Game Preview: Oakland at Ohio State

Game 15: Oakland (7-7) at Ohio State (11-0)

Thursday, December 23, 2010 | 8:00pm

TV: Big Ten Network | Radio: WDFM-AM (1130)

It has been a long week since the Oakland Golden Grizzlies upset then seventh-ranked Tennessee in Knoxville. The team came up short in Ann Arbor in an in-state battle with Michigan then lost to its old rival Valparaiso in the final of the Lou Henson Tournament at the O'rena. There was a win over non-Division I school Rochester College in that mix as well, but the black and gold clad ballers haven't exactly been stellar since winning the biggest non-conference road game in school history. So heading into a road game against the second-ranked team in the country (the fourth game in six days, too), what should we expect of the Grizzlies? This is a team that, up until Michigan, had been in every game against Big Ten teams, but is it possible that ride wore them down emotionally and physically? Whatever the case, we'll find out in Columbus on Thursday night against an Ohio State team that is rolling and looks like a national title contender.

A Battle of Big Men

When Ohio State originally released its schedule for 2010-11, Oakland University was not on it. From an individual match-up perspective, that was a major bummer considering tOSU was thought to be a major force with the addition of freshman big man Jared Sullinger. It was a game we hoped would be on the schedule back in May when this blog first started, back before Sullinger had even played, because the consensus was the dude was just that good and presumably would be a great match-up for Oakland's Keith Benson. Well, somehow the stars aligned, and Ohio State announced it had completed its schedule with a game against Oakland. Fast-forward a few months and Sullinger has been everything folks thought he'd be and more. Even though he's slightly undersized when compared to Benson, he uses his skill, motor, and big frame to grab rebounds and fight for buckets in the paint. He's a large reason why Ohio State has been this good so early in the season and has found himself in the discussion for freshman of the year and national player of the year. Big stuff. For his part, Benson has played admirably against the toughest of opponents in a schedule that was partly designed to give him the exposure that Sullinger gets every night. This game is perhaps Benson's last chance to go up against a sure-fire first round pick this season. Benson has never had trouble getting up for the big games, as we have seen time and again throughout his career at Oakland. While individual match-ups should never be more important than the team game, there is no doubt that this one is incredibly exciting from an entertainment point of view. Sullinger is a Columbus native who chose to go to Ohio State. Benson is from Oakland County and plays for its namesake institution. Sullinger is a freshman, Benson a senior. Sullinger's per game averages this season: 17.6 points, 10.2 rebounds; Benson's: 17.4 points, 10.4 rebounds. It's the best big man in the state of Ohio versus the best in the state of Michigan.

All They Do Is Win

Ever since Jared Sullinger's big performance against Florida, there has been an uptick in folks comparing the freshman big man to former one-and-done great Greg Oden. And since people have started to realize just how good the rest of the team has been, many analysts are also wondering if this is Thad Matta's best team since the 2006-07 squad he led to the national championship game. In my mind, there are a lot of similarities, but this year's team has a few valuable upperclassmen leaders whereas the 06-07 squad was dominated by one-and-doners - and that makes this Buckeye team that much more intimidating. But to take a more objective look, I pulled some stats from both years in an attempt to compare. The 2006-07 stats include Big Ten play and NCAA tournament games, whereas the stats for 2010-11 are just through the games played this year, so the latter will probably look a bit different in April. With that said, there are some striking similarities. Both teams did most of their damage in the paint (no doubt thanks to Sullinger and Oden) but could also kill you from beyond the arc (hello, Jon Diebler and Daequan Cook). Both teams had formidable offenses and played killer defense while taking care of the ball and always finding the open man (TOPG and APG numbers are top-20 in the nation). Finally, both teams have identical fouls per game averages. In 2006-2007, 11.3 FPG was the second lowest in the nation, while this year's 11.3 figure is third. Coach Thad Matta may be a great recruiter, but he clearly knows how to get his players to play smart with their abilities as well. That's a deadly combination.

Key Personnel Match-Up

Oakland's Perimeter Defense vs. Ohio State's Perimeter Shooters

Since we already highlighted the Benson vs. Sullinger match-up, let's take a look at the other area where Ohio State can be deadly from: the perimeter. Among guys who play more than 20 minutes per game, tOSU has two players shooting better than 40% from deep, seniors David Lighty (42.5%) and Jon Diebler (46.6%). Both players have had games where they've gone off from downtown. Lighty's came against UNC-Asheville when he shot 7-10 while Diebler did his damage against Florida Gulf Coast by going 9-14. In addition, freshman point guard Aaron Craft (38.9%) has proven effective from superhoop land when he looks for the shot. Oakland had a rather miserable defensive performance against Valparaiso on Tuesday night when they allowed the Crusaders to shoot 53% from three. If that happens again in Columbus, the final score will not be pretty.

Ohio State Player To Watch: William Buford

Entering the season, one of the questions about this year's Ohio State roster revolved around who would act as the team's primary distributor after Evan Turner left for the NBA. It looked like William Buford would fill that void, but the emergence of freshman Aaron Craft as a "true point guard" has allowed Buford to play in his more natural position off-the-ball. While his scoring numbers are down a bit from last season, Buford has upped his assist averages and his field goal percentage. Buford is a capable rebounder as well and gives the Buckeyes another threat to score from offensive boards.

Oakland Player To Watch: Will Hudson

Will Hudson has been the most consistent Golden Grizzly this season on both ends of the court and has played very smart while on the floor sans the Wright State game. There are not too many teams that have two solid front-court players like Oakland, but Ohio State does in the duo of Sullinger and Dallas Lauderdale. Hudson has played solid defense against imposing bigs this season and will get a similar challenge with either of those two and possibly freshman Deshaun Thomas at times. On the other end, Oakland will need Will The Thrill to be as consistent as ever, particularly on the offensive glass.

History

Oakland has twice traveled to Columbus to take on Ohio State. The two meetings came in the earliest days of Division I for Coach Kampe during the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons. The Golden Grizzlies lost both contests. OSU coach Thad Matta was not yet at Ohio State back then, but he has coached against Coach Kampe. While at Xavier, he led his Muskateers to a 76-66 win at home against Oakland in the 2003-04 season.

Opponent Q&A

We caught up with Chris from ElevenWarriors.com for our opponent Q&A for this game. Despite the football-focused name, Eleven Warriors offers OSU basketball coverage as well.

