The Oakland Golden Grizzlies (12-8) head to Milwaukee to take on the Panthers (14-6) in what should be a high-scoring game. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Monday, Jan. 25 and can be seen on ES3.
The Panthers enter this game hoping for similar success after barely hanging on to beat Detroit 83-80 on Saturday. Jordan Johnson was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points on 7-for-10 shooting. The Golden Grizzlies, meanwhile, are coming off a 111-95 win against Green Bay on Saturday. Kahlil Felder claimed his ninth double-double of the season with 29 points and 14 assists.
Jalen Hayes has upped his play over the last five games for the Golden Grizzlies, averaging 17.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.0 block.
Milwaukee is a slim two-point favorite at home against Oakland. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 163 points for this matchup. The Panthers come into this game 14-6 Straight Up (SU) and 9-9 Against The Spread (ATS). The Panthers are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 8.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Milwaukee is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 17.6 assists per game. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the Milwaukee offense, which averages just 11.4 turnovers per game.
Over on the other bench, the Golden Grizzlies have records of 11-4 ATS and 12-8 SU. Offensively, they average 86.3 points per game, which is good for second in the country. The Golden Grizzlies rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking 40th in the nation with 178 made (8.0 per game). The Golden Grizzlies have controlled the glass with an average of 40.2 rebounds per game, 38th in the country.
The conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Milwaukee won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record to 4-2 over the Golden Grizzlies. Furthermore, Milwaukee holds the advantage ATS with a record of 3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Oak, ATS Winner – Oak, O/U – Over
Notes
Wisc-Milwaukee is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
Wisc-Milwaukee is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games at home.
The Milwaukee Panthers hold a solid 5-2 SU record in matchups against Horizon Conference rivals, while the Oakland Golden Grizzlies currently sit at 4-3 in these games.
Oakland is one of the top-scoring teams, averaging 86.3 points per game (ranked second). Milwaukee, on the other hand, allows 70.6 points per game (ranked 157th).
Oakland is one of the top-scoring teams on the road, averaging 86.4 points per game (ranked second). Milwaukee, on the other hand, allows 70.3 points per home game (ranked 217th).
Ranked 27th, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies have an offensive rating of 114.9. The Milwaukee Panthers rank 181st with a defensive rating of just 102.9.
The Milwaukee Panthers average a field goal percentage of 46.3% this season. The Oakland Golden Grizzlies have an underachieving record of 2-5 when opponents have a FG% of 46.3% or greater.
The Milwaukee Panthers and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Milwaukee is 73rd and 37th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Oakland is 116th and 94th in these categories.
Milwaukee ranks among the best in the nation in assists at 15th (17.6 assists per game). Oakland is ranked 87th with 15.1 assists per game.
Oakland, the 38th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 40.2 rebounds per game. Milwaukee does worse, ranked 249th with 35.2.
The Oakland Golden Grizzlies rank 88th in offensive rebounds. The Milwaukee Panthers rank 136th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, Milwaukee forces a turnover rate of 16.4%. When Oakland turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a superb 6-2 record.
