ROCHESTER, Mich. – On Thursday, January 13 Oakland University Men's Basketball will take to the road for its next Horizon League contest against Cleveland State University at the Wolstein Center with Neal Ruhl "The Voice of the Golden Grizzlies" on the call for TheBet 1270AM (WXYT-AM) on the Audacy App in a 7:00 p.m. start time.

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INSIDE THE SERIES
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Overall: Tied 11-11
At Home: 6-5
On the Road: 5-4
Current Streak: Cleveland State, 3
Last Meeting: L, 80-69 (3/9/21)
Series Note: Top Horizon League teams battle

At 10-3 overall and 6-0 in the Horizon League, Cleveland State is riding a four game winning streak with wins over Youngstown State, Robert Morris, and Purdue Fort Wayne twice. The season for the Vikings has featured only three losses, two to power five and one to a mid-major opponent in BYU, Oklahoma State (whom OU defeated 56-55 in Stillwater), and Ohio. 

The Vikings are led in points per game by D'Moi Hodge at 15.3 per game with Torrey Patton just behind with 12.8, respectively. Patton is also the team's leading rebounder with 6.5 a game and in assists with 3.7 as Deante Johnson closely trails with 6.1 rebounds a game. As a team, CSU is 8-1 at home so far this season shooting 47.2% from the field and 31.2% from three-point range.  

Dennis Gates is the CSU Head Coach since 2019, compiling a record of 30-29 in his two short years at the helm. Gates led the Vikings to an NCAA Tournament berth as a No. 15 seed, capping off the trip with a 87-56 loss to No. 2 seed, and eventual Final Four contender, University of Houston in Bloomington, Indiana. 

Jalen Moore is now solely in first place after spending the past week or so tied in the NCAA for assists per game with 8.4 per contest, 117 total through his 14 games played. On Sunday, Moore finished with his seventh double double of the season with 15 points and 14 assists to his credit. 

Jamal Cain still leads the team in points per game and rebounds per game with 20.9 and 9.9, respectively. At 17th in the nation in total points, Cain is coming off a 15 point performance against Milwaukee with three rebounds, an assist, a block, and four steals. 

Undefeated in Horizon League play, Oakland is now riding a four game winning streak after dropping the prior two games to Bowling Green and Michigan State. 

The Golden Grizzlies sit 72nd (previously 74th) in the NCAA NET Rankings as the only Horizon League team in the top 100, 69 spots ahead of the next closest conference member, Cleveland State in 141st.

Oakland was slated 15th in the January 10rd edition of Mid-Major Top 25 Poll as voted on by mid-major tier coaches. The Golden Grizzlies were 15th in the last poll on January 3. 

According to kenpom.com, the Golden Grizzlies have played the 99th toughest schedule in the country based on strength of schedule rating with the 8th toughest out of conference strength of schedule rating.

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NOTES

NATIONAL TALENT
Once again, Jamal Cain sees himself in the mix of national attention with the grad student from Pontiac in more than one category. 

Category - Place (Total/Average)
Double Doubles - Tied-13th (7)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - 17th (7.07)
Rebounds Per Game - 17th (9.9)
Total Points - Tied-17th (292)
Minutes Per Game - 38th (35.1)

THE BEST IN THE NATION
Moore is now first in the entire NCAA in assists per game with 8.4 a game and 117 assists total. Moore was previously tied with Yuri Collins of Saint Louis who is now in second place. 

UNDEFEATED IN HORIZON LEAGUE PLAY
Defeating Milwaukee 86-65 on Sunday meant that Oakland is now 5-0 atop the Horizon League with its showdown with Cleveland State coming at 6-0. Only one other team, Detroit Mercy, has an undefeated conference record at 3-0. 

PARRISH PARTY
Micah Parris returned to the hardwood after 10 days against Ohio Christian and Milwaukee finishing the 2-0 weekend with 17 and 19 point performances shooting 12-21 (57.1%) from the field, 4-11 (36.7%) from three-point land, and a stellar four assists and three steals performance against the Trailblazers. 

LAMPMAN FOR THREE
Blake Lampman has hit 29 of 73 attempts from range this season for a 39.7% shooting percentage from deep. Lampman drained a career high six three-pointers in Oakland's win over Youngstown State on ten attempts. 

PRICE'S FIRST CAREER STARTS
Osei Price is coming off his first two career starts contributing 17 points in the two wins with 13 total rebounds and eight assists. Against Ohio Christian, Price made his third start with five points, four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. 

