The Oakland Golden Grizzlies (18-9) and the Horizon’s top-ranked offense visit Wright State to take on the Raiders (16-11) and the fifth-ranked defense in the conference. The game begins at 5:00 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 15 and will air on ESU and ES3.
The Raiders edged Valparaiso 61-59 on Saturday. Joe Thomasson was the team’s leading scorer with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting. The Golden Grizzlies, meanwhile, are coming off a 111-93 win against Green Bay on Saturday. Kahlil Felder led the game in scoring with 28 points on 10-for-18 shooting.
Jalen Hayes has been on a tear over the last five games for the Golden Grizzlies, averaging 15.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 1.0 steal.
It’s a matchup of two different tempos, as the fast-paced Golden Grizzlies (ranked 13th in the nation in possessions per game) square off against the methodical Raiders (273rd).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Golden Grizzlies won the first game 89-63. Felder was a top performer in the victory with 33 points, two rebounds, six assists, five steals, and three three-pointers.
The Raiders come into this game 16-11 Straight Up (SU) and 12-14 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 7-2-1 ATS. The most recent ten-game stretch for the Raiders has gone great. Over that span, Wright State is averaging 89.6 points per game, well over their season average of 67.9. The Wright State defense has done poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 81.1 points per game, well above their season average of 65.6.
Over on the other bench, the Golden Grizzlies head into the game with records of 16-5-1 ATS and 18-9 SU. The Golden Grizzlies have been struggling of late. In their most recent 10 games, their scoring has dropped to 72.5 PPG, compared to 67.9 for the duration of the season. Oakland is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the nation, knocking down 20.0 shots from the line per game. The Golden Grizzlies have controlled the glass with an average of 39.8 rebounds per game, 40th in the country. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Golden Grizzlies. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.35. The Oakland defense has allowed an average of 67.9 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 79.5. The Golden Grizzlies are in for a physical game against Wright State. The Raiders are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 22.7 fouls per game.
With the Golden Grizzlies’ last win against Wright State, Oakland moved closer to evening up its record against Wright State. It now stands at 3-5 SU over their most recent meetings. However, Oakland holds the advantage ATS with a record of 4-3. In these last five matchups, each team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once.
Predictions: SU Winner – Oak, ATS Winner – Oak
Notes
Oakland is one of the top-scoring teams, averaging 87.1 points per game (ranked second). Wright State allows 65.6 points per game (ranked 36th).
Oakland won its last game by an 18-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Wright State is 4-3. Oakland is 8-0 in blowouts this season.
Oakland beats Wright State in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Golden Grizzlies average 74.5 possessions and 1.169 points per possession, while the Raiders average 67.2 possessions with 1.010 points per possession.
Wright State has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.6%. Oakland is a poor 4-8 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Wright State Raiders attempt 20.0 three point field goals per game and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies attempt 22.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Wright State has an 8-9 record and Oakland has a 10-9 record.
Oakland ranks 41st in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.35. Wright State is ranked lower at 120th with an A/TO of 1.14.
Wright State ranks 348th in offensive rebounds, while Oakland ranks 45th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Wright State makes 5.3 steals per game. Oakland has a winning 10-6 record when it gives up at least 5 steals.
