 2013-16 – was named to the Horizon League All-Decade Team. Felder led the nation with 9.3 assists per game and was fourth nationally with 24.4 points per game in 2015-16.
