ROCHESTER, Mich. – Oakland University Men's Basketball will wrap up the non-conference schedule with a matchup with Michigan State right before the Holiday break on Wednesday, December 21 at 6:30 pm on the Big Ten Network with the "Voice of the Golden Grizzlies" Neal Ruhl on the call on the Audacy App.

The Golden Grizzlies will wrap up their eight-game road stretch following a 77-57 loss to Boise State at ExtraMile Arena on Sunday, December 18. Trey Townsend recorded his second 30-point performance to lead OU with eight rebounds. Keaton Hervey notched nine points and six boards to his credit as well with Blake Lampman extending his three-point streak to nine games after returning from a hiatus.

The Oxford native's performance on Sunday upped his scoring average to 18.3 points per game to lead the team with Hervey and Jalen Moore just behind with 13.4 and 12.7, respectively. Townsend is also the squad's rebounding leader at 7.7 per game, just ahead of Hervey who records 7.6.

Townsend is still third in the Horizon League in scoring with his average with the second-best field goal percentage mark of 54.5% (90-165). Townsend and Hervey are sixth and seventh, respectively, in the conference in rebounding.

Moore posts 5.9 assists per game, the most in the conference, in his ten games, with a total of 59 on the year. This puts the recent college graduate in a tie for 41st in the entirety of NCAA Division I in total assists, and 15th in assists per game.

Townsend was named to the Lou Henson Award Watchlist on November 22 as one of four #HLMBB student-athletes listed.

Moore was the lone Golden Grizzly named to the Preseason #HLMBB All-League Team honor with OU predicted fourth with two first-place votes in the preseason poll as Purdue Fort Wayne and Northern Kentucky tied for the top honor. The Horizon League and ESPN released the annual wildcard selections for national telecasts with Oakland on four of the five potential selected dates, denoted on the team's schedule page and the game notes. 

Head Coach Greg Kampe enters his 39th season at the helm for Oakland University as the second-longest tenured coach in NCAA Division I basketball behind Jim Boeheim from Syracuse, who is in his 42nd season. Kampe has posted a 664-515 (56.8%) career record.

Michigan State was recently ranked No. 12 in the latest AP Top 25 poll as the only ranked non-conference opponent the Golden Grizzlies will potentially see. Toledo came close with a receiving vote ranking ahead of the two team's matchup on November 16.

The early signing period has come for OU as Aundre Polk will join the team on The Blacktop in the fall of 2023. Polk is a former MAC All-Freshman Team member at Central Michigan.

SCOUTING REPORT

MICHIGAN STATE
Tyson Walker is the team's leading scorer at 14.0 points per contest with 2.7 boards per game as Joey Hauser leads that category with 7.4 rebounds a game. Hauser is also suitable for 13.9 with AJ Hoggard in toe with 13.1.

MSU has the 12th-worst scoring margin in the Big Ten at 2.2, allowing 67.5 points from their opponents and scoring 69.7. 

Since 1998, Oakland and the Spartans have met 20 times with the last meeting coming a season ago at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit, a 90-78 loss for the Golden Grizzlies. OU has traveled to the Breslin Center 12 times in those 20 meetings.

The Spartans, who have been ranked as high as No. 20 in the Associated Press (AP) poll this season, are currently 62nd in the most recent NCAA Division I Men's Basketball NET Rankings for 11th-best in the Big Ten.

 

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DA-DA-DA  DA-DA-DA
Moore and Hervey connected from a steal for the off-the-glass slam by the grad transfer from Missouri State for the team's first #SCTop10 of the 2022-23 season, coming in at No. 10 in the daily ESPN show on October 20.

NEW FACES
The Golden Grizzlies welcome in four transfers, two from the power five-level, Rocket Watts (Mississippi State), Lorne Bowman (Wisconsin), Keaton Hervey (Missouri State), and Chuol Deng (Hill College). Three freshmen join the new class Cooper Craggs, Dominic Capriotti, and Evan Solomon.

NEW HEAT IN MIAMI
Oakland's own Jamal Cain has earned a contract with the Miami Heat for the upcoming season wearing No. 8. Cain is just the latest active Golden Grizzly in the NBA with Kendrick Nunn, a regular part of the Los Angeles Lakers rotation.

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 2022-23 basketball season. 

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 and the Greg Kampe Radio Show.

BACK FOR ANOTHER RUN
Kampe enters his 39th season at the helm of the Oakland men's basketball program. He is the second-longest tenured active coach in Division I, only behind Jim Boeheim (Syracuse, 45 seasons). Kampe's 664 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.