The Gameplan's Weekly Recap: Centenary/ORU

Oakland kicked off league play in earnest this week by heading south for games at Centenary and Oral Roberts. Here's our recap.

The Big Picture

Oakland picked up two league wins this week in The Summit League's southern most stretches. First, the Golden Grizzlies came out and did what most teams have done against Centenary this year: dominate. While the Gents gave a valiant effort, particularly late in the first half, OU was just too good to and ran away with the game in the second half. Following that, a win over conference rivals Oral Roberts. OU looked dominant in the first ten minutes of the game, but the Golden Eagles showed some heart and grit for perhaps the first time in many bouts this year to make it a game in the second half. As much as one attempts not to overlook opponents, the Centenary win was probably expected, but the ORU win is a big one that pushed Coach Sutton's team to 2-2 in conference play with a tough trip to the Dakotas on the horizon. That's a good thing for Oakland as the season goes on because it means that Oral Roberts might have a few more losses to its name than most expected.

Conference Domination

Through four conference games, Oakland has looked impressive by averaging 90.8 points per game and holding opponents to just 68.8 points on average. The large discrepancy is aided by three blowouts over Southern Utah, UMKC, and Centenary. While SUU and UMKC both have wins over North Dakota State already this season, they were at the bottom of the conference last year. With respect to those schools, Oakland's astronomical point spread should come back down to earth a bit after battling more contenders like IUPUI, SDSU, and IPFW, but then again, maybe not. While per game averages are fine and dandy, tempo-free stats are a bit more revealing, especially since Oakland plays at a faster pace than its conference foes. Through Thursday's games, here's a look at each team's offensive points per possession and defensive points per possession:

It's no surprise that Oakland and IPFW, both at 4-0, are leading the way in efficiency differential. The neat thing about juxtaposing these two teams is that they've played the same four teams in the same situations (two at home, two on the road) up to this point, with Oakland clearly coming out on the top both in offensive output and defensive might. IPFW is a solid defensive team and is not far behind Oakland in the defensive measure, but OU has had the more explosive offense. The comparison might not be absolutely fair, but just to give those not familiar with tempo-free stats a feel for the greatness of a 1.21 O-PPP mark , take into consideration that the teams leading the nation in this measure (for all games) are Ohio State at 1.20 and Duke, Wisconsin, and Pittsburgh at 1.19! If Oakland can continue to inflict this kind of offensive damage while playing a .91 kind of defense, the results should continue to be pretty.

We See You, Drew Valentine

Drew Valentine has been impressive in four league games thus far this season, with his best performances coming during this most recent road trip. At Centenary, Valentine was active on the offensive glass, scooping up 6 offensive rebounds to pair with 4 on the defensive end. Along with his ten points, his effort was enough for him to earn his first double-double. Against Oral Roberts two nights later, the sophomore went 6 for 6 from the field, a perfect mark that included two three-pointers. His 14 points came in a variety of ways which showcased the various aspects of his skillset that makes him such a promising player. Let's take a visual look:

In this first clip, we see two of Valentine's drives. One comes during the normal sequence of an offensive set where he sees a lane and takes the ball hard to the basket. During previous games, Valentine hasn't showed as much confidence in his ability to do this which has resulted in a few travels or botched passes as he hesitates. Here, however, Drew splits two defenders and confidently puts the ball in the basket. In the second drive, Valentine stays steady despite the fact the shot-clock was winding down as he makes his way along the baseline for an easy lay-up. Some players on the team might have popped up for a quick, fading jump shot, but Valentine is much better around the rim and thus capitalizes on that ability.

Here we see two more plays featuring Valentine taking the ball into the paint, only this time he chooses to dish to the open man (Will Hudson in both cases). In the first scene, Valentine nearly turns the ball over but keeps his composure and quickly finds Hudson for the easy lay-in. In the second act, Valentine again gets deep into the defense from the right wing only to pass above the defenders collapsing on him to find an open Hudson who makes the bucket and gets fouled. If Valentine can continue to be aggressive from the wing, he will open up looks for Hudson and Benson and collect a lot of assists in the process.

This next video shows Valentine's ability in the open court, perhaps the most exciting aspect of his game. In the first frame, Valentine anticipates a weak pass to Dominique Morrison, steals it, and runs away with it for an easy dunk. Morrison is a tough fella to guard, and while this wasn't entirely the ORU forward's fault, it was nice to see Valentine get the better of him on this play. The next scene does not result in anything statistical for Drew, but it does show how he can help the team push the tempo. Here he grabs a rebound and darts with the ball toward the other end of the court hoping to ignite a quick scoring opportunity. When nothing comes to fruition, he slows it down and gives it to Eackles who draws a foul. Finally, in perhaps one of the best plays of the game, Keith Benson swats a Morrison shot attempt which flies into the hands of Valentine who promptly runs down the court and finishes with a reverse lay-up. The Lansing native has never struck me as the most athletic player on the court, but he has some sneaky athleticism and ability in the open court that comes to light in these clips.

In this last clip, we witness both of Valentine's triples from the game against Oral Roberts. The first one is a great example of teamwork as Keith Benson passes out of the double-team to Travis Bader who then makes the extra pass to Valentine in the corner. Sound execution, and also the subject of a post on the great college basketball playbook blog The Mikan Drill. The second one might have been Drew's biggest knock-down all year as it more or less sealed the game. He was left wide open after Hamilton got into the lane, and all it took was a nice dish for Drew to confidently drain the three-point attempt.

In going over Valentine's six field goals, nearly every one of them was at a clutch moment or had some level of pizazz. Valentine is showing that he can create offense for himself and his teammates while rebounding and knocking down treys in the process. The distribution of his scoring thus far is paralleling that of Blake Cushingberry's last season. While he may be far from being as solid a playmaker as Derick Nelson was last year (who created 69% of his inside baskets on his own ability or from offensive rebounding), it is looking like he has the skills and is gaining the confidence to one day approach that level. As Valentine gets more playing time and experience guarding Summit League forwards, hopefully he can continue to take his game to new heights.

"Free Ilija" Watch

Keith Benson played a full 40 minutes against ORU and Will Hudson had a strong 20-and-10 effort, so Ilija wasn't freed in Tulsa on Thursday. However, in one of the more interesting moves of the season, Coach Kampe went big for a few minutes against Centenary by using a line-up that featured Benson, Hudson, and Ilija. It was funny to witness so many big men out there at once, but with Ilija's ability to knock down triples (he is 2 of 3 from deep in conference games) and jumpers, it looked like it could be an effective method against certain opponents.