For folks who haven't had much of a chance to see Ohio State this year, what is it that has this team off to an undefeated start with key wins over Florida, Florida State, and South Carolina? What is this team's MO? How are they getting it done? Without sounding like a homer, this team is doing virtually everything at a very high level. Before Tuesday’s game against UNC-Asheville, the Buckeyes were ranked 8th nationally in both points per possession and fewest points allowed per possession. They are multi-dimensional offensively with Jared Sullinger owning the paint, Jon Diebler shooting nearly 48% from behind the arc, William Buford expanding his all-around offensive game, David Lighty providing some athletic slash and Aaron Craft hitting 50% from the floor when teams practically dare him to shoot. They are also a very unselfish group that looks to make the extra pass, but not in a Globetrotters kind of way, as evidenced by an average of 17 assists against 11 turnovers per game. Defensively, Matta has officially shelved the zone he was forced to use much of the past two seasons. Ohio State hasn’t employed any significant full or half court press looks, but they do play a stifling man defense aided by length on the wings allowing for switching, when necessary, generating 18.4 turnovers while holding opponents to under 55 points per contest. Another signature of Matta coached teams, this squad commits the fewest fouls in the country. Despite the undefeated start, what things could this team use work on? What can do they in these last few non-conference games to get better for Big Ten season? What weaknesses do they have? Right now, the biggest weakness is a lack of depth. Matta is notorious for shortening his bench in conference play and realistically, I only see a max of seven guys in the regular rotation barring foul trouble. Craft is already kind of a de facto starter in that he typically sees more minutes than Lauderdale but other than that, the bench is really comprised of freshmen Deshaun Thomas and (potentially) Jordan Sibert. Thomas has struggled a bit with the transition of big time national high school star to role player – dude never met a shot he didn’t like – but once he accepts his role for this season and subsequently gets his basketball IQ in check, at 6'6", he has the ability to be a factor in Big Ten play. Sibert, on the other hand, will be called upon much less often to contribute but dude's got a confident stroke and a quick release, he just needs consistent defensive intensity to match. With a logjam of experienced and talented wings, Sibert will be stapled to the bench barring injury for anything other than mop up duty. Other than depth, it would be nice to see the veterans Buford (67%) and Lighty (65%) shoot a little better from the stripe considering the number of attempts they’ll rack up off dribble drives. I suppose it would also be nice if both shot a little better from distance to complement Diebler. Coach Thad Matta has primarily used a short bench this season, but freshman Aaron Craft has been able to crack the line-up averaging about 26 minutes per game while limiting his turnovers over the last few games. What did Ohio State fans like most about Craft, and how does his skillset help the Buckeyes? As I personally expected, Craft has been an outstanding addition because he is a true point guard on a roster loaded with guys who can score. His ability to bring the ball up the court and run the offense frees up Buford, and to a lesser extent Diebler and Lighty, from having to play out of position. Craft is one of those grinder types that plays within himself - rarely trying to do too much offensively - plus he's a terrific on-ball defender. In conference play, against stud point guards like Kalin Lucas and Talor Battle, Craft's currently overlooked defensive prowess may prove just as vital as his ability to orchestrate the offense. Though he's not a starter, Craft is averaging more minutes (26.7) than center Lauderdale (20.8) so far this season as Thad Matta has exploited match-ups; however, with Oakland's size on the baseline, we might not see quite as much of Craft on Thursday night. The big in-game match-up for this game is between Keith Benson and Jared Sullinger. Sullinger has been everything anyone hoped for and more, while Keith Benson has continued to impress with big performances against high majors. When you throw in OU's Will Hudson and OSU's Dallas Lauderdale, we have two solid frontcourts going at it. What will OSU have to do to win this individual match-up? How does the gameplan change, if at all? Not having yet faced a lot of teams with some actual bulk to go along with their height (see South Carolina's stringbean baseliners) it's a little hard to say if/how the gameplan will change. Matta played it pretty much straight up against Florida State's Chris Singleton (6'9", 225) with Sullinger and Lighty taking turns holding him to eight points (2/9 FG) which reminds me, if you haven't seen Lighty play, he can effectively guard virtually any college player 6'10" or under despite standing just 6'5". My guess is Lauderdale plays a few more minutes than we've seen as of late and OSU plays straight up. If the Oakland bigs have success, you may see some wings come down to double. I'd also expect good pressure on the perimeter to limit as many entry passes to Benson's and Hudson's sweet spots as possible. What I don't expect to see is a packed zone of any kind. Lastly, I'm not sure Ohio State feels like they have to "win" this matchup to win the game. Despite Sullinger's early season exploits, this team is still very effective at scoring from beyond the arc with Diebler or via the midrange games of Lighty and Buford.

Thanks to Chris for answering our questions as well as he did. We appreciate the inside look at the Buckeyes.

The Extra Pass

Basketball Prospectus writer John Gasaway recently wrote a piece for ESPN.com on Ohio State examining how they've managed to get better despite losing last season's Player of the Year in Evan Turner. He notes that Sullinger is a big reason why:

But Sullinger's value to a team trying to replace a national player of the year has been immense. In effect, the freshman's presence has allowed a veteran like Diebler to simply continue doing what he's done before on offense: function as a highly efficient supporting player. Defenses collapsing on Sullinger in the paint also have to account for Diebler, who is hitting 48 percent of his 3s.

Sullinger's overall offensive efficiency is excellent, and if he were better than a 70 percent shooter at the line that efficiency would be stratospheric. The freshman draws nearly eight fouls for every 40 minutes he plays, a number that harkens back to the aforementioned Blake Griffin. Not only has he taken over Turner's duties as an outstanding defensive rebounder, Sullinger is also very good on the offensive glass. He makes 61 percent of his 2s and, perhaps most impressively, absolutely never commits a turnover.

Evan Turner was a straight-up baller, but it's possible Sullinger might be even better and could be the piece needed to get Ohio State back to the Final Four. Before they do that, however, Oakland will look to play spoiler to the team's thus far undefeated season.

As always, if you'd like to give your thoughts on the Oakland-Michigan game, you can head over to the Golden Grizzly Hoops forum to post with other fans before, during, and after the game: Game Thread.

Game Preview: Oakland vs. Valparaiso

Game 14: Oakland (7-6) vs Valparaiso (8-4)

Tuesday, December 21, 2010 | 7:30pm at the O'rena

Watch: OU All-Access ($) | Radio: WXOU-FM (88.3)

After beating Rochester College on Monday night, the Golden Grizzlies will take on Valparaiso in the final of the Lou Henson Holiday Tournament. Valparaiso beat Eastern Michigan in the first round on Monday in a game where the Crusaders held the lead throughout despite some sloppiness from both teams. Homer Drew's squad was weak from deep but was able to get to the line much more than the Eagles while forcing their fair share of turnovers as well. Oakland shot lights out, especially from deep, and used its inside advantage to handily win the rebound battle against Rochester College. Both Oakland and Valpo have just one non-conference game left after their battle on Tuesday night, so each school will be looking to pick up a win here with opportunities for good non-conference wins dwindling.

More On The Game

Our regular preview format will return for the Ohio State contest, but we can't talk about Tuesday's game without bringing up a bit of the history between these two schools. For new or young fans, Valparaiso was a staple in the upper-echelon of the then Mid-Continent Conference during the late 1990s, at one point going to five straight NCAA Tournaments. The program's continued success earned it enough of a reputation to garner attention from the Horizon League, the conference it has been in since 2007-2008.

Prior to the move, Oakland had built a three game win streak against the Crusaders. However, Oakland had lost every prior meeting with Valparaiso dating back to the 1998-1999 season. This game represents a chance for the Golden Grizzlies to chip into that all-time lead just a bit more. In the here and now, Valparaiso has a team expected to do well in the Horizon League this season. The team has taken care of business against teams a top-four Horizon team should beat, sans a letdown to a struggling Toledo team. They also handily beat IPFW on Saturday by a score of 63-47. While the match-up will appeal to the long-time Grizzlies fans, it should also be respected by newer fans as it represents yet another opportunity for Oakland to show what it can do against a team from the venerable Horizon League.

Game Preview: Oakland vs. Rochester College

Game 13: Oakland (6-6) vs Rochester College (8-5)

Monday, December 20, 2010 | 7:30pm at the O'rena

Watch: OU All-Access ($) | Radio: WXOU-FM (88.3)

Oakland heads home for its first non-league home game of the season on Monday night. It comes at the end of a brutal stretch of games against Illinois, Michigan State, Tennessee, and Michigan, however it is also the second game to be played of four over a six day period. Although no team should be overlooked, there is no doubting Oakland's history of dominance of Rochester College, located just down the street from Oakland on Avon Road. The Warriors are based out of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association and have an 8-5 record at their level. Their only DI opponent thus far was Kent State of the MAC, and the Golden Flashes won that game easily with a final score of 81-44. Expect RoCo to do the best they can to keep the game close as the team always has a lot of support for the annual game at Oakland.

More On The Game

We're nixing the traditional preview format for this one in favor of some quick thoughts on the game. At the top of this fan's wishlist is plenty of playing time for Ryan Bass, Drew Maynard, and Ilija. Bass played great against Michigan when he was used primarily to help press the Wolverines and could benefit from some extended time in the game on Monday night. Maynard needs the time more than any player since he just got back with the team a little less than a week ago. Finally, Ilija can always use time on the court. He's been solid as of late and one has to think he could use his size advantage to work on his post moves.

The other reason why it'd be great to see these guys in extended spurts is because the starters will need rest. The game on Tuesday will be against a formidable opponent no matter what, and it is important that the team does not have a letdown on its home court against either a MAC or Horizon League opponent (or from a different perspective, an in-state team or old rival). Also looming ahead is the showdown in Columbus with an Ohio State team that will most likely continue to be in the top five once the new polls are released after great performances in the prior week. That game will be of increased importance for Keith Benson as he'll go up against freshman big man Jared Sullinger. Sully has put himself in the discussion not just for freshman of the year but also player of the year with the way he has been playing. So here's to hoping Oakland can run out to an early lead in order to rest the starters for the coming games.