A SPECIAL FRIDAY NIGHT
Chris Conway's previous career high in points was two points ahead of OU's game with Ohio Christian. The Naperville, Illinois native earned his first career double double with 22 points and ten rebounds as Trey Townsend got his second double double of the year with 26 points (a career high) and 10 rebounds as well. Emmanuel Newsome made his first start of the season Friday as well tallying eight points, five rebounds, and a steal.

HORIZON LEAGUE LEADERS
Cain is second in scoring in the Horizon League with 20.9 points per game while holding onto the number one spot in rebounding with 9.9 per game. Moore, naturally, is first in assists through 14 games played with 117 total assists, 42 more than second place. Trey Townsend is currently fourth in blocked shots with 19 total (1.3 per game).

MID-MAJOR SUCCESS
Oakland was slated 15th in the January 10rd edition of Mid-Major Top 25 Poll as voted on by mid-major tier coaches. The Golden Grizzlies were 15th in the last poll on January 3. 

BATTLE IN LITTLE CAESARS ARENA
Moore tallied a double-double in the team's 90-78 loss to Michigan State University with 25 points and 11 assists to his name as Cain notched his second straight contest with 20 or more points, his sixth overall of the season. The squad shot 43.9% (25-57) from the field as the team faces its first, and albeit short, losing streak of the season at two games. 

CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS
As a team, OU shoots 20th in the country in free throws going 204-264 (77.27%) as the third Horizon League team in the poll behind Purdue Fort Wayne and Detroit Mercy. 

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LAST FOUR

(vs) Milwaukee, January 10, W 86-65
Moore finishes his seventh double double performance with 15 points and 14 assists against Horizon League foe Milwaukee as Parrish scored a team-high 19 points, tying a career best, while four other Golden Grizzlies finished in double digit scoring with Cain, Townsend, and Lampman. 

(vs) Ohio Christian, January 7, W 108-40
Oakland set a best in points scored in the non-conference match with 108 as the team held its opponent to under 50 points for the second time this season. Townsend and Conway secured double doubles with 26 and 22 points, respectively, while each player nabbed 10 boards a piece. 

(vs) Youngstown State, January 1, W 87-72
Moore and Cain each locked double doubles in the team's fourth Horizon League win of the season, their sixth and seventh, respectively. This was the game in which Moore established himself as nation's leader in assists adding 13 to his resume. Lampman also lit up 6-10 from three point land. 

(vs) Robert Morris, December 30, W 79-61
Cain reached his second-straight game with 20+ points on Thursday night as Horizon League play resumed as the grad student tallied 22 points and 14 rebounds. Moore eclipsed the double digit mark in assists again with 10 as he continues to climb the national assists leaderboard. As a team, Oakland put up 20 assists for a season-high. 

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AMONG THE GREATS
Jalen Moore sits third in the nation when it comes to helping out his teammates. The junior is third in the country through 12 games tallying 90 assists in total for an average of 7.5 per game.

BATTLE IN LITTLE CAESARS ARENA
Moore tallied a double-double in the team's 90-78 loss to Michigan State University with 25 points and 11 assists to his name as Cain notched his second straight contest with 20 or more points, his sixth overall of the season. The squad shot 43.9% (25-57) from the field as the team faces its first, and albeit short, losing streak of the season at two games. 

FUN IN THE SUN
Oakland secured the Gulf Coast Showcase title with wins over Vermont, Rice, and Delaware. All three of OU's victories were decided by eight points or less. The tournament took place at Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla. and featured eight mid-major teams. The winner of the MTE has advanced to postseason play in six of its eight years of existence.

UPSET IN STILLWATER
The Golden Grizzlies earned a 56-55 victory at Oklahoma State in their second game of the season. Moore scored the final seven points for OU in the win. The upset was Oakland's 12th career win over a Power 5 program.

GOOD TO BE HOME
Oakland rolled past Toledo, 80-59, in its home opener at the Athletics Center O'rena. OU outscored Toledo 49-27 in the second half, which snapped a four-game losing skid to the Rockets. Cain exploded for 29 points, 17 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks, while sophomore guard Blake Lampman had a career night, scoring 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting from outside the arc. Moore had a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists. 

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.

NEW HOME FOR OAKLAND BASKETBALL
Oakland recently announced a partnership with Audacy that made 97.1 The Ticket HD3 and The Bet 1270AM (WXYT-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.

BACK FOR ANOTHER RUN
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 650 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.