Men's Basketball Opens Summit League Play On Thursday At Oakland
12/5/2007 1:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will open Summit League play on Thursday night against Oakland. The Kangaroos and Golden Grizzlies will battle at the Athletics Center O'Rena in Rochester, Mich., in a game that is scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m. (CST).
On The Air
All UMKC men's basketball games can be heard on Sports Radio 810 WHB AM or 97.3 FM. Fans can also hear the games online at www.810whb.com. “The Voice of the Kangaroos” Danny Clinkscale will call the play-by-play action for UMKC for the seventh straight season.
On The Web
Fans can watch all UMKC home games and all league contests live on SummitTV. Fans can access SummitTV through www.umkckangaroos.com or www.thesummitleague.org. More than 275 men's and women's games will be featured as part of the $49.95 annual subscription package.
A Look At Oakland
The Grizzlies snapped a three-game losing streak with a 90-80 victory over Bowling Green on Dec. 1 at the Athletics Center O'Rena behind a career-high 31 points by guard Johnathon Jones. The victory pushed OU's record to 3-4 on the year.
Three OU players are averaging in double figures with forward Derick Nelson pacing the squad with 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest. Jones and Brandon Cassise, meanwhile, average 14.9 and 14.3 points, respectively. As a team, the Grizzlies are third in the league in scoring with a 79.0 per game average. The team is also leading the league in rebounding (43.0 p/game), which includes 19.71 offensive boards per game.
OU Game Facts
- Preseason First Team all-Conference selection Erik Kangas has played in just three of the team's seven games this season. The guard was injured in the season opener against Wisconsin-Green Bay, which forced him to miss the next four contests. Kangas has come in off the bench for the Grizzlies in each of the last two games.
- Oakland is leading The Summit League in blocked shots this season with 47 (6.71 p/game). Center Shane Lawal is leading the league individually with 23 blocks or 3.29 per contest. Center Keith Benson, meanwhile, is tied for second in the conference with 12 blocks on the year.
- OU played back-to-back ranked opponents on Nov. 24 and Nov. 28 at No. 10 Michigan State and No. 23 Xavier. The Grizzlies lost by just four points at the Breslin Center, 75-71, before dropping a 93-68 decision to the Musketeers.
Oakland vs. UMKC - The Series
The Grizzlies lead the all-time series over UMKC, 14-6, which includes a 7-2 advantage in games played at the Athletics Center O'Rena. Last season, OU won two-of-three against UMKC. Both teams defended its home court before the Grizzlies won 83-79 at the Mid-Con Tournament in Tulsa.
Last Contest
The Kangaroos dropped a 65-54 decision to Eastern Washington on Monday night at Municipal Auditorium. The defeat was UMKC's first at home this season. The Kangaroos scored the first bucket of the game, but that's the last lead it would have in the contest. EWU stretched its lead to 16 points to start the second half, but UMKC fought back to within four points at 49-53. The Eagles, however, connected on a pair of field goals and it made all six of its free throw attempts down the stretch to run out 11-point winners.
Notes From The EWU Game
- UMKC finished with a season-low six assists in the game, while committing 15 turnovers.
- The Kangaroos held the advantage on the glass, 37-33. It was the fourth straight game for the team to win the battle on the glass.
- UMKC finished with a season-high 16 offensive rebounds against EWU.
Summit League “Game of the Week” - UMKC at IPFW
Saturday's match-up between UMKC and IPFW is first ever Summit Game of the Week. Both teams enter the contest as the two most prolific three-point shooting teams in the league. The Mastodons lead the league with 9.17 makes per game, while the Kangaroos are second with 9.14 makes per contest.
Getting League Play Underway Early
UMKC will be playing one of its earliest league games in recent history on Thursday against Oakland. The Dec. 6 date is the earliest conference game for the Kangaroos since the 2000-01 season, when the squad squared off against Southern Utah on Dec. 2. The earliest league game on the calendar all-time for UMKC was during its first season in the Mid-Continent Conference when it faced Buffalo in the second game of the season on Nov. 29.
UMKC In League Openers
The Kangaroos are 8-5 all-time in league openers. The squad has won its last three conference openers, as it topped IUPUI in 2004-05, Valparaiso in 2005-06 and Southern Utah last season.
Looking For A Road Win
UMKC will look to pick up its first road victory of the season at Oakland on Thursday night. The team has lost all four of its true road games this season and 18-of-its-last-19 games dating back to last season. The Kangaroos average 61.8 points in away games and it shoots .389 from the floor and .320 from long range this season.
Block Fest
Senior Jeremiah Hartsock finished with a career-high six blocked shots on Monday against Eastern Washington. The six swats are tied for the second most in a single game in UMKC history alongside former Kangaroo Brandon Lipsey.. David Robinson holds the school record with seven blocks against Wright State on Jan. 5, 1991.