The Gameplan's Weekly Recap: Tennessee/Michigan

Another week, another weekly recap from the Gameplan. This week's edition covers the Tennessee upset and Michigan loss.

The Big Picture

The Tennessee game brought much exposure for the Oakland program. The team was featured on seemingly every national sports coverage show or college basketball website as well as by numerous local media outlets in print and radio. In the broadest of pictures, it let people know that this team and program is one to keep an eye on. For this season, it's about as high profile of a win the program could get in hopes of increasing its seeding if an NCAA Tournament bid is in the future. On the flipside we had the Michigan game. It represented a chance for the team to show that their upset over Tennessee was not a fluke and to perhaps further capture the attention of casual basketball fans in the state. The team did not play particularly well and missed an opportunity, but the way Michigan handled Oakland defensively should give the team plenty of material to get better for Summit League play.

The Anatomy of a Run II

Last week we looked at the run that Illinois made in the second half which more or less sealed the loss for Oakland. It was a run characterized by turnovers, missed opportunities, defensive lapses, and talent level differential - otherwise known as the four general factors that typically doom mid-major squads against high-majors. Against Tennessee, Oakland was able to make two runs of its own in the second half while preventing the Volunteers from making a significant one of their own. Here is how the Golden Grizzlies got it done to upset seventh-ranked UT:

13:09-12:55: Oakland is down by 11 after Tobias Harris hits a free throw. Benson grabs the board, Oakland brings the ball down court, and the result is a Larry Wright made baseline jumper from just outside of the right block. OU run: 2-0/UT lead: 9.

12:55-12:47: Steven Pearl gets some penetration but kicks it out to Skylar McBee who misses a wide open three-pointer from the left corner.

12:47-12:36: Benson comes up with another contested rebound. Larry Wright pushes the ball up court, dishes to Ledrick Eackles to the right who promptly gives the extra pass to an open Travis Bader from the left corner. Bader coolly knocks down the trey, as he has all season long in big games. Of note is that Eackles ran into a Tennessee defender as he was passing, a move which the UT faithful were hoping would result in a charge. However, the referees opted for a no-call that benefited OU. OU run: 5-0/UT lead: 6.

12:36-12:22: Bruce Pearl calls a timeout after the Bader triple. The team sets its offense after the break but fails to convert.

12:22-12:12: Benson comes up with his third straight rebound off a Volunteer miss. Ledrick Eackles gets the ball and, in one of his most impressive moves of the season, goes coast to coast and gets a lay-up due to his quickness and ability to attack the basket. The best part: he was also fouled. We can see exactly how it went down in the graphic above. In the first frame, we see Eackles go straight at the defenders. All three of them. He blew by those guys so quickly that all they could do was foul and hope he missed the lay-up. Eackles is most dangerous on the offensive end when he's got the confidence to use his speed to get into the lane. Though he missed the free throw, this play was sick, simply put. OU run: 6-0/UT lead:4.

12:12-11:39: Tennessee attempts to set its offense but fails to find a rhythm early in the shot clock. With just six seconds left, Steve Pearl (guarded by Ilija) drives to the right from the perimeter, but Ilija sticks with him and partially blocks the shot attempt.

11:38-11:04: Benson comes up with the rebound, but the resulting outlet pass almost goes out of bounds. Travis Bader makes a hustle play to save the ball and almost crashes into some front row fans in the process. Wright grabs the saved ball and sets the offense. Like UT one possession earlier, Oakland has trouble executing anything and almost loses the ball out of bounds with 7 seconds left on the shot clock. Bader brings the ball to the top of the key, dishes to Ilija with 4 seconds left, and Ilija drains a fade-away jumper with a defender all over him. As much as Oakland fans might have been pumped by the shot, there is no doubt that Ilija was probably even more excited about it. Good confidence booster for "The Serbian Assassin." Oakland run: 8-0/UT lead: 2.

Overall, this run was attributed to superior play by Oakland's bench players. Tennessee's McBee and Pearl could seemingly do nothing right, while Eackles, Bader, and Ilija all came up with important baskets. Pair them with Benson, who rebounded every UT miss, and you have a group that proved to be very successful while during this three minute run. Whereas in past games Oakland might have let the other team get away, in this one they played tough and hit shots.

The next few minutes would play out with each team trading baskets or, perhaps more appropriately, free throws. Keith Benson also briefly left the game with an apparent ankle injury. Ilija continued to play well as he hit a wide open jumper from the free throw line on the following possession. Eventually, UT got the lead back up to eight around the 7:17 mark. Following a pair of Scotty Hopson free throws, the Golden Grizzlies put together this incredible run:

6:58-6:57: Oakland gets its first two points via free throws from Ledrick Eackles after he was fouled following an offensive board. OU run: 2-0/UT Lead: 6.

6:57-6:42: Trae Golden misses a jumper, but Steven Pearl grabs the offensive board and is fouled by Travis Bader. This was also the play where Larry Wright was flattened by Brian Williams on a screen at mid-court. He looked very woozy for a bit (see the images below). Pearl misses the free throw attempt.

6:42-6:41: Keith Benson grabs the rebound and at the same time UT's Kenny Hall gets tangled with Will Hudson, and a foul is called on Hall. Many earlier fouls had put Oakland in the bonus so Hudson got to shoot two from the charity stripe and sunk both. OU run: 4-0/UT Lead: 4.

6:40-6:11: Tennessee burned quite a bit of time off the shot clock before Scotty Hopson attempted to make a move toward the basket but his arrant move resulted in a Ledrick Eackles steal. Eackles pushed the ball up court before pulling up for a mid-range jumper. Knowing Eackles shots haven't been falling, this might not have been the most appealing shot he took of the night (especially so early in the possession), but he clearly felt he had the advantage running the ball up the court. And just like it had earlier, the ball fell through the basket. OU run: 6-0/UT Lead: 2.

6:11-5:54: Cameron Tatum made a nice move to get to the basket but did not take it all the way to the rack due to Keith Benson's presence. As a result, he put up a floater that bounced around the rim before falling into the hands of Eackles.

5:54-5:22: Coach Kampe calls a timeout and the resulting possession came down to a Keith Benson three-point attempt from the top of the key. It wasn't a bad look considering he had made that shot twice earlier in the game, but it came across as an interesting move coming out of a timeout. Was it designed to get Benson an open look or was it the result of a breakdown in the play?

5:22-5:09: In what may have been Steven Pearl's worst possession yet, he was attributed with a turnover and a foul on the same play. The turnover might not have been completely his fault as it looked like a loose ball, but after Larry Wright had secured it he put his hand in there, perhaps out of frustration. It was bad play that one would usually expect of the mid-major team on the road, but one that nonetheless led to more free throws for Oakland. Larry Wright knocked down both of them (just about a minute and a half removed from the bludgeoning he experienced). OU run: 8-0. Game tied.

5:09-4:38: Hopson looked to get to the basket as he did just a few possessions earlier but was once again stripped. The ball went out of bounds with 11 seconds left on the shot clock. After the inbounding the ball, Melvin Goins took an NBA range three with 6 seconds on the shot and Larry Wright's hand in his face. For a team that had thus far prided itself on creating two-point opportunities in the paint, it was a fairly uncharacteristic play on the part of Goins.

4:38-4:34: Will Hudson grabs the board and is promptly fouled by Steven Pearl under the basket. It is pretty amazing that Pearl was still in the game at this point as he had thus far committed a number of mistakes. Hudson went 1 for 2. OU run: 9-0/OU lead: 1.

4:34-4:02: Goins attempts to redeem himself after that bad three attempt by cutting into the lane but is met again by the twin towers of Benson and Hudson. The lay-up attempt misses.

4:02:3:54: Hudson grabs the board and delivers a great outlet pass to Larry Wright who pushes the ball up court, stops just outside the painted area to pass the ball back to a running Benson. Benson thinks about shooting the three but steps in for a deep two-pointer and sinks it. This was one of the better plays of the game, starting with that quick pass from Hudson all the way up to Benson's decision to step in for a shot he has shown more comfort with this season. While ability was involved on this play, Oakland's three seniors also showcased their basketball smarts. OU run: 11-0/OU lead: 3.

3:54-3:36: Oakland keeps up the defensive pressure on UT's next possession, causing them to force a pass into the post that was broken up and stolen by Hudson.

