2017–18 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team represented Oakland University (OU) during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Grizzlies were led by 34th-year head coach Greg Kampe and played their home games at the Athletics Center O'rena in Rochester, Michigan as members of the Horizon League.

2017–18 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball
Conference	Horizon League
2017–18 record	19–14 (10–8 Horizon)
Head coach	Greg Kampe (34th season)
Associate head coach	Dan Hipsher
Assistant coaches	Tony Jones Mychal Covington
Home arena	Athletics Center O'rena

2017–18 Horizon League men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Northern Kentucky	15	–	3		.833			22	–	10		.688
Wright State †	14	–	4		.778			25	–	10		.714
UIC	12	–	6		.667			20	–	16		.556
Oakland	10	–	8		.556			19	–	14		.576
Milwaukee	8	–	10		.444			16	–	17		.485
IUPUI	8	–	10		.444			11	–	19		.367
Green Bay	7	–	11		.389			13	–	20		.394
Cleveland State	6	–	12		.333			12	–	23		.343
Youngstown State	6	–	12		.333			8	–	24		.250
Detroit	4	–	14		.222			8	–	24		.250
† 2018 Horizon League Tournament winner

Oakland made a three-point field goal in every game of the season, increasing their steak to 937 consecutive games, the eighth-longest active NCAA Division I streak (at the time). They last finished a game without a three-pointer on January 30, 1988.[1]

Previous season

The Golden Grizzlies finished the 2016–17 season 25–9, 14–4 in Horizon League play to win a share for the Horizon League regular season championship.[2] As the No. 1 seed in the Horizon League Tournament, they were upset in the quarterfinals by Youngstown State.[3] As a conference champion and No. 1 seed who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Clemson[4] in the first round before losing to Richmond in the second round.[5]

Off-season

Roster changes

The Golden Grizzlies lost Sherron Dorsey-Walker, a guard on the 2016–17 team, to graduation. Prior to the season, sophomore Isaiah Brock unexpectedly decided to leave the team. Brock was named to the Horizon League's All-Defensive Team and All-Freshman Team.[6] Senior guard Stevie Clark also left the team, transferring to Louisiana State University in Shreveport.[7]

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
James Beck SF	Grand Rapids, MI	Grand Rapids Christian High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	N/A
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Stan Scott SF	Williamsport, PA	Williamsport High School	N/A	N/A
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Oakland Golden Grizzlies". ESPN.com. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason polls

Preseason poll
School	Points
Oakland (31)	453
Northern Kentucky (10)	414
UIC (3)	347
Detroit (1)	273
Wright State	259
Green Bay	249
Youngstown State (1)	209
Milwaukee (1)	161
Cleveland State	125
IUPUI	95
First place votes in parentheses.

Oakland was picked by coaches, media and sports information directors to finish first the Horizon League. Oakland received 31 of the 47 votes for first place ahead of second place Northern Kentucky. The adjacent table shows the complete preseason poll. Seniors Jalen Hayes and Martez Walker were selected to the preseason first team and Kendrick Nunn was selected to the second team.[8]

Oakland played three exhibition games, defeating Central Michigan, Rochester College and Davenport in games at the O'rena. The 108–88 victory against Central Michigan was a special game to raise money for the American Red Cross and hurricane relief.[9]

Roster

The following table lists Oakland's roster.[10]

2017–18 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 22 James Beck 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Grand Rapids Christian H.S. Grand Rapids, Michigan C 13 Brad Brechting  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 217 lb (98 kg) Jr Cedar Springs H.S. Cedar Springs, Michigan F 10 Isaiah Brock 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 191 lb (87 kg) So Forest Park H.S. Baltimore, Maryland F 32 Tom Cotter (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Sr Wayne State Williamston, Michigan G 21 Jaevin Cumberland  6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 179 lb (81 kg) Jr Wilmington H.S. Wilmington, Ohio G 2 Nick Daniels 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Sr John Glenn H.S. Westland, Michigan G 0 Chris Gilbert (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 181 lb (82 kg) RS Fr Fenton H.S. Fenton, Michigan F 4 Jalen Hayes 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 213 lb (97 kg) RS Sr Sexton H.S. Lansing, Michigan F 14 Xavier Hill-Mais  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 248 lb (112 kg) Jr Page H.S. Greensboro, North Carolina G 11 Brailen Neely  5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 154 lb (70 kg) So Western H.S. Detroit, Michigan G 24 Karmari Newman  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So George Mason Detroit, Michigan G 1 Kendrick Nunn 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 193 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Illinois Chicago, Illinois F 44 Julius Palmer 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr McLennan C.C. Detroit, Michigan G/F 15 Chris Palombizio 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 212 lb (96 kg) So Don Bosco Prep Chesterton, Indiana G 12 Stan Scott 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Williamsport H.S. Williamsport, Pennsylvania G 35 Martez Walker  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Sr Texas Detroit, Michigan	Head coach Greg Kampe Assistant coach(es) Dan Hipsher Tony Jones Mychal Covington Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: February 15, 2018

