Game Preview: Oakland at West Virginia

Game 1: Oakland (0-0) at West Virginia (0-0)

Friday, November 12, 2010 | 9:00pm

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

Finally! It's college hoops time! Eight months have passed since we last saw the Oakland Golden Grizzlies take to the court for meaningful basketball action. This season will start much like the last one ended for Oakland: against a Big East opponent. The West Virginia Mountaineers were a Final Four team last year but enter 2010-11 without three of their top contributors from that run. While a slew of players are back, most are unproven and will be looking to show they have what it takes to keep WVU atop the Big East. The Golden Grizzlies will aim to start the season strong after winning The Summit League in 2009-10. Three starters return for OU, who along with a few new additions are determined to match the success of last season. The game tips at 9:00pm. To get you ready for the big opener, we've put together a preview of the match-up.

Heart And Soul

While both of these squads return a lot talent from last year, they've suffered key losses in the leadership department. WVU's Da'Sean Butler and Oakland's Derick Nelson cemented themselves as legends at their respective institutions during their senior campaigns in 2009-10. Butler won several big games for the Mountaineers with his last-second heroics, while Nelson single-handedly lifted Oakland to a conference crown with his 36-point explosion during the championship game. Both of these guys were incredibly clutch and had the ability to will their teams to victory in tough circumstances. It's also worth noting how similarly they ended their careers: both in NCAA Tournament games, both lying on the ground writhing in pain from injuries. The scenes from those moments will likely resonate with fans for ages. Mountaineer and Grizzly fans alike head into this match hoping current players will emerge who have the heart and soul demonstrated by Butler and Nelson.

Cut From The Same Clothe

Bob Huggins and Greg Kampe are proven winners. While Huggins has been in the spotlight more due to where he has won, he and Kampe have each found much success as head coaches in college basketball. The two are also some of the game's loudest people prowling the sidelines, as any one who has followed a Huggins game or sat behind Oakland's bench can surely attest. The comparisons don't end there, however, as both coaches have a fondness for casual work attire. Kampe's sweater vest is a bit more classy than Huggins' sweatsuits, but it's clear that they have no trouble nixing the standard look worn by most of their counterparts. We find it to be refreshing and hope the NCAA never imposes formal restrictions on these men, the torchbearers of informal dress.

Key Personnel Match-Up

Joe Mazzula/Truck Bryant v. Larry Wright/Reggie Hamilton

This will be an interesting battle and quite a test for Oakland's guards. Bryant was injured for much of WVU's Final Four run, though he had established himself as one of the team's better guards during the regular season. Mazzula, on the other hand, didn't rack up big minutes until Bryant's injury, where he filled in nicely. Mazzula and Larry Wright have actually competed against each other before, as recently as the 2007-08 season when Wright was with St. John's. In two meetings against the Mountaineers, Larry was his team's leading scorer in both. Hopefully he can use that experience as motivation to show the Big East what they've been missing out on. He'll need Hamilton to be effective in order for him to get some open looks, which will prove difficult against this experienced backcourt that plays tough defense.

WVU Player To Watch: Kevin Jones

It will be interesting to see who will start out guarding Kevin Jones during this game because on paper the Grizzlies do not have anyone who matches up well with the big forward. Jones will be WVU's leading man this season, looking to replace the scoring and rebounding void left by NBA draft pick Devin Ebanks and under-appreciated big Wellington Smith. The hopes are high for this player, and he'll be looking to have a big game early on to quell any doubts. He could very easily go off in this game because Oakland lacks a player with his size or versatility at the position. Fortunately for Oakland fans, he could have a bit of difficulty getting his points in the paint if Keith Benson and Will Hudson are defending particularly well and snatching up defensive rebounds. Still, Jones can "get his" in a variety of ways and should be watched closely.