3:36-2:39: It wasn't the greatest possession in the world, but somehow Oakland managed to burn almost a minute from the game clock by boarding two misses: one a jumper by Larry Wright and the other a triple attempt by Bader. Coach Kampe opted to call a time out, which was followed with a Larry Wright drive and dish to Will Hudson who made the bunny. OU run: 13-0/OU lead: 5.

At that point, Oakland had a two possession lead that was only in jeopardy for one stretch where Wright committed two straight turnovers. After all the senior guard had went through in the second half - the brain-shifting screen, the need to make high pressure free throws, and those turnovers - Wright demonstrated his poise by knocking down the shot of the year, a beautiful pump-fake three pointer that sealed the win.

Oakland's game-clinching run was the result of several factors, and aside from that poised jumper, Keith Benson was not a huge factor (not to discount what his mere presence does on the defensive end). In fact, when Oakland gained the lead and built it up, it was mostly on the back of Will Hudson. That's a positive for this team. Benson had kept them afloat in the first half, and a combination of reserves and other senior leaders helped the team get over the hump in the second half. It was a true team effort, something that should pay dividends for the rest of the season.

Futility From Downtown

In the Tennessee game, Oakland was able to get significant contributions from all of its players, especially the reserves. Against Michigan, it seemed like no one could get going, resulting in a lot of missed chances on the offensive end. In Knoxville, the Volunteers mostly opted to stick one man on Keith Benson. In Ann Arbor, Michigan double and triple-teamed him. Oakland has shown it can overcome the double coverage, primarily through Benson dishing to the open man on the perimeter, as we highlighted in our West Virginia recap. Looking just at the box score, we can see that Oakland had a lot of three-point attempts, something Coach Kampe noted to reporters by saying that Michigan dared the Grizzlies to shoot. So on the surface it would appear like Oakland followed the typical gameplan when Benson faces heavier coverage: pass to the open man. They just didn't knock them down.

But how many of the three-point attempts came from playing the inside-out game? We watched the game again to see just how each three-pointer was attempted to get some answers. Before we start, we must keep in mind that Oakland has been a fairly competent team from beyond the arc, and as such not all of their attempts are necessarily the result of first getting the ball to Benson (more on this at the end).

First Half

(1) 19:11- Larry Wright miss with 23 seconds left on the shot clock. The ball never passed the inside the arc on this possession, and while Wright had some separation off the Will Hudson toss, UM's Zack Novak had a hand in his face throughout the shot attempt.

(2) 18:38- Drew Valentine miss with 17 left seconds on the shot clock. Larry Wright got the ball to Benson who was promptly triple-teamed. Benson tossed it back to Wright on the perimeter before Wright made the extra pass to a wide open Valentine.

(3) 18:21- Reggie Hamilton make with 25 seconds left on the shot clock. This was a good shot that was more typical of how OU has made its three-point field goals. Larry Wright pushed the ball up court and quickly found an open Reggie Hamilton. He never had a hand in his face and made them pay.

(4) 16:42- Reggie Hamilton miss with 23 seconds left on the shot clock. Another fine shot perfectly within the offensive set. Hamilton set a pick on the player guarding Benson, and then lost his defender as he went to guard Benson. Hamilton used that to shoot back out to the perimeter where he was left open for a Larry Wright pass.

(5) 15:36- Drew Valentine miss with 29 seconds left on the shot clock. Drew was wide open in the corner with the ball after a Larry Wright pass. It was quick in the possession, but it's hard to pass up that shot and was in fact a solid look. Him being wide open looked to be the result of a missed defensive assignment more than a focus from Michigan on guarding Benson.

(6) 13:54- Ledrick Eackles miss with 26 seconds left on the shot clock. This was vintage Eackles, the high usage player. It was almost exactly like Wright's first attempt, too. Same spot on the court and during the same sequence of this particular offensive set. Knowing Eackles has not proven to be a great shooter from deep, I would have preferred to see him dribble back toward the top of the key to keep the sequence moving, especially considering it was far from a wide open look.

(7) 10:29- Ilija miss with 21 seconds left on the shot clock. Ilija was playing Hudson's role in this sequence and found himself fairly open beyond the arc. Hudson would never take that shot, but Ilija has shown he can make triples. Michigan never had a hand up through the end of his attempt, and it just didn't fall for him.

(8) 7:25- Travis Bader miss with 30 seconds left on the shot clock. Though it came early in the possession, this shot attempt was primarily the result of great anticipation from Larry Wright. Instead of walking the ball to half-court, he saw two guys open near the perimeter down court. A quick pass put the ball in Valentine's hands who quickly shot it to Travis Bader in the right corner. Bader had a great look, and the shot was unaffected by the late arriving defender.

(9) 5:58- Travis Bader miss with 27 seconds left on the shot clock. Bader ditched his defender to get open at the top of the key thanks to a Drew Valentine pass. Yet again, a defender only moved over toward him after he was to his release point. It was a great look, and yet again it did not fall.

(10) 3:46- Reggie Hamilton miss with 31 seconds left on the shot clock. In another attempt to push the tempo, Oakland got the ball down court with great swiftness, resulting in Hamilton's quick attempt. By most measures, Hamilton was open or at least had the space to reasonably get the shot off.

(11) 3:27- Reggie Hamilton make with 31 seconds left on the shot clock. Wright rushed the ball up court, drove toward the painted area, and noticed a streaking Hamilton behind him. He turned toward the perimeter and dumped it off to Hamilton for a wide open three. Even though number 23 had airballed his previous attempt, you have to love his confidence to go straight back at it.

(12) 1:58- Reggie Hamilton miss with 21 seconds left on the shot clock. Questionable attempt from Reggie as he was guarded closely and resorted to trying to shake his man before settling for a fading attempt.

(13) 0:01- Drew Valentine miss as the clock expired. Valentine's shot attempt from the corner was actually heavily guarded by two defenders. It looked like Oakland did not execute the last play particularly well, which probably led to the less than ideal attempt. At least he got a shot off.

Second Half

(14) 18:00- Larry Wright miss with 17 seconds left on the shot clock. Benson had the ball but was immediately flocked by three defenders. He had just enough room to quickly dish it out to Wright, who caught the high pass, came down with it, and got off the triple attempt with a defender back on him.

(15) 17:35- Keith Benson miss with 25 seconds left on the shot clock. It's hard to make much out of this attempt. On the one hand, we all know Benson can make a triple every now and then. But on the other, is it ideal to have Benson on the perimeter? Either way, he took it because Jon Horford was giving him a lot of space. He was open.

(16) 17:02- Reggie Hamilton make with 27 seconds left on the shot clock. He relied on his own ability on this play, taking a few seconds to attempt to shake the defender. The defender stuck with him, but Hamilton got it to go through.

(17) 15:54- Travis Bader miss with 29 seconds left on the shot clock. This was a perfect play all for the fact the ball didn't go through. Benson had the ball with his back to the basket and kicked it out to Bader who was left open due to a coming triple-team on Benson. The result was a great look by Bader that did not go in.

(18) 13:22- Larry Wright miss with 22 seconds left on the shot clock. Wright was able to slide to the right corner off a screen, and Benson found him from the top of the key. A defender also slid over just as Larry was coming up for the shot.

(19) 14:54- Larry Wright miss with 31 seconds left on the shot clock. A strange shot attempt all around. Darius Morris was covering him rather closely and OU had only had the ball for four seconds. No ball movement occurred on this one.

(20) 11:40- Reggie Hamilton miss with 19 seconds left on the shot clock. This was the result of a rather chaotic play that is difficult to look at in isolation. Valentine had recovered the ball after getting stuffed by Horford and threw a careful pass along the baseline to an open Hamilton in the corner. A maize defender eventually got to the corner, but Hamilton had already lifted for the shot. But like most of the night for this team, it didn't fall.

(21) 10:46- Reggie Hamilton miss with 31 seconds left on the shot clock. Hamilton shot up to the perimeter after setting a pick down low, received the pass from Wright, and took an attempt with good coverage from the Michigan defender. It came quick in the possession but was perfectly within the realm of OU's offense and Hamilton's ability.

(22) 9:22- Reggie Hamilton make with 24 seconds left on the shot clock. A great look for Hamilton coming off a Will Hudson pick.

