With all of the trips Greg Kampe and Oakland have made over the years, fans are able to recognize that some nights just feel like an unfair fight.
On a night where No. 7 Michigan raised their Big Ten Tournament Championship banner and welcomed in some of the most high-profile transfers in the country, it quickly felt like an unfair fight.
121-78 was the final score in this one. Oakland allowed at least 121 points for just the third time in program history, while Michigan scored a program high 69 points in the first half.
“We could not simulate this type of environment and athleticism for our new guys,” Kampe said in a postgame interview.
That was evident early. Michigan began the game with two dunks that Oakland had no chance to stop. After trading baskets for a few minutes, the score got to 14-10 Michigan. That’s when the Wolverines rattled off 20 straight points to put the final outcome away right there.
The halftime score was 69-38.
“Our transition defense was really bad in the first half,” Kampe said. “But we fixed that. As the game went on, I saw a lot of things I liked.”
“We scored over a point per possession against one of the best teams in the country.”
Outside of the 20-0 run that Oakland allowed, the Golden Grizzlies were able to score pretty consistently. They scored 68 points in the last 31 minutes of action.
Isaac Garrett led Oakland with 20 points. He had a couple of dazzling finishes in the second half and was an efficient 8-of-10 from the floor, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. To see him perform well against that kind of frontline is encouraging.
“Isaac really settled in in the second half. Buru belongs out here.”
Buru Naivalurua did look like he could handle this kind of level. He had a lot of attention on him the whole night, and showcased his perimeter ability by making three threes, after making two threes all of last season. Naivalurua finished with 18 points and five rebounds.
Another Golden Grizzly who looked the part was Brody Robinson. In 36 minutes, he made three threes of his own for 11 points and also dished out five assists.
With Warren Marshall IV sidelined, and Michael Houge already out, Ziare Wells got the nod in the starting lineup and took advantage. He was the other Golden Grizzly in double figures with 14 points and also led the team with six boards. Whoever ends up coming off the bench will provide some real athleticism and punch for Oakland.
Oakland made 11-of-26 from three, good for 42%. They also made 13-of-15 free throws. Nassim Mashhour provided two threes, and Brett White II added one of his own. Those shooting numbers are a nice sign after the struggles shooting the ball a year ago.
The Golden Grizzlies drop to 0-1 on the season and are only just beginning a grueling start. Next up is #1 Purdue on Friday night. The Boilermakers are led by preseason AP National Player of the Year Braden Smith, who runs the point. Trey Kaufman-Renn is a big who was a third team All American by CBS a year ago, and Fletcher Loyer is a Michigan native who spaces the floor. The trio started the 2024 National Championship game together and is as formidable of a big three as there is in America.
Tip off inside Mackey Arena is slated for 7pm Eastern Time. The game will be broadcast on Peacock.
Subscribe to our emails, and get our latest posts in your inbox, plus a weekly digest of everything we've published!
