Two key games left for OU--The Oakland Press
By DUSTIN FRUCCI Special to The Oakland Press
ROCHESTER — With a road win over Centenary on Saturday, the Oakland University men’s basketball team went from the brink of missing the Mid-Continent Conference tournament to clinching a spot in the tournament and putting itself in position to climb all the way to the fifth seed.
“I don’t think anyone on this team thought we would actually miss the tournament,” OU head coach Greg Kampe said. “We now have an opportunity in front of us that, a few weeks ago, some didn’t think was very likely.”
OU is 5-9 in conference play, sitting just one game behind Chicago State (6-8) and two games behind Southern Utah (7-7). OU closes out the regular season on the road against Southern Utah tonight and Chicago State on Saturday.
“Others may have had that in their mind (OU would miss the tournament), but we knew we still had a chance to do some very good things,” Kampe said. “All it was is that we needed to start playing better.”
Sophomore Brandon Cassise is one of the players Kampe needed to play better. In the last two games, Cassise has answered his coach’s challenge.
He scored 17 points in a three-point loss to UMKC last week, and in the road win over Centenary, Cassise scored 21 points, had fi ve rebounds and went 9-for-9 from the free-throw line. He had scored only 16 total points in the first 11 conference games.
“We weren’t sure what was going on with him,” Kampe said. “He was a huge part of what we did last year during the tournament run. He seems to be doing the same this season, getting better as the year goes on. We just thought this was the Brandon we’d get all year long.”
Cassise’s aggressiveness may be a result of what OU is doing as a team.
Against Centenary, OU was 34-for-38 from the free-throw line, driving to the basket and not settling for jump shots. The 34 free throws were just five short of the school record set back in 1993.
“We’re as athletic as anyone in the conference,” Kampe said after the UMKC game. “We’re not a good perimetershooting team and we can’t settle for jump shots. We need to be more aggressive.”
OU will need to be just as aggressive playing its last two games on the road.
“We know we still have a shot at things,” Cassise said. “If we stay aggressive and tighten up on defense, we can get things going before the tournament.”
Oakland men at Southern Utah--The Oakland Press
— DUSTIN FRUCCI
When: 9 tonight
Where: Cedar City, Utah
Records: Oakland 10-16 (9-5 Mid-Con); Southern Utah 9-18 (7-7)
Overview: OU is playing its second of three straight road games to end the regular season. OU won the first game of that stretch, 86-76, over Centenary on Saturday. OU made 34 free throws, 22 more than Centenary attempted. … OU lost to Southern Utah, 76-73, on Jan. 9. … OU has improved in the turnover department. In the first 20 games, OU averaged nearly 17 turnovers a game. In the last six games OU has improved that number to 12 a game. … OU is 1-8 when scoring less than 30 points in the first half. Up next: Oakland at Chicago State, 6 p.m. Saturday
Game Preview: Valparaiso at UMKCThe Kansas City Star
Brumagin, Stephens step up for UMKCThe Kansas City Star
Crusaders look to finish regular season strong--The NWI Times
Scouting VU men's basketball--The NWI Times
T-birds jockeying for position in Mid-Con--The Spectrum
Cougars to Face #1 IUPUI--Chicago State Athletics
IUPUI LOOKS FOR OUTRIGHT TITLE AT CHICAGO STATE ON THURSDAY--IUPUI JAGUAR ATHLETICS
MCAFEE MOVES INTO SECOND PLACE ON NCAA CAREER BLOCKS LIST--IUPUI JAGUAR ATHLETICS
CRUSADERS SET TO TACKLE KANGAROOS THURSDAY NIGHT--www.valpo.edu
CRUSADERS LOOK TO REBOUND FROM LOSS ON SATURDAY IN KANSAS CITY AGAINST UMKC--www.valpo.edu
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