(23) 8:49 - Reggie Hamilton make with 30 seconds left on the shot clock. This one looked a lot like his make toward the end of the first half. He was streaking down court and Ryan Bass had the presence of mind to get him the ball at the top of the key. Drained it.

(24) 8:00- Reggie Hamilton miss with 19 seconds left on the shot clock. Another solid look for Hamilton who was clearly feeling it at the moment. He got open after rolling around a Hudson pick, but it didn't fall for him this time.

(25) 6:47- Ledrick Eackles miss with 30 seconds left on the shot clock. Eackles was doing his best Hamilton impression on this play, hoping to spark the offense with a quick triple. It didn't fall.

(26) 6:26- Reggie Hamilton make with 31 seconds left on the shot clock. Eackles got a long rebound and pushed the ball up court to find a streaking Hamilton who, yet again, knocked down the open trey. At this point, I got the sense they were just jacking them up, but it was probably all they could do to attempt to get back into the game as quick as they wanted.

(27) 5:11- Reggie Hamilton miss with 30 seconds left on the shot clock. Hamilton brought the ball up and opted for the quick shot attempt while the defense was attempting to get back into position.

The remaining four attempts, 28 through 31, were all more of a result of last ditch efforts under the 1:30 mark when the team was down by 15 or more. So excluding those, here is what the distribution of three-point shot misses looked like:

Keep in mind that the characterizations do not follow an objective pattern. They are inherently subjective, but I did my best to base them all on the same general principles where an "open" shot was a shot taken without a defender or the defender's hand arriving as the ball was leaving the shooter's hand and where a "guarded" shot was with a defender clearly present. Inside-out shots were those taken after the ball had touched someone in the post, most notably Benson, while those within the "normal" range were shots that occurred based on some sort of ball movement around the perimeter, a cut, or screen - or those that might normally occur within the course of a game for Oakland. The final column features those shots that were rushed (i.e. on a fastbreak or very early in the possession with no ball movement).

Using this framework, we can see that Oakland missed 13 open three-pointers, surely quite uncharacteristic of this year's squad. However, the high number of threes taken within a normal sequence of events (13 total) may also lend themselves to bringing up the fact that the team simply did not get the ball to Benson enough. There were only three plays where he had the ball and dished it out to a man on the perimeter (the other in the inside-out column was the Valentine pass to Hamilton). On other possessions, he was effective at getting a shot off, a tactic perhaps more appropriate than the onslaught of threes since Benson would have high percentage shots or a greater chance of getting fouled. And if he found himself stuck, he could have had more opportunities to be a factor in the inside-out game - as we noted, only three of OU's attempts from beyond the arc resulted from such manuevering.

While the Oakland players left a lot of points out there in the form of 13 missed wide open shots, credit should also go to the Michigan defense. One of the reasons Benson did not have a chance to make that extra pass was due to their collapsing defense.

The screencaps above show how Michigan's gameplan was to rush as many players as possible toward him to prevent him from being a factor. This became apparent as soon as Oakland's first possession (frame 1) and continued throughout the game (frame 2). In frame 2, Benson had a turnover as he attempted to get the ball to his teammates. But look and you'll see he had an entire team on top of him. The defense was solid, but one also has to wonder what kind of player in the entire country will face that kind of pressure again? Oh, the perils of being a pro talent on a mid-major squad.

Missed three pointers weren't the only reason Oakland loss this game, but they surely were a major factor in the letdown performance. As a fan, I can only hope the team learns from this one moving forward because at the end of the day, as Coach Kampe always says, this particular record doesn't matter for the team's conference championship hopes.

"Free Ilija" Watch

Ilija has been giving Oakland some very solid minutes as of late. His presence in the Tennessee game was surely felt when he knocked down two great jump shots. While he didn't get on the board against Michigan, he played well during a stretch in the final minutes of the first half. With a game against Rochester College on the horizon, it is hoped that he can get some more playing time to build on the confidence he has already gained.

Non-Keith Benson Stud Of The Week: Will Hudson

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

Will was the only Golden Grizzly other than Kito who had solid back-to-back games. Hudson has been a constant for Oakland this season, no doubt one of the reasons why the team was able to upset Tennessee. He had 17 points (including 7 of 9 from the stripe) and 9 rebounds in Knoxville and followed that performance up with 10 points and 6 boards against Michigan. Most importantly, Will was active on the offensive glass and played smart in both contests. Kudos to Will. He has shown all season long why he's a captain on this team.

Top Three Plays Of The Week

1) Larry Wright's step-back triple to seal the game against Tennessee. It was also #7 on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays that night. (link)

2) Ilija's fadeaway jumper against Tennessee as the shot clock was expiring. (link)

3) Keith Benson's block on Tim Hardaway, Jr. With most other players, Hardaway would have had a posterizing dunk, but against Kito, he was the one looking like a fool.

What's Next?

Oakland has its first and only two non-league home games on Monday and Tuesday as a part of the Lou Henson Tournament. The Michigan game also started a stretch where the team will play four games in six days. Monday's game is against Rochester College, while Tuesday's will pair the winner of that game with the winner of Eastern Michigan versus Valparaiso. On Thursday the Golden Grizzlies will travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a battle against Ohio State.

Game Preview: Oakland at Michigan

Game 12: Oakland (6-5) at Michigan (8-2)

Saturday, December 18, 2010 | 12:00pm

TV: ESPN3.com | Radio: WDFM-AM (1130)

Oakland heads to Ann Arbor after pulling off arguably the biggest win in program history on Tuesday night in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Golden Grizzlies knocked off #7 Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena and earned a significant amount of media coverage, national and local, in the days that followed. Coach Kampe and his players knew that they were capable of the upset bid, especially after nearly taking down Michigan State at The Palace last weekend. This weekend, Kampe and Company will play yet another Big Ten team in the Michigan Wolverines. While Michigan may not have the same kind of seasoned talent as some of the Big Ten teams Oakland fans have seen this year, they are not a team to overlook. John Beilein's squad has taken care of business against teams from smaller conferences and only has two close neutral court losses (to Syracuse and UTEP). Just like with the MSU game, this is a great in-state battle for the program and an opportunity for the team to make a statement about its place in Michigan's college basketball scene.

The Spectacle Continues

Ever since the schedule was released in September, Oakland fans have been pointing to this current string of games as the one where we'd finally see the team get a breakthrough win. Since then, the national media has hoped aboard as well, always quick to show a graphic of the Illinois -> Michigan State -> Tennessee -> Michigan slate of games. Fortunately, that breakthrough win already came against Tennessee, so now we see if the team can keep the momentum going against a Michigan team that is playing like it has something to prove. After upsetting UT, the national eye was on Oakland, with seemingly every radio station interviewing Coach Kampe and many media outlets, both traditional and digital, offering up their ink and pixels to commemorate the victory. This played out last season when Portland of the West Coast Conference had a string of upsets, a national ranking, and, of course, increased attention. That team did not respond well and dropped its next three games including a city battle against Portland State. Coach Kampe has indicated in the hours since the upset that his team will have moved on to focus solely on Michigan. As Golden Grizzlies fans, let's hope they've all bought in to that mantra. While beating the seventh ranking team in the nation will help the program on a national level, beating an in-state program with the tradition and scope of Michigan would do wonders here in the state and local area.

Two Very Different Teams

In recent victories Michigan has done a great job of controlling the tempo and limiting turnovers (13 turnovers in the last two games). I put together the table above in an attempt to showcase this in the "ball handling" column, but it doesn't really come across too well. At present, Oakland actually has a better assist to turnover ratio than Michigan and is limiting its turnovers to just 5% of all possessions, which comes as a surprise given how turnovers have been a thorn in the side of this team on occasion. However, the key to this stat is likely that Oakland has a bigger set of possessions from which turnovers can be divided. OU averages over 10 more possessions per 40 minutes than Michigan. UofM's 63.3 possessions per 40 mark is among the lowest in the nation, even lower than the always slow Western Illinois. Michigan's game is slow, and they control the ball rather well as a result. The other area of the table looks at scoring, particularly each team's free throw rate and distribution of three-pointers attempts. Oakland has the advantage in getting to the line by looking at both free throws attempted per possession and per field goals attempted. The reason why is revealed in the third column which shows the percentage of shots each team takes beyond the arc. There are only 16 teams in the nation who shoot more than 42% of their shots from deep, so we can see that Michigan clearly loves the three-ball. As basketball aficionados surely know, when you live by the three, you die by three. It's in Oakland's best interest that the Wolverines are doing the latter on Saturday.

