Oakland’s men’s basketball team had a thrilling finish to the regular season, and the late rally to win at Green Bay, 87-84, in overtime in the finale Saturday was just the half of it.
The day before, the Golden Grizzlies got an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of historic Lambeau Field, thanks to senior guard Jayson Woodrich, whose cousin is Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. At the conclusion of the tour, Oakland assistant coach Bobby Naubert, a huge Packers fan, got to jump into the stands for his own “Lambeau Leap.”
Now, Oakland has a new “leap” on the mind, or “leapfrog,” if you will. The Golden Grizzlies, following an up-and-down regular season, are the No. 6 seed in the Horizon League tournament, meaning there’s no bye, and meaning it’ll take four wins to get to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Oakland (14-17, 11-9) again plays Green Bay (4-27, 2-18), in the tournament opener at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the O’Rena.
“For sure, it’s exciting. Any time you get a game in March, you’re more excited,” Woodrich said after practice Monday. “There’s a tremendous amount of belief. I’d take us against anybody. We’re confident. We all believe when we’re executing and doing everything Coach Kampe says, we believe we’re the best team in the conference.”
Oakland has beaten all but two teams in the Horizon League this season; it was swept by regular-season champion Robert Morris (in two close games, one with a controversial ending) and No. 4 seed Youngstown State.
Since the Horizon League went to this tournament in 2021, which gives the top four seeds a bye and a home game, the tournament has been won every year by one of the top four seeds. That includes 2024, when Oakland, the regular-season champion, won the tournament title en route to a magical run in the NCAA Tournament.
Oakland upset Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and then took N.C. State, an eventual Final Four participant, to overtime before losing. The run was a major boon for the school and several of its star players.
“We had that conversation today. We talked about tournament play,” said Greg Kampe, in his 41st season as Oakland’s head coach. “We talked about how what we did last year changed people’s lives.”
Take Trey Townsend, who was the Horizon League player of the year and turned that March run into a massive NIL deal at Arizona. Same with Chris Conway, who cashed in when he transferred to Washington. Jack Gohlke, a total unknown before he made 10 3’s in the win over Kentucky, now is playing in the NBA G League for the Wisconsin Herd in Oshkosh, following a stint playing overseas.
Oakland players and coaches got to see Gohlke suit up for a game last week.
“If we hadn’t been in the NCAA Tournament, there’s no chance he would’ve ever gotten that chance,” Kampe said of Gohlke, who was filming NIL videos on the off day between games against Kentucky and N.C. State in March. “It all happened because we went to the NCAA Tournament and, obviously, he performed there.
“It changes your lives.”
Of course, it’s a double-edged sword. That NCAA success likely cost Oakland Townsend and Conway. Oakland also graduated Gohlke, Blake Lampman and Rocket Watts. In all, five of the team’s best players were gone.
That’s made for some frustrations at times this season, with the well-documented struggles from 3-point range (Oakland is 343rd in Division I in 3-point percentage), and the lack of an experienced point guard. That job has fallen to sophomore transfer Jaylen Jones, though he missed the last two regular-season games due to an illness, and it cost Oakland in the loss at Milwaukee, and also at Green Bay (where LaFleur sat courtside). Jones is expected back Tuesday.
Oakland has a dynamic big-man duo in seniors Allen Mukeba, who was named second-team All-Horizon League on Monday (Oakland’s streak of having a first-team player was snapped at 18 seasons), and Buru Naivalurua, who can take over ballgames at times, but it’s harder to shake off he double-teams down low when the 3-point shooting isn’t there. Senior guard DQ Cole, of Pontiac, has been inconsistent this season. Junior swingman Isaiah Jones, Jaylen’s brother, was hurt early in the season, and it took him a while to get going again. Newcomers Woodrich and Malcolm Christie, both seniors, haven’t had the seasons they envisioned. Freshman guard Nassim Mashhour, of Dearborn, has been Oakland’s most pleasant surprise, and has helped cure some of the ills in 3-point shooting and at point guard.
Woodrich transferred from Cleveland State, now the No. 2 seed, after watching Oakland’s run last March.
“There’s been talk about that all year. It’s something you don’t really forget about,” Woodrich said of the NCAA Tournament, which he made as a freshman at Cleveland State. “They always bring up how magical it was.
“It’s always in the back of your mind.”
Not anymore. Now, it’s front and center.
If Oakland wins Tuesday, it will play at Milwaukee on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Detroit Mercy (8-23, 4-16), the No. 10 seed, opens the Horizon League tournament at No. 7 Northern Kentucky (16-15, 11-9) at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Titans are led by junior guard Orlando Lovejoy, a Detroiter and transfer from Eastern Michigan, who averages 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists but didn’t make either of the three all-Horizon League teams announced Monday. Nate Johnson, a guard from Grand Rapids, made the all-freshman team.
If Detroit Mercy, led by first-year head coach Mark Montgomery, wins Tuesday night, it will play in the quarterfinals at No. 1 Robert Morris or No. 2 Cleveland State on Thursday. The Titans, hampered by injuries all season long, have lost seven straight games and haven’t won a Horizon League road game since 2023.
Horizon League men’s tournament
All games on ESPN+ unless noted
TUESDAY
â–¶ No. 11 Green Bay (4-27) at No. 6 Oakland (14-17), 7
â–¶ No. 10 Detroit Mercy (8-23), at No. 7 Northern Kentucky (16-15), 7
â–¶ No. 9 IU-Indy (10-21), at No. 8 Wright State (14-17), 8
THURSDAY
â–¶ No. 5 Purdue Fort Wayne (19-12) at No. 4 Youngstown State (19-12), 7
â–¶ Lowest remaining seed at No. 1 Robert Morris (23-8), 8
â–¶ Second-lowest remaining seed at No. 2 Cleveland State (20-11), 8
â–¶ Third-lowest remaining seed at No. 3 Milwaukee (21-10), 8
MONDAY, MARCH 10
At Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis
â–¶ First semifinal, 7, ESPNU
â–¶ Second semifinal, 9:30, ESPN or ESPN2
TUESDAY, MARCH 12
At Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis
â–¶ Championship game, 7, ESPN
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