Oakland Player To Watch: Keith Benson

Benson is a beast. He will be looking to come out strong against top-level competition in this game. It is conceivable that he and Jones could, at times, play opposite each other, in which case Benson would absolutely need to show he can handle Jones in the paint. Jones is a player who many expect to have a breakout season in 2010-11, but Benson is more seasoned and has the stronger post game. Another guy who will likely spend time guarding Benson is Deniz Kilicli. The Turkish big man debuted for the Mountaineers in the middle of last season with much hype but produced very little, especially in the rebounding department. After WVU's exhibition match last Friday, coach Bob Huggins joked that Kilicli's two rebounds were more than he had all last season. Clearly, he's a work in progress on the defensive end, so Benson's chances of succeeding appear to be high.

History

Oakland and West Virginia have never met on the basketball court. Oakland is 0-6 against Big East teams in the last five years. West Virginia is 4-1 over Summit League teams in the last decade, the sole loss coming by the hands of Valparaiso in 2001-2002. Coach Kampe and his Grizzlies faced Bob Huggins' Cincinnati teams three times early in Oakland's Division I era (1998, 2000, and 2003). All three games were played at Cincinnati and were losses for the then newly-minted Golden Grizzlies.

Opponent Q&A

In an attempt to learn more about tonight's opponent, the Gameplan sent a few burning questions over to SBNation.com's West Virginia Mountaineers blog, the Smoking Musket. The responses:

Aside from Kevin Jones, what 2-3 players do you see stepping up this year to provide scoring for the Mountaineers? SM: Joe Mazzulla simply has to [step up]. He's a fifth year senior who's been hindered by shoulder problems the last few years, but he seems as healthy as ever according to published reports. Dalton Pepper, Casey Mitchell and Truck Bryant also need to overcome the inconsistency they all had last year. What kind of expectations do fans have for Deniz Kilicli this season? Is he a projected starter? How much can he improve his rebounding numbers given starter's minutes and a full season of play? SM: Kilicli could possibly be a starter by year's end, but I think he'll start out as the first forward/center off the bench. The sky's the limit with his potential to improve on the defensive end, meaning that's where he was severely lacking last year and Huggins had a very short leash on him when he missed a defensive assignment or was completely out of rebounding position. He's an inside scorer and after spending a year with Huggs and his system, the rebounding numbers are sure to improve. Who is an under-the-radar player on WVU to watch out for in the game against Oakland? SM: Sophomore Danny Jennings. He is a unknown commodity to WVU fans, but we're very anxious to see him play, given his frame and build. Great story that Huggs shared with the local media: Huggins told a story of how Jennings, a forward at 6-foot-8, 265 pounds, was urged by WVU's strength coach Andy Kettler to take up boxing in an effort to improve his footwork around the basket. "After Danny knocked (redshirt junior forward) Cam Thoroughman out with one punch to start the boxing class, no one would get into the ring with him," Huggins said. "So I'm not sure if it helped his footwork or not." Will Mazzula and Bryant play together as a sort of combo-guard backcourt, and if so, do you see one taking on the role of facilitator more than the other? Is Bryant's foot fully healed? What are the strengths of these two guards? Weaknesses? SM: The general expectation is to see both of them on the floor together at times. If Truck can/has overcome the inconsistency he's displayed in the past, I believe he will be more of the facilitator and Mazzulla the slasher/driver. Reports are yes, Truck is healed and ready to go. Strengths: Mazzulla - leadership (he's been there before, especially in the biggest games), defense, toughness and absolute drive to win Bryant - this is kind of a backhanded compliment, but his biggest strength is that he's going to get better - last year there were times when he was amazing, and then he'd turn around and put up a "what was that?" shot or throw it directly to the other team Weaknesses: Mazzulla - shooting range - with the shoulder problems, he was hesitant (and rightly so) to take the outside look last year. If the shoulders are truly healed, the confidence may need rebuilt a bit to take that shot Bryant - the maddening inconsistency

The Extra Pass

Oakland is not the only team to have started the practice season without one of its players due to suspension. West Virginia's senior guard Casey Mitchell was suspended indefinitely just shortly after Midnight Madness. Just as Mitchell's suspension ended, Bob Huggins dished out the same punishment to freshman Noah Cottril who was expected to contribute this season. All of these off the court issues prompted Rush The Court to wonder if it will impact the team on the court:

Reports coming from preseason practices aren't too encouraging. Huggins recently told the Charleston Gazette that freshmen Kevin Noreen and Noah Cottrill "look lost" at practice. And that was after Cottrill sparked rumors when he was introduced but didn’t participate in West Virginia's Midnight Madness. There also was the case of Casey Mitchell, who was suspended for a violation of team rules but is now back with the team. These aren't the kinds of stories that equate to success in the regular season. This year might be one to forget in Morgantown.

