OAKLAND MEN’S BASKETBALL KICKS OFF ROAD TRIP WITH YOUNGSTOWN STATE

ROCHESTER, Michigan – The Oakland University men’s basketball program takes to the road for the first time since the start of league play. The Golden Grizzlies open the two-game road trip with Youngstown State on Thursday, January 9, at the Beeghly Center in Youngstown, Ohio. Tip is set for 7 pm.

Oakland (6-10, 1-2 HL) and Youngstown State (9-7, 2-1 HL) meet for the 25th time in the programs’ histories. The Golden Grizzlies have gotten the best of the Penguins in the series, 16-8, but no team has won consecutive meetings since Oakland did so in February of 2017. The Golden Grizzlies are 6-5 against YSU in Youngstown.

Last time the two met was in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament. Oakland edged out the Penguins in the O’rena, 88-84. Sophomore Tray Maddox Jr., senior Brad Brechting and senior Xavier Hill-Mais all scored in double figures, combining for 47 points. Brechting had a game-high 15 boards as Hill-Mais recorded 11 rebounds.

Hill-Mais is averaging 15.8 points per game this season, which ranks third in the league, and he is one of four players in the conference with at least 100 made field goals. Hill-Mais has scored in double figures in 15 of 16 games this season and 50 times in his career. His 52.1-percent from the floor is good for second in league.

Maddox Jr. has strung together three-straight double figure performances. The Novi, Michigan, native also has knocked down at least one triple in nine-straight games.

Since the start of league play, Oakland has assisted on 59 of 81 made field goals – 73 percent (19.7 apg, 27 fg/gm). The nation’s leader on the year is Michigan State, averaging 19.7 assists per game over the course of the season.

Youngstown State suffered its first conference loss last time out, falling to Cleveland State, 82-74. The Penguins have not suffered back-to-back losses since the second and third games of the year at Louisville and at Louisiana.

Darius Quisenberry leads YSU with 15.3 points per game and is the lone Penguin in double figures. Quisenberry’s 55 assists this year also leads the team. Naz Bohannon ranks second in the league with 9.3 boards per game and first with 3.94 offensive rebounds per outing.

Following Thursday’s battle in Youngstown, the Golden Grizzlies stay in Ohio to square off with Cleveland State on Saturday, January 11.

Inside the Series
Overall: Oakland leads 16-8
At Home: 10-2
At YSU: 6-5
At Neutral: 0-1
Current Streak: Oakland, 1
Last Meeting: W, 88-84 (3/6/19 at the O’rena) Horizon League Tournament Quarterfinal

Notes

Oakland has been lending a helping hand as of late, recording two 20-plus assist efforts over the past three games. Since the start of Horizon League play, the Golden Grizzlies have been averaging a conference-best 19.7 assists per game – Michigan State currently leads all teams throughout the 2019-20 season with 19.7 assists per contest. Against Wright State, the Golden Grizzlies assisted on 21 of 26 made field goals (81-percent) and 22 of 29 (76-percent) made field goals against Detroit Mercy to open league play on Dec. 28. Junior Kevin Kangu leads Oakland with 64 assists this season – good for fourth in the Horizon League.
Following Wright State’s 96-point performance on January 3, Oakland’s scoring defense fell to second in the league at 67.6 points per game. The Golden Grizzlies held opponents to under 60 points four times this season. Opponents have hit just 41.1 percent of their field goals against Oakland, making the Golden Grizzlies’ defense tops in the Horizon League in the category. Oakland’s defense has done it without getting into foul trouble, ranking first in the conference for fewest fouls at 244 – 15.3 per game.
For the 11th time this season, the starting five last time out included Kevin Kangu, Brad Brechting, Xavier Hill-Mais, Tray Maddox Jr. and Daniel Oladapo. The group is 5-6 and has combined for 550 points as the starting lineup – 50.0 points per game.
Coach Greg Kampe has been going deep on his bench this season, most recently playing 12 Golden Grizzlies against Northern Kentucky. Kampe went 13-deep on the roster for the first time this season against Wright State and has gone 12 deep on six occasions this season and at least 10 in 13 games this season.
The Golden Grizzlies come into this week the fourth-highest ranked Horizon team in the most updated NET rankings. The NET relies on game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses. Wright State (112), Northern Kentucky (165) and Green Bay (220) are the league foes in front of Oakland (229). Youngstown State is 230 as of January 6.
With a pair of home losses last week, Oakland falls to 1-2 in league play. The last time Oakland started 1-2 in the Horizon League was 2017-18. The Golden Grizzlies went on to win five straight after dropping three of the year’s first four in conference action and finished the season 10-8 and earned the No. 4 seed in the Horizon League Tournament. Oakland has never started conference play 1-4.
Xavier Hill-Mais’ 15.8 points per game ranks third in the league, and he is one of four players in the conference with at least 100 made field goals. Hill-Mais has scored in double figures in 15 of 16 games this season and 50 times in his career. His 52.1-percent from the floor is good for second in league.
Tray Maddox Jr. wasted no time extending his three-point streak, knocking down the game’s first field goal from range against Northern Kentucky. Maddox Jr. has hit a triple in nine-consecutive games. He has scored in double-figures in three-straight outings and seven times this year.