Key Personnel Match-Up

Larry Wright vs. Darius Morris

Darius Morris has had a breakout sophomore season as the starting point guard for the Wolverines in 2010-11. He's doubled his rebounding production (3.6 rpg) and tripled his scoring and assist averages per game (14.6 and 7.3, respectively). The 6'4" Los Angeles native is also shooting a cool 55% from the field. Dude is legit. In a recent game on the Big Ten Network, one of the commentators compared his jump to that of Evan Turner's in 2008-09 which holds up well when you compare the leaps in statistics. Morris still has some work to do before he's a lottery pick, but there's no doubt he has been his team's most impressive weapon on all fronts. Larry Wright has looked like a weapon in the past few games for Oakland, no doubt thanks to his renewed three-point shooting ability. Wright sealed the game for the Grizzlies on Tuesday on the offensive end, but they'll need the senior guard to do work against Morris on the defensive end in order to come out strong against Michigan.

Michigan Player To Watch: Stu Douglass

One of the reasons why Michigan isn't picked to finish very high in the Big Ten this season is due to its extremely young roster. Morris, the leading scorer, is a sophomore and the next two leading scorers are freshmen. But it is juniors Zack Novak and Stu Douglass who give this team most of its experience. Fortunately for the program, many of the young guys are pulling their weight and showing their talent, but Douglass remains the biggest threat from deep. I watched him go five-for-seven from deep in a great game against Harvard earlier this season, and you can bet he'll hoist up about as many attempts in the game with Oakland. Douglass must be watched for he is very capable of going off if his jumpers are falling.

Oakland Player To Watch: Ledrick Eackles

Mr. Eackles got back into double figures in the win over Tennessee for the first time since the UMKC game and just the third time on the season. One of the ways he did that was by attacking the basket, as his five free throw attempts showcase. Eackles still had a couple of questionable looks but did knock down a few of them, even if they were ugly. Oakland needs the ball to start falling for the sophomore guard more often. Here's to hoping he can build off the momentum of the Tennessee performance to get into double figures again while helping his team on the glass and defensive end, as always.

History

This is the seventh meeting between the two schools and the fifth at Crisler Arena. Oakland is 0-4 all time in Ann Arbor and 1-6 in the series. The sole win came when the Wolverines made a rare trip to the O'Rena in 2000, losing 97-90 to the Golden Grizzlies (it was quite an event for the program as you can see by how packed the arena was in the last few minutes of this video clip). The teams last played at The Palace in 2008. While Oakland lost 89-76, it was one of the first games where Keith Benson showed a glimpse of the player he would eventually become. He went for 23 and 11 up against DeShawn Sims. It was also the first game Laval Lucas-Perry played for Michigan. Oakland fans will remember well that he hit a ton of threes to help the Wolverines to victory. LLP is currently sitting out the year after he transferred to Oakland following the 2009-10 season.

Opponent Q&A

As far as team-specific college basketball blogs go, there might not be a better one than UMHoops.com. Dylan Burkhardt has developed the site into a powerhouse for Michigan basketball coverage. They do it all: pre-game and post-game analysis, macro-level pieces on the program, and intense coverage of the team's recruiting efforts. Throughout it all, he's stayed independent, grown a formidable community of readers, and just recently underwent a great redesign. His site has definitely served as an inspiration for the Gameplan, so we're happy to cooperate with him for this game preview. Here are Dylan's responses to our questions:

One thing that has stuck out to me in loosely following Michigan is how the team has limited its turnovers. There are only 12 teams in the nation who turn the ball over less, and they also have an Assist to Turnover Ratio that's in the top 50 in the country. When you pair good ball control and good movement with a team that ranks in the top 25 in defensive field goal percentage, it looks like Michigan playing really smart basketball. Are the statistics telling the whole story? How are they getting it done? DB: There are a couple things that you can be sure of when you face a John Beilein-led team. They won't turn the ball over, they'll shoot a lot of threes, and they won't foul you very often. Michigan is actually turning the ball over more frequently than the last two years but they still have kept things very reasonable in that department. Turnovers are vastly important because if you aren't turning the ball over then you have more possessions that end with shots at the basket. Michigan's problem offensively is that they just aren't making enough of these shots. The 52.1% two point shooting looks good but Michigan shoots just 31.1% from three and they attempt over 40% of their shots from long range. While the shots aren't falling, this team is doing something that Beilein teams aren't known for: playing defense. Level of competition plays a role but Michigan's defense has been phenomenal over the first 10 games. The Wolverines rank 34th in Pomeroy's adjusted defensive efficiency ratings thanks to a defensive effort spearheaded by defensive rebounding and keeping opponents off the charity stripe. Tell us a little about Darius Morris. How has he been able to catapult himself from a minor role player to a star in the making? What are his strengths? And what can he still improve on, keeping in mind he's just a sophomore? DB: Darius Morris has played better than most Michigan fans imagined was possible -- averaging 15 points and 7 assists per game. Morris is controlling the game and is the catalyst for most of Michigan’s successful offensive possessions. At 6-foot-4 he has used his size advantage over smaller guards effectively to connect on an array of different shots around the bucket leading to an impressive 61% 2 point field goal percentage. There are still times when he tries to do a little bit too much but thus far it's tough to do anything but rave about Morris’ play. In terms of improvement, it all boils down to shooting. Morris' shot has improved but he still has a ways to go with his three point shot. He's shooting just 29% from three point range and his long range jumpshot is the one element that can elevate his game to a higher level going forward. If there is a knock I hear about Michigan, it's the lack of imposing frontcourt players. That said, the young big men on this team have looked pretty good with a lot of potential. Can you give us a brief introduction to the new big guys and why we should pay attention to in the future? How do you see them handling Oakland's experience post men in Keith Benson and Will Hudson? DB: Michigan is the 7th youngest team in the country and their youngest players are in the post. Two redshirt freshmen and a true freshman man the five spot. Jordan Morgan, at 6-foot-8 240lbs, starts at the five and he has exceeded expectations thus far. He's not the tallest or most athletic but he has a nose for the basketball and has done a great job making himself available in the lane for dump offs and assists. Jon Horford is Michigan's next most productive five man. Just a true freshman, Horford obviously has a ways to go physically (6-8, 215) but he is extremely active and has played very well over the last two games. You are also likely to see Blake McLimans, a 6-foot-10 redshirt sophomore that's been touted as a shooter but has connected on just one three pointer in 14 attempts. The four position might be even more unique. 6-foot-9 freshman Evan Smotrycz starts at the four and is very much a skill player. Smotrycz loves to shoot the three (34%) but also has a great pump fake and will put the ball on the floor. The four position is very much a "wing" position in Beilein's offense so you will see a lot of Smotrycz on the perimeter. You will also see Michigan's starting two guard, Zack Novak, slide over and play the four. Novak, a junior, is just 6-foot-4 but he has played the four position the last two seasons and is also Michigan's best defensive rebounder. Michigan has had trouble guarding the post this year and they haven't faced anyone nearly as talented as Keith Benson. I suspect they will start out guarding him straight up before eventually experimenting with a variety of double team looks. The best bet to stop Benson might be to force him into some cheap fouls, as Morgan has done a great job drawing fouls on opposing big men. The four position might be an even better mismatch for the Grizzlies. Smotrycz does not play great defense in the post and Hudson obviously has a huge size differential on Novak. Michigan's counter here is that Hudson will be forced to guard the quicker players on the perimeter. At the end of the day it all comes down to defensive rebounding for Michigan. Oakland excels on the offensive glass and Michigan needs to do everything they can to limit their second chances. The Wolverines have been great on the defensive glass this year but they haven't faced an offensive rebounding team quite this good. This is an in-state match-up featuring a young program on the rise in Oakland with a historic program trying to reestablish itself in the Big Ten and the country in Michigan. As Oakland fans, we love these in-state series for a chance to go up against the best in the state. Why should Michigan fans be similarly stoked about this series, if at all? What does this game mean for you all in the here and now? DB: It's a bit crazy to look back at the last time these two teams played – December 2008 – as Michigan was coming off of a huge upset win over Duke. That squad appeared to be building something but last season was undoubtedly a step back. Now with an extremely young team, Michigan is rebuilding again but have played a little better than most expect which has began to generate some buzz. As a program, I think it's great to play these games against local schools like Oakland, Detroit, Central, etc. When they aren't playing Michigan, I love to watch Oakland play and think it's obvious what a tremendous job Greg Kampe has done building the program. This is a game that could probably go either way and I think both teams know that. While teams out of this state might underestimate Oakland, I don't think you will find Michigan (or Michigan State) underestimating them one bit.

