In his last go-around in the Grizzlies uniform, senior forward Drew Valentine is headed to Sioux Falls determined not to make Sunday’s game against No. 5 Fort Wayne (15-16, 7-9 Summit) his last.

“This is the time that we all look for. This is the time that all of our hard work has led us to,” Valentine said. “The coaching staff has done everything they could to prepare us for this moment. Since they have given us all the confidence in the world, we feel like we’re at the top. We’re just going to try to go out there and prove it to everybody.”

Valentine acknowledged that it’s going to feel bittersweet when stepping onto the Sioux Falls Arena court Sunday.

“I’m going to miss this team, I’m going to miss these guys,” Valentine said. “I’m going to miss all the good times we had in that building. At the same time, I’m excited to go there and try to finish this thing off right.”

Going into the tournament as the No. 4 seed, Oakland (16-15, 10-6 Summit), is approaching it with a fresh perspective.

“This is a whole new season. The regular season is over,” junior guard Travis Bader said. “This is the time when it matters. You lose, you go home. You win three days, you go to the NCAA tournament.”

Bader cemented his place in the Oakland men’s basketball history books after recording his 349^th career 3-pointer March 2 to set the new school record. He finished the regular season first in the nation in three-point field goals per game (4.23), fifth in the nation in points per game (22) and now ranks third all-time in Summit League history in three-point field goals.

Still, head coach Greg Kampe knows that they cannot depend solely on the sharpshooter to help the team succeed in the tournament.

“Matt Poches might be the guy that scores eight points or six points in a game,” Kampe said. “That’s how you win. It’s not (just) Travis Bader and Petros and Mondy. If we win all three games, they’re not going to be the three leading scorers. Somebody is going to do something.”

Oakland finished the season winning eight out of 10 games. The two losses came against upcoming opponent, Fort Wayne. The Grizzlies are well aware of the outcomes of their games against IPFW but continue to remain confident.

“We have a lot of passion and desire to win this game,” Bader said. “It’s a focus you have to have right when you step off that plane. You can’t even think about losing.”

Knowing that it’s win or go home, makes Sunday’s game against IPFW different than those in the past.

“These games are so different because there is no game after,” Kampe said. “When we take the floor on Sunday, Team 46 may never play another game, so that changes everything.”

In a season that saw three separate three-game losing streaks, as well as a seven-game winning streak, the Grizzlies have experienced just about everything this season in preparation for the Summit League tournament.

“It’s been an up and down year for us,” Kampe said. “There’s been times when we could beat anybody in the country, and there was times when anybody in the country could beat us.”

“Everything you do, all the moves you make, are determined to try and make your team the best they can be when we show up to Sioux Falls.”

Contact Sports Editor Lindsay Beaver via email at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @lindsaybeavs