Non-Keith Benson Stud Of The Week: Reggie Hamilton

A weekly shoutout to the best Golden Grizzly not named Keith Benson.

Drew Valentine and Will Hudson had big weeks, but Reggie Hamilton was often a big reason why due to his increased distribution role this week. He tallied 9 assists against Centenary and 7 against Oral Roberts, many of which came as a result of his ability to get deep into the paint before dishing to a big man or an open man on the perimeter. As a result, Hamilton's scoring has been down as of late while others have stepped up. Perhaps his biggest contribution aside from passing came against Oral Roberts where he went 8 of 8 from the free throw line. That's an impeccable mark for a guy who had been to the line just one time in the previous two games.

Top Play Of The Week

The top play was actually a sequence of plays which kept Oakland on top in the second half against Oral Roberts. Keith Benson sparked it by swatting a Dominique Morrison shot attempt that led to a sick reverse lay-in on a fastbreak by Drew Valentine. On the following possession, ORU's Roderick Pearson attempted to make a play in the paint and yet again Kito came up with the big defensive stop.

What's Next?

The winter semester begins at Oakland University this week, and with the new classes come new home games! On Thursday, the Golden Grizzlies will take on an IUPUI team that is coming off of a solid win against Western Illinois. That same WIU team will come to the O'rena on Saturday for another conference tilt. Before the IUPUI game, the Oakland players will have had a full seven days off from game action and traveling, a break that is probably welcomed with open arms.

Summit League Non-Conference Wrap

With the exception of a few random games here and there, The Summit League's ten teams have wrapped up non-conference play. While the individual records may vary, most of the squads had fairly solid non-conference seasons. There were not many huge upsets this year, but several teams did a great job of raising the conference profile with wins over schools from similar conferences. Perhaps most importantly, several schools that have hung around the middle of the pack in The Summit League established themselves early with a handful of quality wins and competitive losses. Overall, there is a sense that The Summit League is a conference on the up-and-up. With the arrival of conference games it is time for teams to prove that their more or less successful out-of-conference results can create an uber-competitive January and February. While most teams have now played four conference games already and are focused on these next two months, let's take a look back at November and December to wrap up the early results.

Conference RPI: 23

The conference currently sits at the 23rd position in the conference RPI rankings, the same spot it finished at in 2009-10. There is a chance this could fluctuate a bit as the season goes on, but it's certainly an okay spot to be in for now. At present, The Summit League does not have ten teams playing aggressive non-conference schedules so as a result there are a few teams high in the RPI and a few at the bottom. Centenary also ranks in the bottom 5 in most statistical categories, including RPI (344/345), which does nothing to help the profile of the league. With the departure of Centenary after this season (344) and Southern Utah the year after (264), there is room for The Summit League to move up in this regard, especially if the teams showing improvement this year can sustain the success.

Biggest Surprise: IPFW

There are a few candidates for this topic, but IPFW probably sticks out as the biggest of the surprising bunch for its non-conference results. The team lost four games in the non-conference season, three of which were to Xavier, Cincinnati, and Purdue (and the first two were rather competitive matches). The sole loss to a mid-major was at Valparaiso on a night when the Dons shot just 26% from the field. Overall, this is a pretty impressive mark for a team that in the past might not have beat similarly-leveled mid-majors. The Mastodons have been getting it done with superior guard play from seniors Ben Botts and Zach Plackemeier and great effort from perhaps the most surprising player in the conference, Frank Gaines. (Note: IPFW has additional non-conference home games in January and February against SIU Edwardsville and Chicago State, respectively, in what should be two easy wins).

Biggest Disappointment: Oral Roberts

Nothing against our friends from Tulsa, but this non-conference season was rubbish for the Golden Eagles. They got a nice win on the road at Utah and hung tight with Texas Tech but failed to post wins over middling mid-majors or score a major upset as happened three times last season. For a team returning two potent scorers in Dominique Morrison and Warren Niles and two developing big men in Steven Roundtree and Damen Bell-Holter, it comes as a surprise that they dropped a few games or weren't as competitive in others. The loss of Michael Craion with a foot injury surely hurts this team, but we know that the roster is still talented enough to be better than 3-8 outside of The Summit League. (Note: ORU still has a non-conference game at Akron on 1/3 and a Bracket Buster game in late February).

Evaluating Teams Via Their Pre-Season Poll Rank:

(1) Oakland

Oakland ranks atop the conference in most computer rankings (Kenpom, The State, RPI) and is ranked in the mid-major human poll put out by CollegeInsider.com. While the team lost two games against mid-major opponents (Wright State and Valparaiso), it competed admirably through one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country and pulled an upset of then seventh-ranked Tennessee. Overall, most would say Oakland passes the eye test as the team to beat in The Summit League.

(2) Oral Roberts

As discussed above, ORU had a rocky out-of-conference experience marked by inconsistency and perhaps a lack of leadership. This is a team without a single four-year player, and its only seniors are minor bench players who transferred in. Michael Craion, a junior college transfer, is a senior who could have sparked the team much like Kevin Ford did in his two years as a Golden Eagle, but Craion has been out with a foot injury and will seek a medical redshirt. As a result, ORU is still a young team that looks like it needs to learn how to win. The talent is there, but they need for it to all come together before they're ready to compete for a top-spot in the conference. This pre-season ranking is looking like it might not hold up unless they can use their struggles to get better over the next two months.

(3) IUPUI

The Jaguars have had to endure quite a bit of travel this non-conference season as they've played everywhere from Washington to Pittsburgh and Florida to Las Vegas. They had just two home games, both against non-DI schools, and played three games in three days in nearby Oxford, Ohio. They won just four Division I games, the highlight of which is a blowout of Green Bay on a neutral court. There is something to be said of the way they played Ohio State in Columbus (75-64 loss) as well as a two-point loss to an undefeated San Diego State team on a neutral court. IUPUI is a team that can keep games close due to the all-around ability of Alex Young and his scoring pal Leroy Nobles, but times are bleak when those two aren't knocking down shots. Dayton transfer Stephen Thomas has been a welcome addition for the team, but as a guard he doesn't give them a presence where they need it the most: the post. As one of the weakest rebounding teams in the country in raw (330) and tempo-free (254) figures, it remains to be seen if they will be able to stay afloat against some of the conference's better post-play teams.

