ROCHESTER, Mich. – Northern Kentucky will enter the Athletics Center O'rena on Sunday, February 20 at 3:00 p.m. as Oakland University Men's Basketball looks to rebound off of Friday night's 78-74 loss to Wright State.
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INSIDE THE SERIES
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Overall: NKU, 7-6
At Home: 2-3
On the Road: 3-3
Current Streak: NKU, 1
Last Meeting: L, 87-78 (2/4/2022)
Series Note: Both teams rebounding off Friday night losses
In the two team's first meeting, Jalen Moore hit a near half court shot to force overtime where the Golden Grizzlies would eventually fall 87-78 in OT. The Norse are coming off a 60-72 loss to Detroit Mercy on Friday, dropping to fifth in the Horizon League standings.
Marques Warrick leads the black and gold in points per game at 14.8 while Adrian Nelson leads NKU with 7.6 boards per contest. Freshman Sam Vinson secured his seventh Nike #HLMBB Freshman of the Week accolade this past week to compliment Jamal Cain's Player of the Week performance. The Norse have had two separate individuals be named Freshman of the Week.
NKU's Head Coach, Darrin Horn, has his team at 11-6 in the league as the Norse are fighting for a top four seed ahead of the Horizon League tournament as they're currently in fifth-place.
Cain is coming off an 18 point, nine rebound performance against Wright State on Friday as the Pontiac native leads the Golden Grizzlies in points per game (20.4) and rebounds per game (10.0) as the only Horizon League player to average a double double.
Moore had his fifth 20-plus point performance against the Raiders on Friday as the transfer's 8.1 assists per game is second in the nation. Moore scored the first seven points for OU in Friday's primetime loss.
Trey Townsend is second in the Horizon League in field goal percentage at 53.6% (155-289) coming off a five point, four rebound game Friday to average 14.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Oakland is the number one team in the Horizon League at the free throw line at 79.4% (417-525). As of games through February 17, Oakland was sixth in the NCAA in that category.
Oakland dropped from 133rd in the latest NCAA NET Rankings to 137th. The Golden Grizzlies are down to 101st in the NCAA RPI according to CBS Sports.
Oakland is 18th in the latest Mid Major Top 25 Poll by College Insider. Down from 16th.
The Golden Grizzlies are now 150th in kenpom.com rankings playing the 8th toughest out of conference schedule in the nation.
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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) // NCAA Last Updated Feb 17
Double Doubles - Tied-14th (13)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - 20th (6.88)
Rebounds Per Game - 13th (10.1)
ONE THE BEST IN THE NATION
Moore is second in the NCAA in assists per game at 8.1 with a total of 203. Moore is just shy of Yuri Collins of Saint Louis in first. Moore was the 2020-21 national leader in assists per game.
MID-MAJOR BASKETBALL'S SEXIEST COACH?
Yes, really. According to SB Nation's Mid Major Madness, Oakland Head Men's Basketball Coach, Greg Kampe, earned 35% of the staff's and fan's vote on the website published on February 14. Kampe is ahead of the only other Horizon League coach named on the list, Will Ryan of Green Bay, by eight spots.
WEAR THE COLORS
Oakland is 7-2 when wearing white during the season with the most recent win coming against Detroit Mercy as the two losses in that uniform set came in neutral site action against Michigan State at Little Caesars Arena and Wright State on Friday. When wearing gold, the team is 5-1 with the lone loss coming to Northern Kentucky.
NUNN BETTER
On Friday, Oakland University Alum and current Los Angeles Laker, Kendrick Nunn, had his jersey with the No. 1 hung in the rafters of the Athletics Center O'rena. Nunn was NBA Rookie of the Year runner up to Ja Morant while with the Miami Heat before joining the Lakers in August.
PRICE + LAMPMAN FROM DEEP
Osei Price is shooting 42.9% (24-56) while Lampman shoots 36.9% (51-143) with the most attempts. These two are the team's scoring leaders off the bench with 4.4 and 7.3 points per game, respectively. Oakland has one of the longest three-point scoring streaks in the NCAA at 1,060 games.
MINISTER OF DEFENSE
Micah Parrish has 37 takeaways with seven blocks total on the year from the Detroit native with an average of 6.2 rebounds and 11.1 point per game, respectively.
MID-MAJOR SUCCESS
Oakland dropped to 18th in College Insider's Mid Major poll from 16th in the February 14th edition.
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LAST FOUR
(vs) Wright State, February 18, L, 78-74
On ESPN2 in Horizon League after dark action, Oakland dropped its second game of the season to Wright State at home in front of the largest crowd in the O'rena in the 2021-22 campaign as OU Men's Basketball Alum, Kendrick Nunn, had his banner hung in the rafters.
(vs) Detroit Mercy, February 13, W, 75-59
A career-high 32 points by Cain led the way for Oakland as the team rallied from a 15 point deficit in the first half of the Metro Series to win by 16 in the final box score. Cain also collected his 13th double double of the season as Moore tallied 11 assists.
(at) Robert Morris, February 11, W, 71-68
Cain finished with 29 points in the win over Robert Morris while Moore dished 10 assists as the team took the victory on the road to retake second-place in the Horizon League, securing the squad's 10th conference win.
(at) Youngstown State, February 9, L, 78-71
Oakland dropped its third-straight Horizon League game at the Beeghly Center with Cain grabbing his twelfth double double of the year, leading the team with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Moore was just behind with 19 points and nine assists.
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MID-MAJOR BASKETBALL'S SEXIEST COACH?
Yes, really. According to SB Nation's Mid Major Madness, Oakland Head Men's Basketball Coach, Greg Kampe, earned 35% of the staff's and fan's vote on the website published on February 14. Kampe is ahead of the only other Horizon League coach named on the list, Will Ryan of Green Bay, by eight spots.
PRICE IS "MR. PERFECT"
According to Stats by STAT, Osie Price's 7-7 FG, 5-5 3PT, and 8-8 FT stat line from Oakland's game against University of Michigan-Dearborn makes him the only person in the last 20 years in the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Division I, II, and III to finish 100% from the field with at least five attempts in each category.
1000 POINT CLUB
Cain tallied his 1,000th point in his collegiate career with his 26 scored in the win over UIC on Saturday, January 29. Cain's thousand points carry over from his time at Marquette University as the grad transfer finishes his collegiate playing career at Oakland,.
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.
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.