Schedule and results

The following is Oakland's schedule.[11]

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 29, 2017* 1:00 pm		Central Michigan Hurricane Relief Charity Game	W 108–88[12]		Athletics Center O'rena  Rochester, MI
November 2, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Rochester College	W 91–73		Athletics Center O'rena (1,745) Rochester, MI
November 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Davenport	W 102–61		Athletics Center O'rena (1,701) Rochester, MI
Non-conference regular season
November 10, 2017* 7:00 pm, WMYD/ESPN3		Fort Wayne	W 85–71	1–0	Athletics Center O'rena (3,579) Rochester, MI
November 13, 2017* 7:00 pm, WMYD/ESPN3		New Orleans	W 87–68	2–0	Athletics Center O'rena (2,944) Rochester, MI
November 18, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Toledo Hoophall Miami Invitational	W 87–74	2–1	Savage Arena (4,436) Toledo, OH
November 20, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Syracuse Hoophall Miami Invitational	W 74–50	2–2	Carrier Dome (15,534) Syracuse, NY
November 24, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN3		at No. 3 Kansas Hoophall Miami Invitational	W 102–59	2–3	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
November 27, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN3		at Oral Roberts	W 93–86 ^OT	3–3	Mabee Center (1,754) Tulsa, OK
November 30, 2017* 7:00 pm, WMYD/ESPN3		Texas Southern Hoophall Miami Invitational	W 97–87	4–3	Athletics Center O'rena (2,854) Rochester, MI
December 2, 2017* 2:00 pm, ESPN3		at Western Michigan	W 78–73	5–3	University Arena (2,418) Kalamazoo, MI
December 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Eastern Michigan	W 95–89	5–4	Convocation Center (1,666) Ypsilanti, MI
December 9, 2017* 3:00 pm, WMYD/ESPN3		Chicago State	W 82–50	6–4	Athletics Center O'rena (3,286) Rochester, MI
December 16, 2017* 2:30 pm, ESPNU		vs. No. 2 Michigan State Hitachi College Basketball Showcase	W 86–73	6–5	Little Caesars Arena (20,695) Detroit, MI
December 20, 2017* 7:00 pm, WMYD/ESPN3		Towson	W 97–86	7–5	Athletics Center O'rena (2,422) Rochester, MI
December 22, 2017* 7:00 pm, WMYD/ESPN3		Eastern Michigan	W 86–81	8–5	Athletics Center O'rena (3,661) Rochester, MI
Horizon League regular season
December 28, 2017 8:00 pm, ESPN3		at Milwaukee	W 76–68	9–5 (1–0)	UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena (1,312) Milwaukee, WI
December 30, 2017 1:00 pm, ESPN3		at Green Bay	W 80–79	9–6 (1–1)	Resch Center (2,683) Green Bay, WI
January 5, 2018 9:00 pm[13], ESPN2		Northern Kentucky	W 87–83	9–7 (1–2)	Athletics Center O'rena (3,411) Rochester, MI
January 7, 2018 3:00 pm, WMYD/ESPN3		Wright State	W 86–81 ^OT	9–8 (1–3)	Athletics Center O'rena (3,208) Rochester, MI
January 10, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Youngstown State	W 95–82	10–8 (2–3)	Athletics Center O'rena (2,657) Rochester, MI
January 12, 2018 7:00 pm, WMYD/ESPN3		Cleveland State	W 81–68	11–8 (3–3)	Athletics Center O'rena (3,156) Rochester, MI
January 15, 2018 8:00 pm, NBCSC		at UIC	W 78–68	12–8 (4–3)	UIC Pavilion (2,080) Chicago, IL
January 20, 2018 4:00 pm, WADL/ESPN3		at Detroit	W 92–86	13–8 (5–3)	Calihan Hall (3,257) Detroit, MI
January 26, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPNU		at Northern Kentucky	W 83–70	14–8 (6–3)	BB&T Arena (5,362) Highland Heights, KY
January 28, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN3		at Wright State	W 64–51	14–9 (6–4)	Nutter Center (4,491) Dayton, OH
February 2, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPNU		UIC	W 79–73	14–10 (6–5)	Athletics Center O'rena (3,182) Rochester, MI
February 4, 2018 Noon, ESPN3		IUPUI	W 82–74	15–10 (7–5)	Athletics Center O'rena (2,710) Rochester, MI
February 9, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN2		Detroit	W 87–78	16–10 (8–5)	Athletics Center O'rena (3,664) Rochester, MI
February 14, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Youngstown State	W 75–73	16–11 (8–6)	Beeghly Center (1,513) Youngstown, OH
February 16, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Cleveland State	W 82–66	17–11 (9–6)	Wolstein Center (1,725) Cleveland, OH
February 19, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at IUPUI	W 74–67	17–12 (9–7)	Indiana Farmers Coliseum (1,063) Indianapolis, IN
February 22, 2018 7:00 pm, WMYD/ESPN3		Green Bay	W 96–90	17–13 (9–8)	Athletics Center O'rena (3,211) Rochester, MI
February 24, 2018 3:00 pm, WMYD/ESPN3		Milwaukee	W 72–70	18–13 (10–8)	Athletics Center O'rena (3,508) Rochester, MI
Horizon League Tournament
March 4, 2018 7:30 pm, ESPN3	(4)	vs. (5) IUPUI Quarterfinals	W 62–55	19–13	Little Caesars Arena (6,771) Detroit, MI
March 5, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3	(4)	vs. (8) Cleveland State Semifinals	L 43–44	19–14	Little Caesars Arena (5,398) Detroit, MI
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