Thanks to Dylan for answering our questions with so much thought and depth. We did a Q&A with his site too which can be seen here.

The Extra Pass

While Oakland was beating Tennessee on Tuesday night, Michigan was also playing on the Big Ten Network in what was a win over North Carolina Central. The day after the game, AnnArbor.com's Michael Rothstein was able to get a Wolverine point of view on Oakland's big win and upcoming visit to Ann Arbor:

The Wolverines knew what its next opponent had been oh-so-close to doing on Saturday in a 77-76 loss to Michigan State. In the wake of Michigan's 64-44 win over North Carolina Central, the Wolverines were already aware that the Grizzlies had upset the nation's No. 7-ranked team. "Coach (John Beilein) was talking and he asked about it," redshirt freshman forward Jordan Morgan said. "You want to be focused on every game. We know Oakland is a good team, so we just have to come out with the same intensity that we have to come out with every game."

At noon Saturday, Michigan will play a team all of a sudden in the national spotlight when Oakland plays at Crisler Arena.

Tennessee was the fifth major conference team the Grizzlies (6-5) had played this year. They played Illinois and Purdue, both ranked teams from the Big Ten, close before the one-point loss to then-No. 7 Michigan State, when they failed to make free throws down the stretch.

"That's a great win for them," Beilein said. "It's great for Oakland and if we can have an opportunity to beat them here it's great for us, because they are obviously a very good team."

There is no doubt that Coach Beilein and his Wolverines will be ready for Oakland on Saturday.

As always, if you'd like to give your thoughts on the Oakland-Michigan game, you can head over to the Golden Grizzly Hoops forum to post with other fans before, during, and after the game: Game Thread.

What We've Been Waiting For

Coach Greg Kampe has alluded to it all season long. After every big game, he's said he has a team that can beat ranked teams on their home courts. They just had to get over the hump that kept blocking them from achieving such glory. Limit the mistakes. Make the tough shots. Finally, the Golden Grizzlies broke through with a program defining win against Tennessee in Knoxville tonight, on a home court where the Volunteers have rarely lost under Bruce Pearl. The final was 89-82. Oakland beat the seventh ranked team in the country.

We'll use this post to keep track of any insights and analysis we find about this game over the next 24 hours, and then we'll come back with our weekly analysis post after the Michigan game on Saturday. To start with, here's a video of Oakland celebrating the win at Thompson-Boling Arena. It's not the best quality, but hopefully the main point is still driven home.

Here's what we could grab of Coach Kampe talking after the game: link. You can tell that Coach was very excited about the victory, but he was also very proud of his players because he knew they could get this done. Coach Kampe also interviewed with Jay Williams following the game on ESPNNews, which can be seen here (after the highlights).

Here is an incomplete video of the highlights that led SportsCenter's 11:00pm show. My memory card gave up after the first 1:06 so it's incomplete, sadly.

Rivals.com has been keeping close tabs on Oakland since it highlighted Keith Benson in a feature story over the summer. The Oakland-Tennessee game was one of the site's highlighted games in its Weekly Watch post. Here's the game recap leading their coverage Tuesday night:

Here's Eammon Brennan from ESPN's College Basketball Nation with his take on the game:

Still, Oakland doesn't look much like your typical Summit team. Last week, the Golden Grizzlies hinted at that potential. On Tuesday night, finally, they broke through.

In other words, call it an upset. But don't call it a shocker.

Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo! Sports' The Dagger gives the program some love:

Defeating a Tennessee team coming off a win over Pittsburgh could improve Oakland's NCAA tournament seeding, but it won't be enough to push the Grizzlies into contention for an at-large bid. As a result, it's essential that Oakland maintains this level of play in the Summit League and avoids a letdown in the conference tournament.

Oral Roberts and IUPUI are both dangerous Summit League foes, but there will be a lot of people rooting for Oakland to survive both of them.

It would be a shame if a battle-tested team with a skilled big man and a solid backcourt doesn't get a spot on the big stage in March.

Jeff also wrote a post about the screen that leveled Larry Wright. Glad he bounced back. Major props to Jeff: this is the third article on Oakland on The Dagger in the last six days.

Paul Kampe from The Oakland Press with a great article on the victory. The headline: "Oakland Coach Greg Kampe on the upset: 'We belong'." Epic. Check it out here.

Rush The Court featured the game in its After The Buzzer several times. Check out the link for all of their thoughts, but here were two great mentions:

Larry Wright’s Shot Fake/Dagger Three. Just a phenomenally poised shot by the Oakland guard, and somewhat reminiscent of the dagger thrown by Ali Farokhmanesh last March against Kansas. Obviously not as big of a stage or at quite the same moment of the game, but definitely ballsy. When that went down… game over.

“Biggest in School History.” Greg Kampe’s quote about the Golden Grizzlies’ huge win at Tennessee tonight, and he would know. He’s been coaching at the school in suburban Detroit for 27 years and has led the program from D-II also-ran to powerhouse to D-I bottom-feeder to (now) annual NCAA participant. As he put it, beating the #7 team in the country on their own floor “isn’t part of the process.” Well said, sir. Enjoy this moment.

The team made the frontpage of ESPN.com's College Basketball section:

Keith Benson was on ESPN's First Take today in a phone interview:

Coach Kampe was also on the morning Sportscenter in an interview. Here's a video of it:

FOXSports.com's Jeff Goodman checks in, noting that not only did Oakland get a big win, it also got a nice paycheck from Tennessee.

Eric Angevine of ESPN.com's College Basketball Rumors blog also picked up the story regarding OU's 2-for-1 with Tennessee.

Solid analysis from Rob Dauster of NBCSports.com's Beyond the Arc here.

Very thoughtful piece from Great Lakes Hoops, written by an alum of Oakland University. Check it out here.

The always sharp Kyle Whelliston talks Oakland's Red Line Upset in his latest Stardate post here.

Coach Kampe had a chat with Shep and Shep of WDFN this afternoon, an .mp3 of which is available here.

Coach Kampe was also on the Dan Patrick show, which can be heard here.

Game Preview: Oakland at Tennessee

Game 11: Oakland (5-5) at Tennessee (7-0)

Tuesday, December 14, 2010 | 7:00pm

TV: ESPNU | Radio: WDFM-AM (1130)

Heading into the season, folks might not have figured Tennessee would be Oakland's toughest opponent. That would have gone to Purdue with Robbie Hummel back or perhaps Michigan State if it were at full strength and without some consistency issues in its frontcourt. There's also that little bit about some of the off-court issues impacting the Tennessee program leading up to the start of the season. Yet here we are, about a month removed from opening night, and a lot has changed. Purdue lost its biggest star, and Oakland was able to compete with them for about thirty minutes. Michigan State has had a few let downs, and Oakland came out with its A-game in a one-point lost to the foes from East Lansing. And despite increased scrutiny on the Tennessee program's happenings off the court, the Volunteers have themselves a perfect start, including a romp of top-ranked Pittsburgh over the weekend. While Oakland has yet to shy away from coming out strong against tough teams, there is no doubt that this Tennessee squad, right now, might be the toughest test yet.