(4) North Dakota State

The Bison had a fairly impressive non-conference schedule, highlighted during the first three days when the team beat defending Big West champs UCSB, topped a solid Denver squad, and took Oregon to overtime before losing by five points. NDSU only played one other major conference team, a big loss at Minnesota. Aside from those games, the team beat two other mid-majors, including in-state rival North Dakota, and loss to two mid-majors. It's a winning record for non-conference play, but the record does not contain many major wins, except for maybe UCSB. Perhaps a good sign for the team heading into January and February is that senior guard Freddy Coleman has upped his points per game by nearly ten and he is the team's second leading rebounder despite being 6-foot-3. That type of play will come in handy against some of the conference's better teams that have guards who board well. Additionally, freshman Marshall Bjorklund proved why he is a starter by averaging 9.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Overall, we learned in non-conference play that NDSU is a very capable team which shoots well from deep (41.7%, seventh in the nation), guards the interior fairly well (46.4 D2FG%), and rebounds just as well as Oakland.

(5) South Dakota State

SDSU's strength of schedule is fairly weak, but there's no doubting that the team won the games it needed to win and then some. The highlight was a ten-point drubbing of Iowa that aired on the Big Ten Network for everyone to see how disciplined this Jackrabbit team can be when everything is clicking. It also served as the introduction to Nate Wolters, a sophomore phenom who is on his way to conference stardom. Wolters is a versatile guard who can get to the basket with ease (his 80 free throw attempts are second in the league among guards), knock down the occasional triple, rebound at an impressive rate, and distribute the ball effectively as the team's floor general (5.8 assist/game - best in conference). And he manages to do all of that without committing turnovers, as he holds a 2.8 to 1 assist to turnover ratio, again best in the conference. Pair Wolters with a few veterans and some promising freshmen and one can see how this team went 8-3 in non-conference play, including a close loss to Minnesota. Like NDSU, SDSU is a great three-point shooting team that guards the paint fairly well and can rebound with the conference's best. However, they are also the smartest team in the league: they commit just 10.8 turnovers per game (tenth in the country) and have a turnover rate - for tempo-free fans - of 15.2 percent (fourth in the country). Scary combination, and the reason why a fifth place finish is probably not in SDSU's future.

(6) IPFW

We talked a bit about IPFW's non-conference season in our "Biggest Surprise" category, but to extend that here, it appears like the Mastodons will be contending for a spot higher than sixth place. They'll have to continue to get superior play from Plackemeier and Botts in the backcourt and some more manly efforts from junior big man Trey McCorkle. The team's interior play will need to improve especially to effectively guard teams like Oakland, SDSU, and NDSU that have strength in the frontcourt. However, we may also see a team where a mix of stellar guards and team grit could possibly make-up for a supposed weakness down low. Whatever the case, judging from non-conference play, this might be the best Dons teams ever under coach Dane Fife.

(7) Western Illinois

The Fighting Leathernecks have stayed true to coach Jim Molinari's grind-it-out system throughout non-conference play with mixed results. In the early season, WIU went to Columbia and nearly upset Missouri, a team that has gone on to prove it is quite good this season, by playing its usual brand of hard-nosed defense and slowing the pace. The team was unable to ride the momentum of that competitive game as Western lost four of its other five non-conference games against Division I competition. A big reason why the team has floundered despite the scoring surprise of Matt Lander has been because of Ceola Clark's nagging injury. The team's floor leader has played in just six games this season, and it shows. Clark is capable of scoring and rebounding in bunches, but he's also the team's best distributor and the conference's best defender (as his Defensive Player of the Year trophy from last year proves). For WIU to retain this position or move up, it needs Clark back soon.

(8) UMKC

UMKC ends non-conference play with a 7-3 record (with a game at Kansas still on the horizon), a notable mark for a program that has failed to have much success in recent years. While the team was able to host a lot of home games in November and December which could build confidence and fan support, there is reason to be skeptical of the team's chances at continuing with such winning in conference play. Out of 345 teams in Division I, UMKC's non-conference schedule (before the Kansas game) ranks 342nd, mostly the result of playing new DI schools like North Dakota, SIU Edwardsville, Central Arkansas, Utah Valley, and Houston Baptist. While credit should be given to UMKC for taking care of business, this team hasn't been tested by very many teams from a similar level. The team's bright spot has been Spencer Johnson, a forward having a resurrection in his senior year by averaging 12.1 points and 9.8 rebounds on 51.3% field goal shooting. Coach Matt Brown has been using a tight rotation this season and for the first time has a few seniors who are actually providing some leadership on the court. That's a positive for this program and one that will hopefully carry over into future conference play.

(9) Southern Utah

SUU struggled early and often in the non-conference stretch which was probably the consequence of adjusting to new line-ups. Ray Jones, Jr. has been a blessing for the team this year and has started in all but the first game of the season for the Thunderbirds, but other players have struggled to find such consistency. Matt Hodgson, a 6-foot-11 project from Australia, has failed to stay out of foul trouble and has found himself out of the starting line-up in recent tips, a bummer considering he gives the team size and shot-blocking ability. Other players need to come along or be more consistent for SUU to make enough noise to be eligible for the conference tournament in March.

(10) Centenary

There are currently five winless teams in all of Division I, and Centenary just might be the worst of the bunch. The Gents have trouble scoring and give up a lot of points on the defensive end, but it's hard to be too critical of a team with just four scholarship players. Centenary's coach, Adam Walsh, seems to be taking it in stride as a recent interview with ESPN.com would suggest, and he realizes the extreme disadvantage they have in playing a Division I schedule this year. Only the coldest of hearts would wish a winless season on this program, so here's to hoping the Gents can pick up a win or two in January and February.

Five Players We're Excited To See More Often

(G) Nate Wolters, Sophomore (SDSU)

Now that Johnathon Jones has graduated, it's safe to say that Nate Wolters is developing into the league's best point guard. He's a great scorer with ability to draw the foul and is turning into the floor general of this year's Jackrabbits team. SDSU fans have to feel happy about the development of Wolters, still just a sophomore. A Ben Woodside-esque career is in the picture for this dude.

(G) Frank Gaines, Sophomore (IPFW)

Frank Gaines might be the best name in the conference. Something about it exudes confidence and grit. Gaines is just a sophomore who is having a breakout season as a starter alongside Plackemeier and Botts for the Mastodons. Gaines is quick and big enough at 6-foot-4 to draw contact as he slides into the lane, scoring in bunches from the field and charity stripe. Where he is perhaps most impressive is on the glass, pulling down 6.5 rebounds per game. In a lot of ways, Gaines is the type of player Oakland's Ledrick Eackles could be with a bit more consistency in his shooting and selection. Oakland fans should take note of this guy.