While it's still too early to discount the Mountaineers altogether, there is definitely reason to wonder about the team's depth beyond the trio of Jones, Bryant, and Mazzula (Mazzula has been no bastion of character either, as this summer he broke the law for his third time while at WVU). For what it's worth, current Los Angeles Laker Devin Ebanks was also suspended at the start of last season, but he managed to have a successful year on his way to getting a Final Four ring with West Virginia. There are definitely some distractions with this team heading into the new season, but don't be surprised if the team is still as tough as ever against Oakland.

You can discuss the game before, during, and after at the Golden Grizzly Hoops forum (no affiliation to this blog, but a great community of OU fans): Game Thread.

What Was And What Will Be

This week marks the beginning of the college basketball season. Games began on Monday night at 7:00pm, though the Oakland Golden Grizzlies won't officially take to the court until Friday evening in Morgantown, West Virginia. Over the past six months leading up to now, we've been churning out as much content as possible during the off-season for a mid-major basketball program. We debuted with an essay series summing up the state of the Oakland basketball program, which talked about broadcasting, retention and graduation, and the community of students, fans, administrators, alumni, and the media currently being developed at Oakland. From there, "The Golden Grizzlies Fan" series was posted, bringing up issues of fanhood, fan transitions, and fantastic fan experiences. Those posts in the first month or two allowed us to create a content model with a focus on discussing pertinent OU issues from a fan's perspective.

As the summer rolled on, we were able to interview eight of the ten student sections in The Summit League in an attempt to further understand the fan's point of view in the conference. Sprinkled throughout that series were quantitative-based pieces on financial figures in the conference and attendance trends, qualitative analysis of positional flexibility, and an advocate post or two. Finally, we did a totally goofy series of posts looking for deeper meaning in Summit League logos.

We mention these partly for posterity, but also to highlight the content model that has been developed this off-season. We're fairly happy with the content that has been provided thus far, and feedback seems to indicate that many of you are, too. With that said, the season is uncharted territory for the Golden Grizzlies Gameplan. Our endurance will surely be tested as the team begins to play games and stories develop quicker. We've given these aspects a lot of thought over the past few weeks and will use the remaining space here to put into pixels some of the ideas that have been generated after putting on the old thinking cap. Here's what you can expect from the blog this season:

Game Previews

Once again, everything that happens during the season is brand new terrain for us; however, we think game coverage begins with a preview of some sort. Presently, there isn't a go-to source for pre-game coverage of Oakland University basketball games. We hope to alleviate that. Our game previews will aim to find the storylines that might not immediately surface, the interesting facts that won't appear in the school pre-game news releases, and the all-important "anything else that comes to mind." For the first few games, most of the content will be based on knowledge from last season and the off-season, and then as the year goes on that will quickly shift to more current discussions. While the key stories should be interesting on their own, there will be some key personnel match-ups that we see heading into the game as well as interviews with opposing team bloggers when they exist. Finally, think of these previews as very flexible; as the year goes on, we'll find out what works and doesn't work, and we'll adjust accordingly. The first one will debut Thursday afternoon, and it should begin the season forcefully for us.

Weekly Wraps

Currently, there are a number of ways for Oakland fans to get the scoop on what happened at a game. The OUGrizzlies.com website always has a recap, quotes, and now video highlights. Paul Kampe from The Oakland Press will also have a recap of the game with key news and notes along with video interviews and items at his Grizz Den outlet. The student newspaper, The Oakland Post, typically has some kind of story on the games of the previous week. And you can always count on Pat Caputo from The Oakland Press or the Detroit News' Terry Foster to weigh in with a column here and there throughout the season. Our goal has never been to duplicate Oakland coverage, and we feel that this kind of work is best left to the professionals who already do a superb job as it is. Our general feeling, then, is that we won't have posts up immediately following games with thoughts from the game. That would tend to be reactionary anyway, and we already get to do that on the forum. Instead, we're anticipating some kind of weekly wrap-up that goes over any and all happenings from the week that was: whether it's a game, a developing story, or impressions on certain players or teams. During the non-conference season, these will be a bit more sporadic, but during Summit League play they should be expected on a certain day of the week. (The big exception here is if Oakland pulls a major upset, in which case you can expect a post full of exclamation points to appear soon after said upset).