Home Court Advantage, Defined

Just as the New Year arrived last season, a few Tennessee basketball players, including star Tyler Smith, were suspended (Smith was eventually booted) after being arrested on gun and drug possession charges. The team had just two losses up to that point and had just beaten Memphis on the road. Without Brian Williams, Cameron Tatum, or Melvin Goins (all starters this year) and Smith, a depleted Volunteers squad promptly went out and took down number one ranked Kansas on January 10. It might have been the biggest non-conference win the program had at Thompson-Boling Arena under Bruce Pearl, but perhaps that shouldn't surprise anyone. If we did our math right, in Pearl's six years in Knoxville, his team has a 39-2 record in non-conference games played at home. 39 and 2. Simply put, this team under Pearl has been the definition of home court advantage. Even with their backs up against the wall, minus key players and against the toughest opponent, this team still found a way to preserve home court. Oakland fans can take solace in knowing that this year's OU hoops squad hasn't backed down from any opponents even in hostile environments, but to win at Thompson-Boling is just short of impossible. The Golden Grizzlies will need to have that swagger and confidence they had on Saturday to come close.

Key Personnel Match-Up

Keith Benson vs. Brian Williams

Brian Williams has steadily seen his production increase in each of his four years as a Volunteer. The senior center isn't quite a double-double machine, but he does give Tennessee a sizeable post presence capable of guarding opposing big men. His mate in the frontcourt is Tobias Harris, a super freshman with great athletic ability who has been a perfect fit in the Tennessee system, but as Williams is more of a low post guy, it appears that he'll start opposite Oakland's Keith Benson in this one. Benson has gone up against an array of different types of big men this season, but Williams might be the bulkiest yet. It'll be interesting to see if Bruce Pearl opts to double-team Benson like Bruce Weber did or if he'll take his chances by seeing how Williams does in one-on-one situations. Either way, it's yet another opportunity for Benson to go up against an imposing frontcourt, and they'll surely be aware of what he is capable of doing by now.

Tennessee Player To Watch: Scotty Hopson

Here's an interesting fact: among the top 10 recruits in the class of 2008, only Scotty Hopson is still playing college basketball (hat-tip to CBSsports.com). All of the others have gone on to play in the NBA, while Hopson has stuck in Knoxville, seemingly waiting for his breakout chance to come. In 2010-11, he has been a large part of why Tennessee has been unbeatable. He's had a very consistent season, averaging 18 points per game on just shy of 50% shooting from the field (including a cool 40% from deep) while reigniting talk of his NBA potential. Hopson is 6'7" and listed as a guard, which poses match-up problems for Oakland. If you're looking for him during the game, just look out for the dude with the high-top fade. You can't miss it.

Oakland Player To Watch: Reggie Hamilton

After going for at least fifteen points in each of his last seven games, Hamilton had a quiet game offensively against Michigan State. A couple of late three-pointers got him into double figures, but other than that it was Larry Wright who provided much of the scoring from OU's backcourt. Hamilton, as we have all learned, is a confident player and will no doubt be looking to give Oakland a major boost against against Tennessee. He'll likely play opposite Melvin Goins, another 5'11" guard who is strong, quick, and athletic so Hamilton will continue to get no breaks in terms of the talent level of those guarding him.

History

Oakland and Tennessee have never met on the court, though Oakland coach Greg Kampe and Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl have coached against one another in the past. During the early-to-mid 1990s, Pearl was coaching at Southern Indiana, a program which he developed into a Division II power. The NCAA's Division II results database only goes back to 1997-98, when Oakland and Greg Kampe traveled to Southern Indiana, losing to the Pearl-coached team 92-68. Presumably the two programs faced off in earlier years as well with these coaches at the helm. It's worth noting that next season, Pearl will bring his Volunteers to Rochester for a game at the O'Rena.

Opponent Q&A

We got in touch with the great Tennessee blog Rocky Top Talk, part of the SBNation.com network, to talk a bit about the Volunteers. Will, who serves as one of the site's editors, was kind enough to respond:

Tennessee looked dominating against Pittsburgh on both ends of the floor. How do fans feel about how the season is coming together, and what are expectations like heading into this last stretch of non-conference games? Anything you'd still like to see from this team that maybe hasn't shown yet or that could use more consistency? RTT: We knew the Vols would be deep and talented, but we had no idea they would be this good this fast. The things the Vols have been best at - halfcourt defense, ball movement, late-game free throw shooting - are things you expect to see develop over the course of the year. Instead, Tennessee used them to beat two Top 10 Big East teams away from Knoxville before Christmas. With the win at Pitt, the expectation now becomes that this team should win every night - that won't happen, of course, but I think now everyone in the program knows this team is good right now instead of hoping we would be this good by March. The one thing the Vols could use more of is points from their big men - Tobias Harris plays the four, but gets a lot of his points from a point forward role. Center Brian Williams averages only six points per game, that's much lower than we thought it would be, and his backup John Fields is primarily a shot blocker. Clearly it hasn't hurt the Vols yet, but it would be nice to see Williams have a big offensive game just to know it's there. The word is out about Scotty Hopson. What do you attribute his stellar season to thus far? What makes him scary to guard, and what makes him difficult to go up against? RTT: Hopson has always had the ability to get through traffic and produce at the rim, he's just been very tentative up until this season. Bruce Pearl attributes it to playing with guys like Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism his first two years, where Scotty would defer to them in the offense instead of creating shots for himself all the time. Now that he's a junior and is one of the leaders on the team, he's not worried about deferring to anyone else. The jump shots that were there last year are still going in for him, but now he's playing with confidence and authority - the two dunks he had at Pitt where he attacked the basket were plays he's never made against good teams before. He can beat teams from all over the floor. Tobias Harris and Brian Williams seem like known commodities in the Tennessee frontcourt at this point. What are their strengths and weaknesses? And what kind of depth does the team have in the frontcourt? RTT: Tobias can also beat teams from all over the floor, which is a big part of what makes the Vols so dangerous when he and Hopson are on the floor together. Tobias is a very smooth player - he makes everything look easy, almost like he's playing in slow-motion. He's not one for the spectacular - he's the sort of guy that doesn't make many huge plays, but you look up at the end of the night and he's got 15 points and 6 rebounds (his current average). He's also very disciplined, especially for a true freshman - he's shooting 70% from the three point line because he's been patient enough to only take one or two of them per game. Brian Williams is the only fourth-year senior on this team, and it shows with his game - not only has he been very strong on the boards this year, he's become an excellent passer and has allowed Tennessee to do some inside-out stuff. John Fields averages 1.9 blocks per game and has already made SportsCenter several times this year with some very impressive rejections. There's an unknown factor with Marquette transfer Jeronne Maymon, who was supposed to play his first game against Pitt but didn't get cleared after final exams in time - you should see him backing up Tobias Harris on Tuesday night, and we're all eager to see what he's got. And Steven Pearl is the typical coach's son - doesn't score much, but does all the little things, is incredibly tough, and makes everyone else on the floor better. The Volunteers have been nearly unbeatable at home under Bruce Pearl. What is it about the program that makes it impossible for teams to win in Knoxville? RTT: Tennessee was always a place with great fans that were used to winning in football and women's basketball, and I think we always knew that if we ever got consistently good in basketball, the atmosphere at Thompson-Boling Arena would follow. It's a big building, for one - we seat over 21,000, though with students leaving for Christmas it won't be quite as strong against Oakland. And Pearl's teams in the past have really thrived off emotion - we've only lost eight home games in Pearl's six years, and five of those were in 2008-09, which included an overtime loss against Gonzaga and a loss to Alabama on a halfcourt buzzer beater. I don't think Pearl will allow any sort of complacency - I think the Vols will be ready to go against Oakland. The only non-conference teams to win in Knoxville during Pearl's tenure are Gonzaga and Memphis, so Oakland would be breaking some new ground were they to pull off an upset.

Thanks to Will of Rocky Top Talk for taking the time to answer our questions as thoroughly as he did. Be sure to check out their website for a Volunteer perspective heading into the game.

The Extra Pass

Tennessee player Renaldo Woolridge might only be a role player for the Volunteers, but he's clearly number one on the team when it comes to rhyming ability. The junior forward has made quite a following through YouTube where he posts videos of his rap songs recorded under his stage name of "Swiperboy." His best track is "Tip Off (College Hoops Time)," a song which successfully gives a shoutout to every single conference in Division I basketball. Major props to Swiperboy for thinking of the little guys.

If you dig what you hear, you can check out some of his other tunes here.

As always, if you'd like to give your thoughts on the Oakland-Tennessee game, you can head over to the Golden Grizzly Hoops forum to post with other fans before, during, and after the game: Game Thread.