The Oakland men's basketball program will take on Oklahoma State on the road for the second season in a row on Friday, Nov. 12, inside the Gallagher-Iba Arena. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET, and ESPN+ will televise the game. "Voice of the Golden Grizzlies"
Neal Ruhl will provide radio coverage on 97.1 The Ticket HD3, The Bet 1270AM (WXYT-AM), and the Audacy app.
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INSIDE THE SERIES
• Overall: Oklahoma State leads 1-0
• At Home: 0-0
• At OSU: 0-1
• At Neutral: 0-0
• Current Streak: OSU, 1
• Last Meeting: L, 84-71 (at OSU, 12/5/20)
• Series Note: Oakland led 50-45 with 16 minutes remaining in last year's matchup
Oakland is coming off a tight-knit 60-53 season-opening loss at West Virginia. The Golden Grizzly defense came to play in Morgantown, outrebounding the Mountaineers 48-33 and limiting the home squad to their lowest scoring output in 33 games, dating back to the 2019-20 season. However, Oakland committed an uncharacteristic 25 turnovers and shot 18-percent (3-for-23) on 3-pointers. WVU turned those 25 turnovers into 22 points and led for the entirety of the second half en route to a home win.
The Golden Grizzlies had 20 offensive rebounds against the Mountaineers, the seventh-highest mark out of 294 Division I teams that played on Tuesday.
Second-year freshman
Micah Parrish totaled eight rebounds on the offensive end, good for the third-most by a Division I player on the season. He garnered more offensive rebounds than 68 Division I teams on opening day/night.
Graduate senior
Jamal Cain, a native of Pontiac, Mich., scored a team-leading 15 points and added seven rebounds and three steals in his debut sporting the Black & Gold.
Second-year freshman
Trey Townsend had 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting while also tallying seven rebounds. The nearby Oxford, Mich., native played all 40 minutes, which was his most in a non-overtime game as a Golden Grizzly.
Last season, Oakland and Oklahoma State met for the first time in program history. The Golden Grizzlies led 50-45 with 16 minutes remaining in the second half, but the Cowboys pulled away late to win 84-71. Cade Cunningham, the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, paced the Cowboys with 18 points to go along with eight assists and four rebounds. OU's
Jalen Moore had 13 points, eight assists, and four rebounds, while Townsend scored eight points on 3-of-5 shooting.
Oklahoma State tied with WVU for fifth place in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll. The Cowboys return four starters from last season's squad that advanced to the NCAA Round of 32. OSU also brought in Memphis transfer Moussa Cisse, a former five-star prospect named 2021 American Athletic Conference (AAC) Freshman of the Year.
The Cowboys opened their season with a dominating 88-45 victory over UT Arlington. OSU led 43-14 at the half and had four players score in double-figures.
OU last won against a Power 5 opponent during the 2016-17 season. The Golden Grizzlies bested Georgia at home, 86-79, with 4,063 attendance. Later in the season, at the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), Oakland took down Clemson on the road by a final score of 74-69. Former Golden Grizzly Martez Walker led the team in scoring in both games.
NOTES
PRESEASON POLL
Oakland was projected to finish sixth in the 2021-22 Horizon League Preseason Poll, which was voted by the league's 12 head coaches, media members, and men's basketball media contacts throughout the conference.
FIRST TEAM HONORS
Jalen Moore earned preseason accolades, as he was named to the all-league first team. Last season, the Cloverdale, Ind., native averaged 17.9 points, 8.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals en route to NABC All-District First Team honors and a spot on the Horizon League First Team. Moore led NCAA Division I in assists per game and total assists (252) while also tallying a team-leading 10 double-doubles, the most in the country by a player below 6-foot.
THE MOORE YOU KNOW
Moore put on a show in his first year sporting a Golden Grizzly uniform. The fourth-year junior led the team in points per game, assists per game, steals per game, free throw makes (170), free throw attempts (219), and minutes per game (37.8). In addition to leading the nation in assists, he ranked second nationally in free throw makes (170), fourth nationally in triple-doubles (1), fifth nationally in minutes per game (37:50), and 23rd nationally in double-doubles.