Travel

Stories from the road will be the bread and butter of our in-season coverage. No doubt inspired by The Mid Majority, our hope is to make it to a number of Oakland's road games this year. After each game, we'll have a piece that dives into the experience of being a Golden Grizzlies fan in an opposing team's arena. Our travel schedule is rather ambitious at present, with six games "planned," though time and financial restrictions could impact this plan when all is said and done. But still, these posts should be neat reads (and hopefully encouraging for other fans wanting to help develop more of an OU fan presence on the road).

Summit League Notes

We've spent too much time learning about The Summit League this summer not to keep a close eye on the conference's happenings. Look for weekly posts discussing the teams in the league as we expect to watch a lot of the other Summit teams in addition Oakland this year.

More Of The Same!

While most of the content during the season will be based on games, we hope to continue to provide unique analysis of the issues impacting the OU basketball program and Summit League in general. Ideas for posts on these topics pop up all the time, so hopefully there will be ample room for these pieces to coexist with those that are of the abovementioned ilk.

Twitter

The good old Twitter account will serve as a useful means of communicating brief thoughts this season. This summer it has mostly been used to post links to OU coverage around the web as well as our own posts. Such tweeting will surely ensue during the season, but we imagine that the thoughts will escalate during road games. We promise to always relate any tweets back to Oakland basketball. Plus, our twitter is likely the only place you'll find sweet animated gifs like this one:

In addition to the plans we've mentioned here, stay tuned for other surprises as well. It should be a great season, one that we are excited to help chronicle from the fan's perspective. If you would like to get in on the conversation, please check out this forum, a place where OU fans have been virtually convening for, well, a long time now. If you have any specific questions, ideas, or opportunities for the Gameplan, we're always available via e-mail, Twitter, or simply commenting below.

Thank you for reading up to this point. We realize this post was heavy on blog minutiae and promise this will only happen once or twice in a year (should we make it to multiple years). We are excited about the content we have planned and hope you will follow along this season in our overarching effort to help increase Oakland's online presence and online community of fans. It's hoops time!

The Genesis Of A Fan

I'm not sure exactly how it all came together. In fact, it might not have been basketball related at all. Yet somehow I ended up in Cleveland on Saturday, November 15, 2008, along with three of my closest friends to take in the first game of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies basketball season. While we were all basketball fans, none of us had yet reached that point where it was considered a duty to attend every OU game possible, let alone a road game. I had personally been a pretty standard fan with little interest beyond what happened in March and if it meant I'd see my school's name on the bracket. November basketball games hardly registered with me, especially considering none of them were ever at home. But when the 2008-09 schedule came out, the Cleveland date looked to me an opportunity to see a game for once during the early months. As a student, mid-November can be a particularly painful part of the semester, just a few weeks prior to the onslaught of finals. Knowing this, I figured a roadtrip to Cleveland would be a nice way to get away, and I was fortunate a few other kindred spirits agreed.

We set out for Cleveland rather early, hoping to take in a bit of the town prior to watching the game. The drive, however, lasted much longer than anticipated thanks to a neverending rainstorm which followed us down I-75 and into Ohio. We passed Toledo but could barely make out the city's structures; the rain was that bad. Navigating Cleveland proved difficult as well, yet just like the initial plan, we somehow found our way. In our soaked clothes and waterlogged shoes, we managed to traverse the busy streets of Cleveland, though we were clearly in the minority as far as sports allegiances went. Most of the city's pedestrians were headed for the Quicken Loans Arena on this evening to witness its favorite son, LeBron James, take on the Utah Jazz. Clearly better times for Clevelanders.

