After a few days of cross-country travel, complete with a blowout loss at altitude, Oakland now embarks on a 5-day road trip taking on some of the best competition the sport has to offer.
Welcome to mid-major basketball.
The trip, featuring top 20 caliber Illinois, and then number 1 ranked Kansas, begins in Champaign on Wednesday for a rematch of last year’s contest.
Illinois comes into the game 2-0, with two 30+ point wins in buy games. They are ranked 20th in this week’s coaches’ poll, while they sit three points outside of the AP top 25 in 26th. They were picked fourth in the preseason Big Ten poll.
Last year, Oakland Illinois faced off against each other in the first week of the season. Oakland jumped out to an early lead, but Illinois came back quickly. The game was close throughout, with Illinois pulling away in the final minutes to secure the win. The Illini went on to win a Big Ten Tournament championship, and then made the Elite Eight before losing to eventual National Champion UConn.
Oakland and Illinois have played each other four times in the past, with the first matchup in 2003.
While the coaches and programs are familiar with each other after doing battle just last season, there will be very little familiarity between the players on the court.
Oakland’s turnover has been well documented in these articles, but Illinois even surpasses it. Only one Illini player, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, played against Oakland last year, and only one other player from the active roster returns from last season. College basketball’s new era will be on full display Wednesday night.
Even after losing all that talent, Illinois has reloaded nicely behind a top ten incoming class of newcomers, freshman and transfers combined, by 247 sports. Five-star Will Riley led the freshman class, and also is leading the Illini in scoring on the young season, pouring in 22.5 points per game in the first two contests. Talent is aplenty in the Illinois program despite a mass exodus after their championship season.
Oakland will look to regroup after a non-competitive loss to Boise State. The Golden Grizzlies were a little beat up as is going to Idaho, and the circumstances did not do them any favors. A week off should have them back on the right track, minus Isaiah Jones, health wise.
Allen Mukeba has had some time to rest his ankle injury, and the depth of the roster should be closer to normal going into this daunting trip.
For Oakland, a good baseline for this game could be it needs to be closer for longer. Boise State made sure the outcome was never in doubt after two or three possessions, an early bucket or two could go a long way in settling Oakland down against this elite competition. If scoreboard pressure is added, it is a completely different ball game as you get deeper into it.
For the second Wednesday in a row, it will be a 9pm tip for Golden Grizzly fans in the Eastern Time Zone. This game will be televised on Big Ten Network.
