3 things to know about the Oakland Golden Grizzlies
The No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats take on the No. 14 seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies tomorrow in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.
What are three of the most important things to know about the Golden Grizzlies prior to this South Region NCAA Tournament matchup?
The duo of Blake Lampman and Trey Townsend can be hard to stop
The Horizon League is led by a dynamic forward-guard duo.
Lampman, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Haslett, Mich., is Oakland's second-highest scorer with 13.2 points per game. He also averages 3.2 rebounds and three assists per game.
Townsend, a 6-foot-6 junior forward from Oxford, Mich., leads the Golden Grizzlies in scoring with 16.9 points per game and in rebounds with 7.8 per game. He also shoots 45.7% from the field.
The Wildcats will need to contain these two or they could end up with another early exit.
Oakland can shoot the ball well
The Golden Grizzlies are not the best team when it comes to shooting, but can get the job done in that category.
As a team, Oakland shoots 45% from the field, 35.1% from 3-point range and 75.8% from the free-throw line.
Kentucky's defense has struggled this season, but it will need to have an acceptable performance to prevent a potential first-round exit.
Oakland has momentum
Since taking a 96-75 loss to Wright State on Feb. 25, the Golden Grizzlies have won four games in a row.
Three of those wins came in the Horizon League Tournament to punch Oakland's ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats should have had time to refocus after an early elimination from the SEC Tournament, but still need to be aware of a team that has been getting hot.
Tipoff is set for 7:10 p.m. EST and the television broadcast can be found on TBS.
