Oakland (19-13) Vs. Oral Roberts (22-10)
GAME NOTES: The last two champions of the Mid-Continent Conference will collide this evening to see who will represent the Mid-Con in the NCAA Tournament this year, as the top-seeded Oral Roberts Golden Eagles meet the second-seeded Oakland Grizzlies at the John Q. Hammons Arena at the UMAC. After posting an easy victory over Western Illinois in the quarterfinal round of the tournament, the Grizzlies needed to come from behind the get past UMKC, 83-79, in their semifinal contest last night. This will be the second title bout for Oakland in the last three seasons. As for the Golden Eagles, they hammered Centenary, 79-59, in their first matchup of the tourney, and in the semifinal round the team posted another 20-point win, disposing of IUPUI, 75-55. The Golden Eagles are one victory away from successfully defending their Mid-Con title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. Oakland defeated ORU, 85-84 in overtime late in the season, but despite the loss, the Golden Eagles have a 12-7 edge in the all-time series and have won four of the last six encounters.
In the matchup against UMKC, the Grizzlies exploded for 83 points, and went on to collect a thrilling four-point victory over the Kangaroos. In the win, Oakland shot 50 percent from the floor and connected on an impressive 22-of-25 attempts from the foul line. It was a sensational performance for a team that has been erratic offensively throughout the year. The Grizzlies head into this title matchup averaging just 69.7 ppg, while shooting 44 percent from the field. Vova Severovas has been the best option for Oakland for most of the season and is producing a team-best 14.1 ppg, while also collecting 5.7 rpg. Erik Kangas has been the team's deep threat, as the guard is shooting 42.9 percent from behind the arc, while posting 12.7 ppg on the year. Shawn Hopes has been a solid partner down low for Severovas, as the forward is contributing 12.3 ppg, while also pulling down 5.1 rpg. Derick Nelson has been a huge boost of the bench for Oakland throughout the season and is currently chipping in 10.4 ppg, and is leading the squad with 7.2 rpg.
As for the Golden Eagles, they have had no trouble producing points this season, as the team is posting well over 70.0 ppg, while shooting over 47 percent from the field. Caleb Green and Ken Tutt have been the top two options for ORU throughout the year, as Green is averaging over 20 ppg and over nine rpg, both of which are team-highs. As for Tutt, he is netting 16 ppg and has 81 assists to his credit. In the recent win over IUPUI, the Golden Eagles shot a solid 45.8 percent from the field and were led by Green, who registered 25 points. Shawn King added 14 points and grabbed eight boards, while Adam Liberty tallied 11 points to go along with five boards and five assists. As for Tutt, he struggled in the contest, going just 4-of-14 from the field en route to a 10-point performance.
The Grizzlies have played well defensively for most of the season, but the tandem of Green and Tutt should prove to be too much for Oakland to handle.
Predicted OutcomeOral Roberts 75, Oakland 71Copyright 2007 Courtesy of The Sports Network.
