Detroit Mercy vs. Oakland: Preview and storylines of 2021 matchups
By Ryan Kay
Under the radar players in the matchup
Both Detroit Mercy and Oakland have had their fair share of surprise players emerge this season to either start or contribute for them this season. The Titans and Golden Grizzlies are clearly guard-oriented teams this season but their wings and big men are starting to contribute more and more to their team’s recent successes.
Oakland is starting two true freshmen in Trey Townsend and Micah Parrish. The Golden Grizzlies’ fifth starter is junior Daniel Oladapo who has continued to improve his game in his third year with Oakland. Townsend has clearly been the biggest surprise for the Golden Grizzlies this season as he is Oakland’s fourth-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder on the team.
The most surprising thing is averaging the second-most steals per game currently as his defense continues to improve each and every game. Parrish as the team’s starting small forward doesn’t put up a ton of flashy stats as he is currently the team’s sixth-leading scorer but him playing the top of Oakland’s 1-3-1 defensive scheme has played huge dividends for the Golden Grizzlies this season.
Oladapo has really emerged as one of the team’s leaders and he is the leading rebounder for the team with averaging just under eight boards per game. Oladapo should continue to improve his scoring average as the season continues. Detroit Mercy also has a strong emerging supporting cast as well.
The Titan’s starting lineup fluctuates more than Oakland’s especially since the arrival of two transfers. UDM has a very solid player in Matt Johnson who is a senior transfer from St. Bonaventure. He may not be the most consistent score but when his offense is going he can put up points as he did when he scored 20 points against both Michigan State and Wright State.
He has scored in double digits in six games this season thus far as well. Marquell Fraser another senior transfer who played at VCU and Idaho prior to playing at UDM this season played well in non-conference play scoring in double digits in all but one of the five Titan’s non-league play. His best game thus far was when he put up 19 points in a loss to Wright State. His best overall game was against Michigan State when he had 11 points, 12 rebounds, and two steals.
Another player that has been contributing as of late is Noah Waterman a transfer from Niagara. He has only played in four games but he has contributed with his size and length for the Titans. He had 19 points in one of UDM’s losses to Oakland and he scored 15 points making four three-pointers in the Titan’s first win over Green Bay. However, who will win this weekend as both teams face off for two games? Let’s look at the possibilities