(G/F) Travis Bader, Redshirt Freshman (Oakland)

Oakland's Travis Bader must have used his redshirt year wisely as he has been an incredibly productive player for the Golden Grizzlies in his first season. Bader has hit 13 more three pointers than the next best freshman in the conference and in fact is second among all classes of players in that category, behind only his teammate Reggie Hamilton (41). At times, Bader has shown an ability to get off quick jump shots inside the arc as well as a fastbreak dunk or two, but the primary reason to watch him is because of his great stroke from downtown.

(F) Steven Roundtree, Freshman (Oral Roberts)

Oral Roberts has received a big boost inside from a lanky freshman by the name of Steve Roundtree. At 6-foot-8, the frosh is big enough to play the post for the Golden Eagles, yet he has the ability to slide over to the wing position and take opponents off the dribble. He's thirteenth in the conference in scoring and sixth in rebounding, numbers which should hold up through conference play. If ORU is able to stay afloat at the top of the standings, Roundtree will be one of the chief players responsible.

(F) Marshall Bjorklund, Freshman (NDSU)

NDSU freshman Marshall Bjorklund isn't too far from Roundtree in terms of production this season. He is the third leading scorer and second best rebounder among freshmen in The Summit League, but where he really makes his impact is on the offensive glass, ranking fourth in raw figures just behind Roundtree and the Oakland duo of Keith Benson and Will Hudson. The only major-minutes player in the conference who grabs more offensive than defensive boards overall is Hudson, yet as a freshman Bjorklund is displaying the same kind of prowess albeit at a lesser rate. Still, the Bison faithful must be excited about this young player who could help anchor the post for many years to come.

Red Line Look-Back

The Summit League has had 29 opportunities to take down a team from above the Red Line thus far, with UMKC's trip to Kansas as the 30th and final chance on January 5th. Out of the many chances, Summit League teams were only victorious three times. South Dakota State beat Iowa, Oral Roberts took down Utah, and Oakland topped seventh-ranked Tennessee. All of the upsets occurred on the opponent's home court. Overall, that is a win percentage of 10.3%, whereas the national average as of this post is 15.6%. While the league trails the national average, it's still mighty close and perhaps puts into perspective just how difficult it is to topple the Red Line.

Oakland's Scholarship Availability

The big news in Oakland roster moves this week was the announcement that junior Drew Maynard would be leaving the team to pursue an opportunity to play basketball elsewhere. While it is a bummer that Maynard, a local kid with a lot of promise, won't finish his career as a Golden Grizzly, his decision to transfer does open up a scholarship, most notably for next year. Prior to this announcement, it appeared that Oakland would be locked in with its 13 players signed for next year, barring any other transfers or leaving. Sans Maynard, this is what the scholarship situation will look like in 2011-12 and the four years after:

As we can see, Oakland now has a scholarship open in 2011-12 even after signing senior-to-be Laval Lucas-Perry and incoming freshmen Matt Poches and Dante Williams. According to Rivals.com, there are currently five guys left in the Class of 2011 who have not signed and are listed as Oakland targets. The prize of the bunch is Patrick Lucas-Perry, a three-star recruit who has offers from Harvard, Michigan State, Michigan, South Florida, and Oakland. That's some stiff competition for the 5-foot-10 guard, but given that his brother will be suiting up next year for Oakland, it at least makes you wonder if it gives the Golden Grizzlies an edge.

Aside from Class of 2011'ers, there is also the interesting case of Doug Anderson, a junior college player in his second year at Mott Community College in Flint. Anderson originally committed to Duquesne, but it has since been revealed that the 6-foot-6 forward is no longer headed for the Steel Town. According to Rivals.com, it looks like his recruitment is down to Oakland and Detroit. Anderson, who is a bit of a Mott legend for his impressive dunks, would fill a void for the Golden Grizzlies at the forward position for two years while Dante Williams puts on some weight and gets used to OU basketball.

We're just speculating here and are far from recruiting experts, but these are at least some storylines to keep an eye on. One has to think that the opened spot will go to someone, and perhaps Coach Kampe and his staff work their magic and find another Travis Bader late in the year to add to the team. Whatever the case, OU's roster looks strong heading forward.

Game Preview: Oakland at Oral Roberts

Game 17: Oakland (8-8, 3-0) at Oral Roberts (5-9, 2-1)

Thursday, December 30, 2010 | 8:00pm

Watch: ESPN3.com | Radio: WDFN (1130 AM)

After dispatching Centenary on Tuesday night, Oakland heads north from Louisiana to Oklahoma to take on conference rival Oral Roberts. Oakland is off to a 3-0 start in The Summit League, albeit against the three teams that finished in the bottom three positions last season, while Oral Roberts has solid road wins over IUPUI and WIU to its name. However, the Golden Eagles dropped their first conference home game on Tuesday to an improved IPFW team, the first time ORU had ever lost to IPFW at the Mabee Center. Oakland knows what that feels like as it picked up its first win in ten years there last season. The Golden Grizzlies will look to build on last season's victory in Tulsa with a strong outing this year against a team with a lot of talent. Oral Roberts will aim to find some consistency in an effort to take down the reigning champs.

A Non-Conference Flip-Flop

While Oakland fans were likely frustrated with the last few non-conference games, most would probably agree that it was largely a successful November and December when compared to last season. Oakland kept games close against some of the best teams in the country and picked up a few wins over solid mid-major teams. While wins against Wright State and Valparaiso would have capped off a great non-conference slate, the upset of Tennessee on national television did bring a lot of exposure to the program. Oral Roberts enthusiasts are probably feeling a bit like Oakland fans felt last year. They dropped a few games to mid-majors that they should probably be beating and were never very close in their games against BCS schools sans an 86-82 loss at Texas Tech. Last season, it was ORU that broke through with three big upsets (New Mexico, Stanford, and Missouri) and Oakland which floundered in such big-time games. While the non-conference stories have flipped, there is no doubt that both teams will be gunning for that conference championship this season. Oakland and Oral Roberts found out their weaknesses during the first two months of the season, and conference play will determine whether or not they can learn from their non-conference schedules in games against conference teams that are not quite as battle-tested.

