After defeating Milwaukee in the Horizon League quarterfinals, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball team now matches up against the Robert Morris Colonials in the semi-finals.
Analyzing the Colonials
The Colonials finished atop the Horizon League and swept Oakland in the regular season—a first since joining the Horizon League in 2020-21.
Robert Morris is one of the better defensive teams in the league. They allow the second-least points per game, 70, which is a huge factor in their 6.4 overall margin, the third-best margin in the Horizon League this season.
In addition to being great defensively, Robert Morris also dominates the boards. The Colonials have captured the second-most offensive rebounds this season and outrebound their opponents by an average of 4.9 rebounds a game.
Offensively, the Colonials boast three of the top 20 scorers in the league: Kam Woods, Alvaro Folgueiras and Amarion Dickerson. All three players average double-figure scoring numbers and have been instrumental in Robert Morris’ success this season.
Folgueiras has shown he can do it all. He averages 14.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, and three assists while shooting 55.9% from the field and 41.1% from deep. Folgueiras was named Horizon League Player of the Year and is an all-league first-team selection.
Woods averages 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists this season, while Dickerson has averaged 13.2 points and 5.9 rebounds. Both players earned all-league second-team honors this season, with Dickerson named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Keys to Success
For Oakland to advance, the Golden Grizzlies will have to limit the Colonials’ chances from the charity stripe while amplifying their defensive intensity from the three-point line.
In both games against Robert Morris this season, the Colonials had more free throw attempts than the Golden Grizzlies. Notably, if both teams shot the same amount of free throws in their two matchups this season, Oakland would have won both contests.
From beyond the arc, Robert Morris was red-hot against Oakland this season, shooting 46.7% from deep inside the OU Credit Union O’Rena and 50% on their home floor, which is well above their season average of 34.4%.
In addition to limiting the Colonials’ chances in this matchup, the Golden Grizzlies will also have to rely on their big-man duo of Allen Mukeba and Buru Naivalurua to wear down Robert Morris throughout the game.
In both games this season, Naivalurua has been a nightmare for Robert Morris, as he posted a double-double in one contest and a career-high 23 points in the other.
While Mukeba hasn’t had the same success against the Colonials this year as Naivalurua, it’s important to note that despite scoring zero points in the second game against Robert Morris, the Golden Grizzlies only lost by two points.
If Naivalurua and Mukeba can feed off of one another, which they’ve done well down the stretch, there’s a good chance that the Golden Grizzlies will play for their second-consecutive Horizon League title.
Tip-off for the game between Oakland and Robert Morris is slated for 7 p.m. EST this Monday, March 10. The game will air on ESPNU and can be heard live on Audacy with Neal Ruhl on the call.