KEY RETURNEES
The Golden Grizzlies return 62-percent of their scoring from a year ago, including three starters in Moore,
Trey Townsend, and
Micah Parrish. OU also brings back sixth man
Zion Young, former HL All-Freshman Team recipient
Blake Lampman,
Chris Conway, and
Emmanuel Newsome.
I'M COMING HOME
Jamal Cain transferred to Oakland after four years with the Marquette basketball program. The nearby Pontiac, Mich., native played in 119 career games, including 29 starts with the Golden Eagles. Last season, Cain averaged 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 25 starts. He posted a career-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting in Marquette's 64-60 victory at Georgetown (1/2/21) and added double-doubles against Oklahoma State (12/1/20) and Butler (2/17/21).
BACK FOR ANOTHER RUN
Head coach
Greg Kampe enters his 38th season at the helm of the Oakland men's basketball program. He is the third-longest tenured active coach in Division I, only behind Jim Boeheim (Syracuse, 45 seasons) and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke, 41 seasons). Kampe's 644 career wins rank 12th among active Division I coaches.
PUTTING OAKLAND ON THE MAP
Kampe joined Oakland in 1984 after six seasons as an assistant coach at Toledo (1978-1984). Formerly known as the Pioneers, OU had only six winning seasons in 16 years of competition before his arrival.
EARLY TESTS
Oakland's non-conference schedule features four NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago and a multi-team exempt event (MTE).
LCA AWAITS
The Golden Grizzlies and Michigan State Spartans will meet on Dec. 21 at Little Caesars Arena. The two programs faced off at Little Caesars Arena in 2017 and 2019. Over 18,000 spectators have been in attendance for both games. In 2017, the matchup drew the largest crowd in the history of Little Caesars Arena at the time, with 20,695 in attendance.
HL SLATE
Each HL team will play a 22-game double round-robin schedule. Oakland's conference schedule gets underway on Dec. 2 at UIC. The Golden Grizzlies conclude their conference slate with a five-game home stand.
NEW HOME FOR OAKLAND BASKETBALL
Oakland recently announced a partnership with Audacy that made 97.1 The Ticket HD3 and The Bet 1270AM (WXTY-AM) the official radio providers for the department. With this new partnership, 97.1 The Ticket HD3 and The Bet 1270AM (WXTY-AM) will provide coverage for all Oakland men's basketball games as well as the
Greg Kampe Radio Show.
OVERTIME MADNESS
Last year, the Golden Grizzlies reached overtime six times, the most in a single season in program history. OU recorded a 2-4 record in overtime games, including two losses in double overtime. Parrish hit a game-winning bucket to seal a 77-75 win over Detroit Mercy In Oakland's first overtime triumph of the season. OU collected its second overtime victory in the 2021 Horizon League Quarterfinals against Youngstown State.
ALL-LEAGUE NODS
Parrish and Townsend earned Horizon League honors last season. Moore was selected to the All-League team, while Parrish and Townsend earned a spot on the All-Freshman team. All-League voting was done by the 12 head coaches in the conference.
8-FOR-8
OU has garnered an All-Horizon League First Team selection eight seasons in a row (2014-2021). The streak is the longest among current HL programs and tied for the second-longest in conference history behind Xavier (1986-95). An OU player has earned First Team honors 15-straight seasons dating back to its time in the Summit League.
RACKING THE ACCOLADES
A pair of second-year players in Townsend and Parrish won Horizon League Freshman of the Week twice during the 2020-21 season. Only three players in the conference managed to win the award two or more times. NKU's Marques Warrick led the League by earning the award on eight occasions en route to winning conference Freshman of the Year.
EXCELLING IN THE CLASSROOM
Lampman was one of six players named to the Horizon League's 2020-21 All-Academic Team voted on by the League's faculty athletics representatives. It marked the second-straight season Lampman received an HL accolade, as he was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2020. Lampman, a Pre-Business Administration major, has been named to the Dean's List twice in his two-year career with the men's basketball program. Last spring, he earned a team-best 3.81 GPA.
GET YOUR TICKETS
Season tickets can be purchased through the Athletics Ticket Office by calling (248) 370-4000 or emailing outickets@oakland.edu. Single-game tickets and mini-plans are also available for the 2021-22 basketball season.
Click here for more information.