A Story Of Inconsistency

As outlined above, ORU has had a fairly inconsistent season thus far, mostly consisting of non-conference games where the opponents vary quite a bit. In checking in on the Golden Eagle statistical profile, though, there are not many glaring weaknesses. The team is fairly average across the board, ranking somewhere between 125 and 250 in most categories across all teams in Division I. These figures pair well with Coach Scott Sutton's assessment of his team after the IPFW loss as "very, very average," despite the fact that at times the team has shown flashes of greatness. By taking a look at the team's shooting percentage in each game this year, we can see how the team has gotten to that average position:

In every loss, the Golden Eagles have failed to shoot better than 50% from the field except for the game at Texas Tech (which they nearly won). After starting the season with three straight losses, the team bounced back with two straight wins, including one on the road at Utah, and then went on to win its first two conference games. Following a last-second win at IUPUI, we can see that ORU really struggled with its shooting against some elite conference teams, none more than at Missouri. However, it's not just the opposing team's defense. This is a team that shot 57% against UALR in November and then 32% against the same team a month later. ORU can be a dangerous team when everyone is clicking at the same time, but as this year has shown, that has only happened so often. ORU does not have a single four-year player this season and is young at most positions, so perhaps this shouldn't come as such a surprise. However, the Golden Eagles are clearly one of the more individually talented teams in The Summit League, and at this point they're just desperate for some consistency.

Key Personnel Match-Up

Larry Wright vs. Warren Niles

Heading into this game, we're pretty much resigned to the fact that Dominique Morrison is going to get his numbers. He's a versatile forward who presents match-up problems for Oakland given his size and ability in the open-court and is bound to score 20+ points while chipping in with his fair share of rebounds and assists. With that said, the guy that we're most worried about then is sophomore Warren Niles. Niles has struggled to find consistency this season but is capable of scoring boatloads of points when his stroke is smooth. If both he and Morrison are getting to the basket with frequency and knocking down a few triples, it could be a long night in Tulsa for the Golden Grizzlies. The OU defense hasn't been particularly strong in the last few games (it gave up 71 points to a Centenary squad that averages 54 points a game - the difference of which was mostly earned at the charity stripe), so if this ends up being an offensive juggernaut, it will be important for Larry Wright to continue to be strong from the field. Since the Michigan State game, Wright has been an offensive weapon for the Golden Grizzlies, particularly from beyond the arc (18 of 33 in that stretch).

Oral Roberts Player To Watch: Steven Roundtree

Steve Roundtree is an easy player to spot: he's a wiry, athletic forward who stands at 6-foot-8 with a hairdo that might add two inches to his frame. But after getting a good look at that crazy 'do, Roundtree will impress with his game. He's just a freshman this season, yet he has started every game for Coach Sutton and is averaging 11.9 points and 6.9 boards per game on 50% shooting. For a team that has lacked consistency, it has been getting a lot of it from one of its youngest players. Roundtree is very skinny but has proven adequate as a post-player against similar-level competition and can also stretch the defense with his ball-handling and ability in isolation. He pairs nicely with sophomore big Damen Bell-Holter in the paint, giving the Golden Eagles a frontcourt that should be great over the next three seasons as both players age and refine their games. Against IPFW on Tuesday, Rountree displayed many of his talents, captured in a quick highlight video we put together below.

Obviously a lot of Roundtree's damage was done against smaller defenders (poor Peckinpaugh!), so he'll get one of his first big tests of the season against either Keith Benson or Will Hudson. Whatever the case, Roundtree has still proven himself to be one of the best newcomers to the conference.

Oakland Player To Watch: Will Hudson

Similarly to Morrison, we think Keith Benson will get his and more or less cancel out the scoring output of Morrison. Oakland's most consistent player, Will Hudson, will play a big role then in the outcome of this game. Hudson has proven effective as a defender all season and will need to utilize that determination to intimidate the young ORU frontline. This is a guy who played solidly against Illinois' Mike Davis and Michigan State's Draymond Green, so hopefully he can continue to do so against Roundtree and Bell-Holter. Once again, if this game ends up being a shoot-out, Hudson's offensive boarding and ability to get open when the double-team comes for Kito will be of increased importance.

History

Oakland and Oral Roberts have quite a bit of history with each other over the last decade. They have played down to the wire both in regular season and conference tournament games, though ORU has been the more dominant team in home games. From 1/20/2000 to 1/07/2010, ORU beat Oakland every time the Golden Grizzlies traveled to the Mabee Center. However, last season Coach Kampe and company finally broke through with a 67-60 win. Oakland also won the game at the O'Rena on a last-second shot by Johnathon Jones. No matter what happens, one can always be sure that this series will be entertaining.

Player Points

As we learn more about the various teams in The Summit League, we hope to offer a few bullet points about most of the contributors for the highlighted opponent (when an opponent blog is not available for a Q&A). Since we've watched a bit of Oral Roberts this year, here's what we have seen from our black and gold lenses (Morrison, Roundtree, and Niles covered above):

• Damen Bell-Holter has started every game this season, his sophomore campaign. At 6-foot-9 and 245 pounds, DBH can be a force downlow. Two of his three double-doubles came against BCS opponents (Texas Tech and Missouri), and he has found himself going to the charity stripe more and more as the season has progressed (9 attempts against Rice and 10 against IPFW). We haven't seen enough of Bell-Holter to have a clear view of his defensive ability, but there has been no shortage of opposing big men getting up for matches against Keith Benson (hello, Jordan Morgan!).
• Heading into the season, one of the questions regarding this team was how the point guard position would be handled. Early on, it looked like Rod Pearson would be the man after sitting out last season with an injury. Pearson is the team's best assist man in the backcourt and found himself starting for much of the first few games but has struggled to find playing time lately.
• Hunter McClintock, the redshirt freshman, also sat out last season due to injury with Pearson. McClintock got his chance to start for a nice stretch but has thus far failed to be a steady distributor (1.5 assists per game, 0.67 assist-to-turnover ratio). McClintock has a lot of ability but in watching him those skills seems very raw yet. The young buck can go off, as his 19 point performance against Texas Tech would indicate, but he has yet to hit double figures in any other game.
• Ken Holdman was one of ORU's main options at point guard last season and has recently found himself back in the starting line-up. He's the kind of guy where you know what he will bring you. He only seems to take shots when they are appropriate, grabs a few rebounds, and capably leads the offense. He has started the last three games for Coach Sutton, so barring another line-up change, look for Holdman to be out there against Oakland.
• Tim Morton is a 6-foot-9 sophomore who mostly comes in to back-up Bell-Holter. DBH plays a lot of minutes, so Morton doesn't get a lot of time and it has been decreasing with each game. Morton reminds me a bit of the way Oakland fans looked at Ilija last season: come in to give the starters a brief respite, don't commit any turnovers, and limit fouls. Perhaps Morton will play a bigger role in the future, but so far this year he's mostly been playing that reserve role.
• Kyron Stokes has been hampered with lingering concussion symptoms and Michael Craion may redshirt due to a foot injury. Stokes gives the Golden Eagles some depth at the 2/3 spot while Craion is a proven banger who can rebound with anyone in the league despite standing just 6-foot-5. No word as of this post if either player will be available against Oakland.

