Today at 4 p.m., the Oswego State Lakers men’s basketball team will look to pull another upset as they play the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons in the SUNYAC final.

Oswego State defeated the No. 1 seeded Plattsburgh Cardinals last night 81-74, the third straight time the Cardinals have lost at home in the Lakers. Because Plattsburgh was the No. 1 seed in the conference, they are still hosting the rest of the playoffs, so the game will take place in Memorial Hall on Plattsburgh’s campus.

Just as last they did last year, the Lakers got off to a hot start, taking a commanding 11-3 run. The Cardinals found their way back and they lead would change a total of 12 times yesterday.

Last year’s tournament MVP Brian Sortino scored 29 for the Lakers, and was clutch at the free-throw line, hitting 10 of his 13 attempts from the charity stripe.

“My free throw percentage the last couple games hasn’t been up to my standards,” Sortino said. “It was a big part of the game today.”

Oswego struggled against Cortland in the regular season, dropping both games 66-62 and 72-61, respectively.

Despite the odds stacked against them, head coach Jason Leone is confident in his team to overcome obstacles.

“I never go to sleep the night before a Plattsburgh game or a Cortland worrying about my team,” he said.

For the Lakers to win, clearly they will need to rely heavily on Sortino, as he has once again found his dominance down the stretch to carry this team.

Here was Oswego’s box score from their last matchup against Cortland.

Wild Card

The big man, Mykelle Krecko, has found his rhythm on the defensive end in the recent stretch. With five and six blocks against Geneseo and Plattsburgh, respectively, the 6’10” center has created huge momentum swings for the Lakers with his massive blocks, creating breakaway opportunities for Oswego. However, Krecko has not found any offensive continuity yet, struggling again last night going 2-8 from the floor.

If there is any optimism for the backcourt today against the Red Dragons, it’s that Krecko had his career high against them, totaling 14 points on 6-8 shooting, while grabbing 13 boards as well. If he can continue to mount his defensive presence in the paint while following through at the other end in the post, good things will come for the Lakers, so they won’t have to be so reliant on the three-point shooting.

Depth Is Key

As Sortino and Leone said at yesterday’s post-game press conference, depth and points off the bench are vital to the team’s success. While the offense goes through Sortino, teams have begun double and even triple-teaming him to force ball movement. Yesterday, the Lakers had 22 points off the bench, including 10 each by Demetrius Mitchell and Dustin Pond.

If Sortino begins to struggle like he did against the Red Dragons last time (He only had 8 points), it’s going to be paramount that not only the rest of the starters, but the bench pick up the slack and continue the offensive continuity.

By The Numbers

Points Per Game:

Oswego State – 71.7

SUNY Cortland – 78.5

Points Allowed Per Game:

Oswego State – 66.5

SUNY Cortland – 71.7

Beyond The Arc:

Oswego State – 240-663 [.362%] (8.9 Per Game)

SUNY Cortland – 241-699 [.345%] (9.3 Per Game)

Rebounds Per Game:

Oswego State – 36.9

SUNY Cortland – 37.1

Assists Per Game:

Oswego State – 11.5

SUNY Cortland – 12.5

Prediction

Yes, the Lakers have lost their last three games against the Red Dragons dating back to last year, most on the offensive end. However, Brian Sortino is playing the best basketball of his life and after relying on the three-point shot in the first half of yesterday’s game, Oswego drove to the basket more and made their free throws when they mattered.

If Krecko does what he did last time against against Cortland when on offense, while continuing his invitations to his block party, he could be a game-changer.

It is a bit unrealistic to expect all of this from this Lakers’ squad and it may seem to be expecting near-perfection, but this team is rolling on all cylinders currently and are executing on all fronts.

Prediction: Oswego State wins 71-68

Lakers, punch your ticket.