When Oakland takes the floor on Thursday, it will undoubtedly feel a little strange.
Greg Kampe, the longest-tenured D1 coach in the country will not be on the bench when his team goes up against Green Bay, after a suspension following an argument with an official last weekend at Robert Morris. It will be the first time since the early 2000s that he misses a game. Jeff Smith will act as the head coach Thursday,
As for the opponent, it will be Oakland’s first look at this Green Bay team. The program has been in the national spotlight all year after hiring media personality Doug Gottlieb.
The Phoenix enter this game with the longest losing streak in the country at 17 games. They are 2-20 on the year and winless so far in Horizon League play.
Injuries have not been kind to this group. Anthony Roy was the nations leading scorer when he went down in mid December, and he will not play this week. The next leading scorer, Marcus Hall, went down with an injury in their last game, and his status is unknown for Thursday. Jeremiah Johnson is another top scorer who is not expected to play Thursday.
It is possible this game isn’t a walk in the park for Oakland however. Preston Ruedinger and Foster Wonders were key guys on last years 3 seed team, and Yonatan Levy is an older big that came overall from Israel a few weeks ago.
If Oakland is serious about making a move up the league standings in the back half of the year, this is a game they need to win on their home floor.
Two days later, the Golden Grizzlies will return to action on the blacktop. Northern Kentucky will be the opponent. Oakland beat Northern Kentucky in Kentucky earlier this season by a score of 68-53.
Trey Robinson and Sam Vinson continue to lead the Norse, as they enter this week 4-6 in the league. They are on a five game losing streak after a 4-1 Horizon League play start. They play at Detroit Mercy on Thursday night as they try to stop their skid.
This will be a tough game to win for Oakland, as they have not gone 2-0 against Northern Kentucky since the 2016-2017 season. However much like the Green Bay game, winning games at home against teams below you in the standings is essential to starting off a late season push.
Tip off Thursday against Green Bay is slated for 7pm Eastern Time on ESPN+. Saturdays game will not be played in its traditional timeslot because of a doubleheader with the Oakland women’s team, and instead be pushed back an hour to 4pm Eastern Time. That game will also be on ESPN+.