The Extra Pass

Leave it to Coach Sutton to find more guys for his team with dreadlocks! Oakland fans probably remember well one Robert Jarvis, a small point guard who had a thick set of dreadlocks. Just as he was leaving the school, Dominique Morrison joined up with his budding dreads. Two years later, DoMo's are approaching Jarvis-like length while newbie Steven Roundtree continues the trend with his unique hairstyle. At this rate, ORU might be able to honor an entire All-Hair Team at a half-time ceremony in the future.

As always, if you're interested in getting in on the conversation with other Oakland fans before, during, and after the game, we highly suggest checking out the Golden Grizzly Hoops forum: Game Thread.

Game Preview: Oakland at Centenary

Game 15: Oakland (7-8, 2-0) at Centenary (0-13, 0-2)

Tuesday, December 28, 2010 | 8:00pm

Watch: N/A | Radio: WDFM-AM (1130)

The Oakland Golden Grizzlies head to Shreveport, Louisiana, for the last time ever as they resume conference play in The Summit League. Oakland played a brutal non-conference schedule which saw the team pick up an impressive upset of Tennessee and solid wins over mid-major programs Ohio and Austin Peay. The team also secured two early conference victories at the O'Rena during the first week of December which gives OU the undefeated start in league play. Centenary is in its last year of Division I play, and the results have not been too pretty thus far. Still searching for their first win, the Gents played a mix of elite conference powers and lower level teams in the non-conference but failed to score more points than the opponent every time out.

More On The Opponent

If you're a Centenary fan, there is reason to have hope heading into Summit League play. Out of all of the team's losses, its two closest games were during that first week of December when the Gents very nearly beat Western Illinois and IUPUI on the road. It will take a 40-minute effort, great defense, and perhaps a bit of luck to pull out a win over Oakland, but there is no doubt that a new season is born for this team on Tuesday night. They've played just two home games all year, and the last one was all the way back on November 22. The team has been as far west as Wyoming and as far north as Milwaukee in that span and will be looking to create a buzz at the Gold Dome for a team that probably needs a win or two to generate some more interest in this last DI season.

Centenary Player To Watch: Jeron Trotman

The switch to Division III has caused a lot of personnel movement with the Centenary program to the point where the only name Oakland fans might recognize this year is that of junior Maxx Nakwaasah. Double-X is leading the team in scoring at 10.4 points per game, but the most effective all-around player appears to be sophomore Jeron Trotman. The 6'6" forward is scoring just under 10 points, grabbing 7.8 rebounds, and blocking 1.2 shots in 29 minutes per game. That's a pretty impressive line for a guy who has likely been under-sized throughout the team's non-conference schedule. Centenary is a fairly small team so Trotman may have to deal with the twin towers of Keith Benson and Will Hudson which would favor Oakland, but his numbers indicate that he is a fighter. He just needs to get better at the free throw line where he is shooting just 48.6%.

Oakland Player To Watch: Ledrick Eackles

Tuesday marks the beginning of a new season for Ledrick Eackles. It was about this time last year when the then freshman went from scoring four or five points per game to double digits in 7 of 9 games from the end of December to the conclusion of January. Ledrick has struggled with his shot and shot selection so far this season, so it is hoped that the rebirth of conference season will see the sophomore guard find his touch again. Centenary is without much of a frontcourt which means that there should be adequate room for Eackles to use his athleticism to get to the basket for easy buckets or foul calls.

History

Oakland has been fairly successful against Centenary and posted a 38-point win over the school in Shreveport last season. However, just one year prior the Gents handed the Golden Grizzlies an embarrassing 20-point loss at the Gold Dome that probably still stings Oakland fans when looking back on the 2008-09 season. While Oakland has the better resume on paper, you never know what can happen in this conference with such big distances between schools.

The Gameplan's Weekly Recap: Valparaiso/Ohio State

Oakland continued its tough non-conference schedule this week with three games in four days. This week's recap features those matches with Rochester College, Valparaiso, and Ohio State.

The Big Picture

Whew. Oakland ends non-conference play with a record of 5-8 that includes four losses to ranked opponents and two more from elite conferences. The team and the fans would probably like to have the losses to Wright State and Valparaiso back, but it is what it is at this point in time. The Valparaiso lost happened on Tuesday night after the team beat Rochester College on Monday. In the big picture of the season, the loss to Valpo won't affect the team's NCAA tourney chances much, but it stings in the big picture of Oakland finding its place in mid-major college hoops. As was the case with the loss to Wright State, games against Horizon League opponents can make or break the mass opinion on a team's so-called "level" of play, and losing both of those doesn't help OU in this regard. The Ohio State loss was the worst of the year, but given the team's fatigue, some lingering injuries, and a general feeling of out-of-synchness, one can hardly complain too loudly about the performance. Last year, those losses piled on in November and December. This year, it only happened once. We can live with that.

The Rock Is In Benson's Hands, Or Is It?

Ever since dominating against Tennessee over a week ago, Keith Benson has had a hard time getting looks in the paint. First, Michigan coach John Beilein used an assaulting approach to double and triple-team the senior center which forced him to pass out of the post, force a shot, or commit a turnover. Then against Valparaiso, Benson was in a bit of foul trouble but also committed four turnovers and failed to convert half of his free-throws. Those were two of Benson's worst statistical performances in the past two seasons, especially considering he failed to grab a single offensive rebound. Against Ohio State and Jared Sullinger, Benson seemed to have a bit of his pep back on the offensive glass and even had a great hustle play where he stole the ball after an inbounds and dunked it for an easy two points. However, he also got into a bit of foul trouble and ended up fouling out with over eight minutes to play.

As most Oakland fans are probably aware, it's very rare for Benson to not get a double-double every night. So when he fails to do so in three straight games (sans the RoCo match), there are obviously some questions that pop up. Coach Kampe noted that Benson has been playing through an injury which could help explain the lack of production, but others have their theories as well. During the Big Ten Network telecast of the Oakland-Ohio State game, commentator Jim Jackson noted that (at least in his mind) Benson could have worked harder to demand the ball and establish himself in the paint. But he also mentioned that the guards needed to do a better job of getting him the ball in appropriate positions. Short of analyzing each and every possession (which we don't have the tape or time to do), these things are rather difficult to quantify. However, this discussion did bring up another issue that I was curious to explore: who has been the most effective at getting the ball to Benson? I went through the box scores and tallied up each time one of Benson's field goals were the result of an assist and gave the appropriate player an assist mark. For comparison's sake, I also included the data from 2009-10. Only non-conference games are included. After tallying up the individual totals, I did a small bit of math to figure out how many of Benson's field goals had been assisted in each year. The results are strikingly similar.