Perhaps it was the combination of the nasty weather and the Cavaliers game, but on this night Cleveland State's Wolstein Center was largely empty. The facility itself has a wonderful facade and features two bowls not unlike Eastern Michigan's Convocation Center. Though during this season opener, that upper bowl could have been sectioned off as if it were an oversized football dome hosting a basketball game. The lower bowl was mostly a mix of what appeared to be casual observers and a few of those die-hard fans who proudly sport team apparel they likely bought 20 years ago. The student presence was laughable, with no discernible student section anywhere in the building. All of this despite the fact that the two teams taking the court that night would end up in their respective conference championship games in just four short months.

Prior to the tip, we had learned that one of Oakland's returning seniors, Derick Nelson, had suffered an injury the day before leaving for Cleveland which would threaten his season. As a novice Oakland fan at the time, one of my illustrious friends had to explain to me the significance of this situation. Oakland would have to lean on the contributions of two freshmen, Blake Cushingberry and Drew Maynard, at the forward position without Nelson in the lineup. This news didn't mean much to me then. Little did I know that just two years later, Nelson would be the player who willed the Grizzlies to a Summit League tournament championship, in turn providing me with a chance to fulfill a basketball fan's ultimate dream of storming the court.

Aside from Nelson's injury, there were other question marks for the team heading into the season. Shane Lawal was gone and the scrawny Keith Benson would get a chance to start in the post. Johnathon Jones was always a starter, but it was presumed that his contributions would increase even more in his junior campaign. These two players, perhaps more than any other, were to be responsible for whatever level of success would come to the Grizzlies in 08-09.

Within seconds of the tip against Cleveland State, all indications pointed to Oakland being just fine. I'll never forget the moment: Johnathon Jones had just got the ball off the tip, darted toward his side of the court, and found a streaking Keith Benson for a thunderous alley-oop dunk. It was a play that would be utilized throughout the season and one that clearly was representative of the roles of Jones as facilitator and Benson as low-post dominator. Even though it was not that long ago, if I had to point to a moment where I went from a casual Grizzlies fan to an intense fanatic, it was on that alley-oop dunk. The rest of the game had its ups and downs, and eventually Cleveland State pulled away in the waning minutes with the win. Even though Oakland lost the game, Benson had emerged with a double-double and Jones, despite having an off night, showed that facilitation would prove simpler with Benson occupying the paint.

Though our spirits were down a bit from the loss, my friends and I left Cleveland feeling good about our opportunity to support our school on the road. Opportunities to do it again would be few and far between for the rest of the season, but that night sparked in us a deeper connection with the program. I attended every subsequent home game that year and followed every road game through internet radio, live stats, or television - essentially whatever was available. One of my fondest memories of the rest of that season is of listening to the Oregon game with two friends huddled around a laptop with a bad Internet connection. Just as Oakland was making a push to send the game into overtime, the connection gave out. We wouldn't get the connection back until Johnathon Jones was making his mark in extra minutes, leading the Grizzlies to a rare west coast win over a Pac 10 school.

Since the early days of that 2008-09 season, I have found myself as committed as ever as a Golden Grizzlies fan. This blog was born out of that commitment with the purpose of sharing fan experiences and to further extend Oakland basketball's presence on the web, especially given the recent rise in team-specific blogs offering thoughtful, unique perspectives on the issues facing the teams they cover. Perhaps most important, I hope that stories like this and others offered previously help to ignite in readers a desire to become more involved as a fan - whether by attending one more home game than usual, taking a road trip to an away game, posting thoughts on a community forum, wearing OU apparel, or bringing up Golden Grizzlies basketball in casual conversation. As a "little" school in the shadow of some "big" competitors, every little bit we can do helps in the effort to bring all Grizzlies together.

Expectations: Odds And Ends

Whenever a new season is birthed, a certain range of expectations come with it. Coaches, players, administrators, media, and fans all have expectations, hopes, wishes. Throughout the week the Gameplan has laid out some of these for 2010-11, ranging from team leadership to fan participation. This feature concludes today by looking into other expectations for the new season. As always, keep in mind these are just from the perspective of one Golden Grizzly fan and others are certainly encouraged to share their own!

