Repeat Offender: Oakland wins second straight Summit League tournament title to earn NCAA bid
CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES: Oakland University had plenty of reasons to smile Tuesday, as the Golden Grizzlies clinched their second straight NCAA berth and third in seven seasons with an 90-76 win over Oral Roberts in the Summit League Men's Basketball Tournament. Courtesy Photos | Inertia Sports Media.
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A brutally-tough non-league schedule has paid off for Oakland University.
The Golden Grizzlies, who have played the likes of Tennessee, Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan and West Virginia this season, overcame a second-half run by Oral Roberts, then piled on a large run of its own in the second half to win the Summit League men’s basketball championship for the second year in a row with a 90-76 victory at Sioux Falls Arena.
CUTTING THEM DONW: OAkland sophomore Drew Valentine takes his turn trimming the nets following Oakland's Summit League Tournament victory Tuesday. Courtesy Photos | Intertia Media
The win vaults Oakland, winners of 18 of its last 19 games, into the NCAA tournament for the second straight year and third time in seven seasons.
Oakland also made the cut in 2005 and 2010, with the Grizzlies holding down the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament in both 2010 and 2011. OU advanced as the No. 7 seed back in 2005.
“I think Oral Roberts gave us a great shot,” offered Oakland veteran coach Greg Kampe, who has coached 13 seasons in the Division I ear at OU and 27 total. “They came after us when we got a big lead in the first half; I think it was 17 or 18. Then, the second half we came back and took the lead. I think Will (Hudson) cleaned up for a basket and then Reggie (Hamilton) had an acrobatic bank shot. Then, Keith (Benson) in transition got a dunk off a miss. Then we took the lead back up to 20. That is just the type of team we are.
“When you’re best players are your leaders and hardest workers you are going to win games and I have great kids,” added Kampe. It is just an honor for me to have them at Oakland University and be able to say I coached them. ”
WORDS OF WISDOM: Oakland veteran men's basketball coach Greg Kampe explains to the media why his team is making a return trip to the NCAA tournament. Courtesy Photos | Inertia Media
Trailing 45-33 at the break, Oral Roberts came out in the second half on fire, going on a 22-9 run and took a 55-54 lead on a free throw from Niles Warren with 13:29 to play.
The Golden Grizzlies, who own a road win over Tennessee when the Titans were ranked seventh in the nation back in mid-December and lost by only one point to Michigan State, a Final Four team the past two seasons, did not flinch.
Oakland (25-9) responded by going on a 24-5 run, fueled by 12 points from Hamilton, to go up 78-61on a three by Hamilton. The Grizzlies led by as many as 24 points in the second half before pulling off the reigns in the final two minutes.
Oral Roberts could not close the deficit to under 14 points the rest of the way.
“I didn’t make any adjustments. I just let them play. Keep your confidence and play,” said Kampe. “We knew they were going to make a run — we talked about it at halftime. It came real fast, I didn’t think they would come out and go three, three, three, like that but they are a good team. We knew they would make a run and then we would make our back at them.”
ON THE FLY: Oakland junior guard Reggie Hamilton drives for two of his 26 points during the Golden Grizzlies NCAA tournament-clinching win over Oral Roberts. Courtesy Photos | Inertia Media.
Keith Benson, the two-time Summit League Player of the Year, led Oakland with 28 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocks, while Reggie Hamilton, a transfer from UMKC who sat out last season, added 26 points and six assists for Oakland.
Benson was named the tournament MVP and was joined by Hamilton on the all-tournament team. Oral Roberts’ Morrison, IUPUI’s Leroy Nobles and South Dakota State’s Nate Wolters were also honored on the all-tournament team.
Senior forward Will Hudson chipped in with a double-double that included 12 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore forward Drew Valentine, who scored 24 the night before in a 110-90 win over South Dakota State in the semifinals, added 10 points for Oakland, which finished the night shooting 52.2 percent (35-for-67) from the floor.
MR. MVP: Oakland senior center Keight Benson (right) powered his way to 28 points Tuesday, as the 6-11 center earned the Tournament MVP honor for the Summit League regular season and tournament champion Golden Grizzlies. Courtesy Photo | Inertia Media.
It marked the fifth time in seven seasons that OU played in the league championship game. The Grizzlies lost in the title game in both 2009 and 2007. In the past two years combining the regular season and conference tournament, Oakland is 40-2. The Grizzlies finished 17-1 in the regular season two years running, and have won six straight postseason games in the Summit League.
OU is 8-1 in the conference tournament over the past three years and 9-2 in four seasons.
“The numbers are astounding, they really are astounding. I read where we won 49 of the 52 games (in the past 2.5 seasons) against Summit League opponents. We are 34-2 (the past two years) and only Kansas is better than us in a conference record,” offered Kampe.
“Let me say this, I don’t want to sit here and say Keith Benson is the best player in league history because that wouldn’t be fair to Tony Bennett and Bryce Drew and Caleb Green and all the great pros and players that have come through this league,” continued Kampe. “I am not going to say he is the greatest basketball player but I am going to say this, he is the most dominant player that played in this league. The numbers prove that — he was 8-1 in the tournament and in all nine of those games, we had a double digit lead. North Dakota State came back and beat us in the championship game three years ago and we were 13 ahead with eight minutes to go. In the three games this year we had a 20-point lead in all three of those games. I don’”t think any player has dominated the league in the way he has dominated it. He proved that.”
Dominique Morrison twined 22 points with 11 rebounds for Oral Roberts (19-15), the No. 2 seed which lost to Oakland three times this season.
DRIVING TOWARDS A TITLE: Reggie Hamilton sat out last season after transferring over from UMKC, but the Oakland junior was a big part of the Grizzlies' success this season in helping his new team gain a regular season and tournament title in the Summit League, along with an NCAA berth. Courtesy Photos | Inertia Media.
Warren added 13 points and six rebounds, Damen Bell-Horter followed with 11 points and both Steven Roundtree and Ken Holdman scored 10 apiece for the Golden Eagles.
Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton conceded that Oakland is one of the best teams the league has ever produced.
“We lost to a great basketball team tonight,” he said. “There one of the best teams I’ve seen league wise in the last 13 years. Offensively, they just have so many weapons. We needed to play a great basketball game, and we didn’t do that. They’re so good in transition.”
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Category: Colleges / Other, Oakland University