First, the macro-level analysis. As we can see, Benson made 77 field goals in non-conference play last year and 78 this season. His assisted field goal percentage has decreased by just three percent. Overall, it appears that half of the points Oakland gets from the field from Benson are still the result of play-calling for him. The other half of his baskets are presumably the result of his own playmaking - whether that is using his mid-range game or scoring points via offensive rebounding.

On a micro-level, we can see one huge change: no more Johnathon Jones. "JJ to Kito for two" was a staple in the lexicon of Oakland play-by-play announcers last season, which speaks just as much about Benson's finishing ability as it does JJ's court vision and feel for the game. There were no other players who even came close to matching JJ's ability to get the ball to Benson in 2009-10. This season, the combination of Reggie Hamilton and Larry Wright have made up for JJ's absence - together they've assisted 27 of Benson's field goals (JJ assisted 26). Although Larry Wright has been the chief guy to bring the ball up the floor, a few of the plays the team runs to get the ball inside end up with several other guys touching the ball first. Perhaps this is why his assist figures to Benson are lower than those of Hamilton. Either way, the numbers are about the same between the two years, but one has to wonder how many missed opportunities were present in each case.

On that note, it would be interesting (or painstaking) to go through the tapes to see how many turnovers Larry and Reggie committed while trying to pass the ball in to Kito. Since this humble blog does not have access to do so, let's just take a look at overall turnover figures and compare them to assists. For the non-conference season, Larry has 43 turnovers and Reggie has 46. JJ had 41 during the same period in 2009-10. As the primary ball-handlers, the combination of Larry and Reggie have 97 assists to 89 turnovers, while Jones had 74 assists to 41 turnovers. While the comparison might not be incredibly fair since Larry and Reggie have both attempted to be distributors and scorers (meaning the ball is in their hands more often as a combo), the ratios are still worthwhile: Larry/Reggie: 1.09 assists for every turn, Jones: 1.80 assists for every turn. From this, we can see that Jones was a special point guard, but that's not a new revelation. But it is likely that we can say that the point guard by committee method hasn't exactly been inspiring, particularly in the last few games. Perhaps a result, the team has struggled to get the ball to Benson, the focal point of the offense. There are perhaps too many turnovers committed in the backcourt or as the ball is being worked in to Benson, meaning he either doesn't get a chance to put up a shot (he had just 10 field goal attempts in the Valparaiso and Ohio State games combined) or is in a bad position and ends up drawing the double-team too quickly which can result in turnovers by Benson himself. There is also a chance that teams are just more prepared for Benson this year than last year and have better gameplans as a result.

We're not basketball coaches over here, but it is interesting to take a look at some of these figures and see what we might be able to infer from them as basketball fans. At the end of the day, the entire team has to step up on both ends of the floor to get this thing rolling again. A funny fact: Benson, oddly enough, had two of his worst games statistically right about this time last year. Against Oregon and Syracuse, he only had 9 rebounds total after posting double-doubles in the four prior games. Perhaps the confluence of teams aggressively gameplanning against Benson and team fatigue at the end of a brutal non-conference schedule were the forces behind these statistical letdowns in 2009-10 and 2010-11. As we all know, Benson went on to dominate The Summit League. I think most fans would take that over a forgettable performance in late December any day of the week.

The Young Hope

Ryan Bass played 12 minutes in the Ohio State game, his most against elite competition this season. Although he had one silly turnover that resulted in a Jon Diebler triple, Bass gave the team some good minutes and impressed with his passing ability. We still don't know much about his scoring ability, but Bass has, at the very least, shown glimpses of why Coach Kampe said he was too good to redshirt this season. At one point against Ohio State, it looked like Bass was the only guy who could get the ball into Benson's hands, and since we just spent a few paragraphs talking about guard distribution and Benson, we decided to look at some more assist data, this time with the freshman included.

The table above offers a very basic view of the distribution impact made by each of Oakland's primary distributors in the minutes they play (for non-conference games only). We use Johnathon Jones as a benchmark (his 2009-10 numbers) and see that he was dropping dimes approximately 17% of the time he was on the floor. This season, the committee tandem of Larry Wright and Reggie Hamilton have more than made up for Jones' raw assist figures, but those assists come at a lesser rate than that of the former point guard. This measure is inexact because of the fact that Wright "steals" assists from Hamilton and vice versa, but it can still be helpful when examining Oakland's distribution. For what it's worth, Ryan Bass has matched JJ's assists per minute percentage at 17%. While his raw numbers are far off from Wright and Hamilton, there is reason to have hope that the glimpses of purity we've seen from Bass at the point guard position are indeed indicative of some greater ability. While he's not likely to crack the regular line-up, we can't help but wonder how Oakland's offense would run if he could and Wright and Hamilton were left free from running sets.

"Free Ilija" Watch

Ilija continued to show his smooth stroke in games against Rochester College and Valparaiso this week. And while he went 1-5 from the field against Ohio State, he did calmly bury a three, grab two offensive rebounds, and look decent guarding the post against the Buckeye big men. Most importantly, Ilija was able to play in 10 or more minutes in every game this week. While a lot of those minutes were the result of Benson/Hudson foul trouble, it's still good to see him go out there and adequately fill in. Like it or not, Ilija will be a full-time player next season, and the more experience he gets this year, the better. Fortunately, he's mostly proven effective when out there so far.

Non-Keith Benson Stud Of The Week: Travis Bader

A weekly shoutout to the best Golden Grizzly not named Keith Benson.

While watching the Oakland-Ohio State game, I was floored when Travis Bader was guarding Jon Diebler. I kept looking at the two guards, noticing the similarities in their bodies and shooting stroke. Diebler, a senior, has been a straight-up baller for the Buckeyes during his stint there and is highly-regarded around the Big Ten for his shooting ability. Bader is just a redshirt freshman and might slowly command that kind of respect from Summit League foes as the season goes on. While Bader has shown us his ability to confidently knock down triples coming off screens, he also had a great mid-range jumper and a fastbreak dunk while in Columbus. By and large, Bader had an unexpectedly successful non-conference season. Now let's hope he can keep it up and help lead the Golden Grizzlies to a conference crown.