Look Good On TV

As has been the case lately, Oakland will have three home games televised on Fox Sports Detroit. One of the games is against Michigan State at the Palace, which should be well attended. The games we're most concerned with are the home games against IUPUI and IPFW. Both games will air live on FSD, presumably with the venerable Mario Impemba on the call. Even though the game is on television, it is absolutely essential that the game be well attended. The worst thing is to get a game on TV and have no one in the stands. My view of these games is that they should be a showcase for all the folks who are on the edge of actually coming out to a game at the O'Rena. If the stands are packed and that person sees the energy of the crowd on their TV screen, there is a better chance that they'll be inclined to check it out in person next time.

Paint The Palace Black And Gold

One of the aforementioned TV games is against the overlord of Michigan college basketball, the Michigan State Spartans. MSU will be darn tough to beat this season, but I do know that the Golden Grizzlies could be boosted by a supportive crowd at The Palace, if indeed that crowd sways toward Oakland. The harsh part about home games at The Palace is that a majority of the fans will no doubt be sporting green and white. This is just a fact of life in a state that hasn't fully embraced mid-major basketball and has tons and tons and tons of MSU alumni who came of age in East Lansing. It's wishful thinking on my part, but I hope to see a lot of black and gold in the stands on December 11.

Ticket Deals For The Lou Henson Tournament

I had made a habit of bringing out family members to the annual Summit League games that Oakland hosted around the holidays. The tickets, at least the last two seasons, were "buy one, get one free," which provided more incentive to get others involved over a period of time when students are not on campus and others might be more concerned with the holidays. This will likely be the case again this year for the Lou Henson Tournament at the O'Rena, so a great deal on tickets would surely be welcomed.

Fan Presence On The Road

Back in September, I put together "The Oakland Fan's 2010-11 Non-Conference Travel Guide" in an attempt to show casual observers how travel-friendly OU's schedule is this season. This was done in order to bring light to the fact that several of these games can be seen live with a four or five hour road trip. The post might be the most practical one ever published on the Gameplan. Based solely on the annual IPFW road trip, it's clear that Oakland fans will travel to take in a road game. I can only hope that some fans take advantage of this schedule, because they don't come around very often.

Packed Senior Night

Here's the thing: this year Senior Night is on the Saturday after Oakland shuts down for a week due to spring break. For new or casual fans, I can not stress enough the importance of this night. Not only will the Golden Grizzlies be playing what looks to be a solid (albeit young) South Dakota State team, it will also be the last chance to see Keith Benson, Will Hudson, and Larry Wright play a game in the O'Rena (barring any postseason home games). Larry Wright has been a solid two-year contributor, but Benson and Hudson have been at Oakland for five and four years, respectively. It's a chance to honor their very productive playing careers while rooting on the team in a tough late season conference match-up. The hope is that the O'Rena is packed despite the break.

At Least One Breakthrough Win

The games Oakland played against power-six teams last season all ended rather badly. The Golden Grizzlies will have seven opportunities against these schools in 2010-11, and one can only hope that at least one will result in a win for the program.

The NCAA Tournament

Last year was amazing, no doubt. The NCAA Tournament game was in Milwaukee, making travel relatively easy for Oakland fans via car. This year, however, it could be better. There are two first-weekend sites within driving distance of Rochester in Chicago and Cleveland. The hard part is actually getting to into the tournament, but it's clear that the locales set up nicely for Oakland. Obviously, every program wants to get to the NCAAs. It's not an easy feat, especially in the Summit League. However, OU returns a solid line-up and injects some new talent that should contribute. It's a long season, but boy would it be amazing to hear the Golden Grizzlies getting their name called on Selection Sunday again. We're in for a ride.