Oakland received 19 points in the preseason Coaches Poll[14] and 2 points in the AP Poll.[15] USA Today named the Golden Grizzlies a team that was "snubbed" by not being ranked in the preseason Top 25.[16]

The team was also ranked No. 5 in the preseason Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.[17]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	RV	RV	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR											Not released
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Mid-Major Top 25	5	5	7	15	13	RV	RV	25	NR

References

1. http://www.goldengrizzlies.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/030518aac.html
2. "Oakland men's basketball takes 1st Horizon League title, top seed". MLive.com. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
3. "WATCH: Horizon League favorite Oakland loses at buzzer to 20-loss Youngstown State". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
4. "Oakland stuns Clemson in NIT for signature win". Detroit News. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
5. "Oakland's season ends with 87-83 loss at Richmond in NIT". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
6. Bianchi, Nolan; Farrell, Perry A. (August 9, 2017). "Army vet Isaiah Brock leaves Oakland hoops year after becoming eligible". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
7. Watson, Jimmy (August 15, 2017). "LSUS adds former Okla. State, Illinois State transfers". Shreveport Times. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
8. http://horizonleague.org/news/2017/10/9/mens-basketball-horizon-league-announces-hlmbb-preseason-all-conference-team-poll.aspx?path=mbball
9. http://www.cm-life.com/article/2017/10/mens-basketball-falls-to-oakland-in-hurricane-relief-exhibition-game
10. http://www.goldengrizzlies.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/oakl-m-baskbl-mtt.html
11. http://www.goldengrizzlies.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/oakl-m-baskbl-sched.html
12. http://www.goldengrizzlies.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2017-2018/1029cmu.html
13. http://mattsarzsports.com/Schedule/Weekly/basketball201718/9#.Wcp33yErLQg
14. "MSU hoops No. 2 in coaches poll; UM, Oakland get votes". Detroit News. October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
15. http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings/_/year/2018/poll/1
16. Fleming, Joe (October 19, 2017). "Five teams snubbed in the preseason college men's basketball coaches poll". USA Today. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
17. "Men's Mid-Major Top 25". College Insider. October 30, 2017. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2017.

External links

• Official site
• Team statistics