Can Bucs contain Felder’s Grizzlies?
One of the nation’s elite scorers gets at least one more chance to shin this season – and under the brightest lights imaginable, no less.
Kay Felder’s Golden Grizzlies contest the Buccaneers in tonight’s semifinal round of the Vegas 16 tournament, with an 11:30 p.m. ET tip at the Mandalay Bay Event Center. The victor advances to take either UC Santa Barbara or Old Dominion in tomorrow’s inaugural championship affair.
Oddsmakers are banking on virtuoso offensive display by Felder. Online sports book BetDSI lists Oakland as a 7-point favorite. The over/under figure sits at 175.
Oakland demolished Towson last night, 90-72, with Felder scoring 27 points. Only three players in DI hoops produce more buckets on a nightly basis, but the Detroit native doesn’t have to shoulder the entirety of the offensive burden. The Golden Grizzlies are actually the nation’s highest-scoring team.
East Tennessee State displayed its own offensive mettle in dismissing Louisiana Tech on Monday. Ge’Lawn Guyn recorded his first double-double of the season, continuing a preposterous stretch of play. The senior has averaged 22.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals over the past games.
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Another positive for the Bucs: They commit the seventh-fewest turnovers in the nation. That definitely helps offset a tendency to get bogged down on offense and fail to generate proper spacing. Guyn must facilitate quality possessions vs. Oakland, though, or else Felder and company will feast in transition.
With a truly transcendent scorer on the floor, of course, such a thing may come to pass anyway. The quick turnaround simply plays in the Grizzlies’ strengths that much more.
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