Expectations: Attendance

Attendance at the O'Rena has steadily grown over the past few years, especially in the realm of the student population. Last season, Oakland ranked third in the Summit League in average attendance and second in terms of the percentage of seats full. In fact, utilizing the listed O'Rena capacity of 3,000, Oakland sold 91% of seats on average for the season. That capacity is a bit misleading, however, as some of the biggest games at Oakland have had well over 3,000 people in attendance, including over 4,000 at a game against Missouri in 2003. Whatever the capacity, the fact remains that the O'Rena has had steady attendance figures which rank near the top in the conference.

Heading into the new season, there should be an expectation to keep these rates steady if not increase them. The program is coming off a championship season and NCAA Tournament appearance. Moreover, the team has a legitimate NBA prospect in the paint as well as several key players coming back. While marquee home games might be few and far between, there are enough storylines and noteworthy opponents to warrant the interest of casual fans. Capturing this section of the population is key. This will prove much easier to accomplish if the Golden Grizzlies can turn some heads during the slew of non-conference road games they play early in the season. If OU is able to pull off an upset over one of the BCS schools, the regional coverage will surely come flooding in. Thus, interest will grow.

The population we're more interested in is that of the students. This fall, Oakland University experienced its thirteenth straight year of enrollment growth, no doubt influenced by an incredibly large influx of transfer students. The overall number of students is 19,053, with undergrads making up 15,530 of that total. For fans who were once Pioneers, these numbers are probably rather astounding, though it's been clear over the past decade that student population growth has been a main priority of the administration. With over 15,000 students, one would expect to see more than a few scattered dozen occupying the student section during the games.

Fortunately, it appears that those sparsely attended games will be far from the norm for the foreseeable future. The student section last year was rather solid throughout the year, and one would expect that trend to continue especially given that the team should be solid once again. The main hurdle in increasing this number in the future will be directly linked to adding more student housing to the campus. It's no secret that students are much more likely to go to games, especially those on the weekends, if they are already living on the campus. Unfortunately, campus housing is pretty much maxed at this point, so the residential population can't swell at the same rate as overall student population growth. Thus, unless there is an increased initiative to get more commuter students involved with the student section, the growth of the Grizz Gang will be stunted, somewhat.

We continue to hope that there is a day when the O'Rena is packed for every game. The only thing holding this season back from breaking attendance records is the lack of those aforementioned marquee "names" that would draw in the casual basketball fan from the tri-county area. Otherwise, everything about Coach Kampe's program points to the fact that Oakland basketball should be a hot ticket in 2010-11. As fans, we must now step up to do our part. Bring a family member, a friend, or an alumni who hasn't reconnected with the university in years. They shouldn't be disappointed.

Expectations: Keith Benson

We realize that Oakland will need a complete team effort in order to be successful this season. A major part of that team, however, is center Keith Benson. His presence in the post gives the Golden Grizzlies an advantage over all other Summit League teams and helps to even match-ups against some of the power-six squads. Benson's performances this season will directly impact his standing in the NBA draft circles. The expectations for him are clearly high, as coverage throughout the off-season indicates. In dedicating one of these expectations posts to a single player, we do so to bring light to the overwhelming expectations facing Benson in 2010-11. Let's take a look back on some of the expectations heaped upon the OU big man this off-season.

• Named one of top non-BCS players to watch in 2010-11 by SportsIllustrated.com (link)
• Rivals.com's 2010-11 All-Senior Second team (link)
• First-teamer for Rivals.com's Preseason All-Low Major Team (link)
• Made ESPN's Andy Katz's list of top 2011 draft prospects (link)
• Featured on Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman's Mock 2011 NBA Draft (link)
• ESPN's Fran Fraschilla's "Ten Players To Know" From Small Conferences (link)
• Ranked the ninth best center NBA prospect by NBADraft.net (link)
• Ranked 36th on Rivals.com's Preseason Top 50 Players (link)
• Checks in as the sixth best senior NBA prospect from DraftExpress.com (link)
• Shows up on Luke Winn's (SI.com) Naismith Award watch list (link)
• Part of Rivals.com's Low-Major Frontcourts to Watch in 2010-11 (link)
• One of six "upper midwest" players named to Rush The Court's Impact Players (link)
• Named one of Blue Ribbon's Top 10 players in the country outside of Big 6 conferences (link)
• Projected as Summit League Player of the Year by every major preseason preview print publication
• Preseason Summit League Player of the Year as voted on by coaches, athletic directors, and media members of The Summit League