Top Play Of The Week

We were at all the games this week so no animated .gifs or screen caps for this week's plays, but we were mighty stoked about that Travis Bader dunk even though it came when the game was all but wrapped up by Ohio State.

What's Next?

Oakland takes a break for the holiday and then gets ready to start conference play in earnest on Tuesday, December 28 against Centenary. The Gents are winless, but the game is in Shreveport where anything can happen. Following that game, the Golden Grizzlies travel north to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take on conference rival Oral Roberts. A lot will be on the line in that game. Let's hope the team gets some much deserved rest to shake off any of the fatigue or injuries that have stuck with them the past few weeks.

On The Road: Ohio State

Growing up in a sports-loving household in Michigan, it's nature to hate Ohio State. While that hatred is stronger for those with family ties to the University of Michigan, it looms big for Michigan State folks too. Most of it stems from the old rivalries and the sports matches that are guaranteed every year due to membership in the Big Ten, but it's also about the State of Michigan versus the State of Ohio. Michiganders have a weird relationship with the Buckeye State. It goes back centuries to the Toledo War, a two-state dispute over a strip of land that is now Toledo. It's a story most children in Michigan learn during state history activities in elementary school and is remembered as the means by which Michigan acquired the Upper Peninsula in exchange for the tiny Toledo strip. Though Michigan clearly won that battle in the long-term, folks hailing from the Great Lakes State must be born with a hate for anything to do with Ohio, including its flagship institution.

Up until I got to Oakland University, my own lenses were painted maize and blue. After a year on the scene, I was fully bought-in to the mid-major life and retired any apparel I had with that familiar "M" logo. At the same time, I never got over my distaste for Ohio State, even as I completely distanced myself from college football, the one sport where hatred for OSU was strongest. Their basketball team always had individual players I enjoyed watching, but I still could not actively root for them. And it wasn't just sports. When I was winnowing down my list of graduate schools to apply to, I left off Ohio State because I just couldn't see myself getting down with the scarlet and grey. "Yuck," I remember thinking, even as I tried to tell myself it didn't really matter. But I guess you can't change your genes.

A few friends and I, all Michigan born-and-raised, felt that the opportunity to cheer on Oakland against Ohio State was too good a chance to turn down, especially with no school or work obligations the next day. Even though it was a non-conference game, we figured our deep-seated dislike for the Buckeyes would be reason enough to get pumped up for the game and make it like traveling to a conference game against a heated rival. Well, were we wrong.

Value City Arena is a beautiful facility, hands down. But to say that it has anything to do with college basketball tradition is a bit far-fetched. It's an NBA-sized arena, and it feels like one, too. The seats are cushy, but unless you've got a few twenties, the views are not as comforable as the seats. Additionally, the pre-game production value was on par with that of most NBA teams, and the only thing missing was an exotic half-time show. The absence of any students or live band dampened the experience further. The December 23rd date didn't help much in this regard, but it made me realize that perhaps one of the benefits of Oakland being a regional, largely commuter-based school is that the band and at least a few dozen student section members will show up to games over break to preserve the college basketball feel of the O'rena. As one of the top public universities in the nation, OSU has a much broader scope and thus might not have that luxury, or at least it did not on this particular evening. As one of the top teams in the country, the students will probably be out in full force during Big Ten home games, and one can hardly blame them for not wanting to come out for some school they would probably blow-out, a task OSU had no trouble accomplishing over Oakland.

My impressions of Value City Arena as NBA-esque come from a lens that enjoys compact stadiums and tight-knittedness among fans at college basketball games. Mackey Court and Crisler Arena better accomplished this as far as Big Ten arenas have gone this year, but at this level it's all about maximizing revenues, and Ohio State's venue clearly takes the cake in that regard with its higher ticket prices and larger capacity. For what it's worth, the Ohio State fans were a bit more energetic during the game than Michigan fans in Ann Arbor. Whereas the UofM faithful failed to stand and cheer in unison until the final minutes of the game against Oakland, OSU fans were much more active, even as most of the crowd consisted of families. Additionally, most of the fans, at least in our section of the upper bowl, were quite respectful and peacefully allowed us Grizzlies fans to cheer on the team, even when they cut the lead to single-digits at the end of the first half and it looked like we might have had a "game." The second half was far more comical, and despite our disappointment as fans in the outcome, we cheered in the waning minutes for the team to cut the margin to under 30 points. Thankfully, Travis Bader knocked down a jumper with eight seconds left that put the OSU win margin to 29 points.

Ohio State has a big-time arena for a big-time program, and the team certainly looked big-time against Oakland on Thursday night. While it would have been amazing to witness Oakland come out a bit more strong, we ultimately knew as fans that the outcome of the game was the result of a brutal non-conference schedule that ended with four games in six days. While I'm no closer to rooting for the Buckeyes, I certainly left the game with an appreciation for their on-court product. Any team that plays stifling defense, commits few turnovers, effectively passes the ball, and relies on a post-up big-man will usually win my favor. But at the conclusion of the day, sitting there looking around that arena and seeing all of its amenities and program resources, the realization of how easy it is to be a fan of a big-time program really hits you. As Oakland fans, we can make an eight-hour round trip just to be a blip of black amongst a sea of scarlet for a measly two hours that will almost always end in a loss. The Ohio State fans, meanwhile, can count the "w" as one more needed to get to the 30 or so needed to secure a #1 seed in March. Boy, we sure are different.

I may have entered college with a distaste for Ohio State based on my prior allegiances to Michigan, but as my affinity for Oakland and the mid-major mantra has grown stronger, any dislike I have for the Buckeyes is the same I have for most big-time programs. I still enjoy the product they put on the floor as a fan of basketball, but it's impossible for me to sympathize with their fans after an upset loss or early exit from a tournament. It's just too easy to root for the team with the giant coffers. However, there is no doubting what it is like for a program to have tens of thousands of people supporting it. The Oakland program may aspire to one day reach that point of prominence, and if there is one thing I have been left wondering after traveling to some non-conference road games this year it is how a program can simultaneously capture a bigger audience while retaining its authenticity. Perhaps only further travels will tell.

Very nice campus, unique from other Big Ten campuses I have visited like Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. Highlight was visiting The Oval which had sidewalks that seemingly led to everywhere.

Outside of the arena. Oakland's player portraits on the doors of the O'rena pale in comparison to the player banner draped over the facade of Value City Arena.

Production value!

Even though it lacked a college basketball atmosphere, it would be fun to visit this place during a sold-out Big Ten game because I'm sure it would be electric with so many seats available. Though the sightlines were not as great as Crisler or Mackey, still had no trouble watching the game from high up.