Reaching for The Summit: Oakland aiming for second straight NCAA berth

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

ROCHESTER HILLS — No matter what schedule Greg Kampe throws at his Oakland basketball players, it all boils down to three games.

Oakland , which won the regular season and tournament championships last season in the Summit League to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament, is three wins away from  reaching its goal of making a return trip to the NCAA field for the first time.

Oakland’s other appearance as a Division I school was in 2005, when the Golden Grizzlies won the postseason tournament as a No. 7 seed.

Oakland enters the Summit League tournament with an RPI of 56 out of over 340 Division I schools. The Grizzlies defeated then No. 7 Tennessee in mid-December and have also faced the likes of Ohio State, Michigan State, West Virginia, Purdue, Illinois and a host of other quality teams to prepare for the tournament.

“I know there’s talk about an (at-large berth) and that we’re in the discussion, but I don’t see it,” admitted Kampe. “We know that we have to win three games this weekend. That’s what it boils down to.”

Oakland again had the Player of the Year in the Summit League in 6-11 senior center Keith Benson. Junior guard Reggie Hamilton also made the first team, while 6-9 senior forward Will Hudson was named the All-conference Second Team.

Benson was tabbed as Defensive Player of the Year, while freshman Travis Bader earned the All-Newcomer Team.

Even with those accolades and the fact that Oakland at the very least has earned an NIT bid, the Grizzlies will have a big target on their backs. Oakland is 34-2 in the league the past two years and, including the previous two conference tournaments, have posted a 39-3 record in that span.

“This is a great opportunity,” admitted Will Hudson, a 6-foot-9 senior forward and four-year contributor. “We have a chance to go back two years in a row. We know that this is not going to be easy.”

Oakland will open at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls. A win will vault the Grizzlies into the semifinals on Monday. The championship game is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Oakland is ranked sixth in the College Insider Mid-Major poll, its highest rank of the season.

The rugged non-conference schedule id feature several losses against power conference schools. The Golden Grizzlies lost by one to Michigan State and also dropped a game to bubble team Valparaiso.

“Looking back at the Michigan State game, instead of winning by one, we lost by one,” recalled Kampe. “If we win that game, then it might be a different story. So it all comes down to these three games.

Kampe lamented on his team being extremely deep, which might be crucial in the Grizzlies (22-9, 17-1) earning NCAA bid. Oakland lost to Pittsburgh in the NCAA first round last season.

“It’s not just Keith Benson,” he said. “Teams key on him. But all season long, we’ve had other guys step up. We have had several guys win games for us this season.”

“I’ve said all along that this might be the deepest team we’ve had here at Oakland,” added Kampe.

For Hamilton, he sat out last year after transferring over from UMKC. This will be his first legitimate shot at a conference tournament title and NCAA berth.

“I was still part of it (last year),” recalled Hamilton. “I was at all of the games and practices. It’s just now I get to be on the court and try to help us win a title.”

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Tags: college men's basketball, ncaa, The Summit LEague Championships

Category: Campus Clips, Colleges / Other, Oakland University, Prep Wraps