In addition to being included on all of these preseason lists, Benson was also the subject of a few national media stories this summer. Rivals.com featured him on the front of its website to go along with an excellent story by Steve Megargee (link). Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com also ran a feature story on the redshirt center, a rarity for an outlet with a power-six focus (link). And just the other week, Benson was at the center of an article on Yahoo! Sports' NCAA basketball blog, The Dagger (link). Clearly, this type of exposure takes the Oakland program into uncharted territory. And with the added publicity will come additional pressure to perform. After all, no one will be surprised by Benson this season. He'll have to earn every basket and every rebound with teams and high-profile players gunning for him. We know a lot about Benson already, but we'll learn a lot more in 2010-11. After all the coverage, we will find out just how well he can respond when under the national microscope.

Expectations: Leadership

There is no question that Oakland basketball had its leaders in 2009-10. The two seniors, Derick Nelson and Johnathon Jones, played and led like their class standing suggests they should have. These players were single-handedly responsible for two of Oakland's biggest wins. Jones hit a game-winning shot against Oral Roberts at Oakland's Homecoming game in the O'Rena. Nelson powered the Golden Grizzlies through the Summit League tournament championship game with a legendary performance that saw him score 36 points and pull down 9 rebounds. They were focused, and they came up with big plays when Oakland needed them most. They were clutch, and they were leaders.

Who will step up in those big moments this year? The obvious indicator points to Keith Benson. He is a game-changer, simply put. One of the greatest moments of that Summit League championship game was when Benson blocked an approaching IUPUI opponent which led to a late fastbreak basket for Nelson (along with the and-1). While the game was nearly sealed at that point, Benson still played with that defensive toughness to the very end. Likewise, in the 2009 Summit League championship game, it was Benson who came up with a monster dunk that tied the game just before Ben Woodside hit the fateful shot that spawned Bison Fever. Benson can change the game on both ends of the court, and he's proven he can do it in the clutch. This year, Oakland will need that late-game intensity from him even more.

Larry Wright seems like a candidate to step-up as well in his senior season. Wright struggled with his perimeter shooting at various points of last season, but if he can find the touch this year, he could come up big for Oakland when the team is in need of a flurry of superhoops to shift the momentum when down to an opponent. Both Wright and Benson, however, are the kind of guys who let their game do the talking. Oakland will also need a few guys to step up who will have no trouble injecting a little fire or spirit into the team. That's where Will Hudson and Reggie Hamilton will come in.

Hudson, a senior, and Hamilton, a redshirt junior, were named co-captains for the 2010-11 season. It's easy to see why. Hudson has the chance to be the ultimate glue guy for Oakland this season. He's more vocal than any of his fellow seniors (at least in this observer's mind) and has been a solid player for the Grizzlies in all of the years he has been here. He'll need to continue to prove he's willing to do the little things that might not show up in the stat sheet or get him the accolades but that will ultimately help his team win ballgames. That's the bottom line, and we think if Oakland gets another ring in March, it'll be in part because of the leadership of a guy like Will.

Hamilton strikes us as a player with tons of personality who can keep things light and entertaining among the team (for proof, just watch him leading the OU Roll Call from this summer). However, he also seems like a fierce competitor eager to prove he has what it takes to pick up where Jonathon Jones left off. This is a veritable mix of traits for a guy who figures to be a prominent piece in the Golden Grizzlies' quest for a second-straight Summit League title. With Reggie around to lift up his teammates and give the team a bit of an edge, we think that task will prove much easier.

While we still have yet to see Reggie play as a Golden Grizzly, all indications are that he is ready to step in and lead right away. Hudson is a known commodity with all the intangibles that one looks for in pinpointing a consummate glue guy and productive post player. If Wright can step up his confidence this year, he'll surely come through in the clutch. And Benson is a monster who will no doubt be ready to help lead the Grizzlies to another title. Despite the losses of prominent players like Nelson and Jones, we suspect that everything is alright in the leadership department.