Rochester ― On March 8, 2005, Oakland men’s basketball, as a No. 7 seed, shockingly won the Mid-Continent Conference tournament to earn its first trip to the Division I NCAA Tournament.
On Saturday, 20 years later, to the day, the Golden Grizzlies boarded a bus to Indianapolis, where two more wins will get them back to the NCAA Tournament for a fifth time, and the second time in as many years. Oakland (16-17) plays regular-season champion Robert Morris (24-8) in the semifinals of the Horizon League tournament at 7 p.m. Monday at Corteva Coliseum. The championship game is Tuesday night.
Oakland lost twice to Robert Morris during the regular season, both times after having sizeable leads at halftime. The last loss was particularly impactful, sending both teams on opposite trajectories ― Robert Morris to its first Horizon League championship, and Oakland all the way down to the No. 6 seed.
“It’s definitely something that we’re looking forward to as a team,” graduate-student forward Buru Naivalurua said after practice at the O’Rena on Saturday afternoon. “Obviously, the way we lost that last time just really stung, it sort of left us with a sour taste in our mouths. And it also felt like we were the stepping stone that sort of propelled Robert Morris forward on this great run … and we sort of were left in limbo there for a little bit.
“So it’s definitely something that we feel like we’ve just got to get back and sort of flip the script.”
Robert Morris won the first meeting between the teams, 79-71, on Jan. 4 at the O’Rena, where Oakland led by seven points at halftime. Then, the teams met again Jan. 25 in Pittsburgh, where Oakland again led at halftime, this time by six points, but lost, 73-71, when Oakland was whistled for a foul while Robert Morris was shooting a last-second 3-pointer in a tie game. The call on Oakland’s DQ Cole was debatable, though Isaiah Jones might’ve gotten away with a foul just before that shot was put up. Robert Morris’ Kam Woods made two of three free throws to win the game.
If that call wasn’t made, the game would’ve gone to overtime, and who knows how that would’ve shaken out. That said, there were other controversial calls in the game, one in particular when a ref blew a play dead because a Robert Morris player was down on the floor, wiping out a made 3-pointer on the other end by Oakland’s Jayson Woodrich. When the ref blew the play dead, they also reviewed how the Robert Morris player ended up on the floor, and it was deemed Oakland’s Nassim Mashhour had committed a flagrant foul. Robert Morris kept the ball.
The sequence began with Oakland trailing, 56-55, and ended up Oakland trailing, 61-55 ― five points on the scoreboard, but eight points in theory when you factor in the X’d out Oakland 3-pointer.
After the game, Oakland head coach Greg Kampe went on the court and briefly had words with the official (assistant coach Jeff Smith and Woodrich did, too), and he drew a one-game suspension from the Horizon League (while the referee, Josh White, ultimately was fired by the Horizon League). Oakland won the game Kampe sat out, but then dropped the next two games, en route to the No. 6 seed in the Horizon League tournament.
“I want to say it motivates us,” said Allen Mukeba, a graduate student and Oakland’s other starting big. “We couldn’t really do anything about it after what happened. But now, we’ve actually got the opportunity to play a game. So it’s payback. … We’re actually happy to play them.
“I’ve got nothing else to say. We’re ready to get them.”
Oakland dropped four of its last eight regular-season games, but has found its groove in the postseason, with two exceptional offensive performances in wins over Green Bay (96-72) and Milwaukee (72-64), for half of the work of winning the Horizon League tournament.
Since the Horizon League went to this current format, giving the top four seeds a first-round bye and a second-round home game, the top four seeds have accounted for all of the Horizon League tournament championships.
That includes last season, when Oakland was the No. 1 seed, and celebrated double titles, regular season and tournament.
Robert Morris just won its first Horizon League regular-season championship and now is looking for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014. The Colonels won the NEC tournament championship in 2020, but the NCAA Tournament was canceled that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kampe, who had been suspended just one time before getting the one-game ban this season, said playing Robert Morris is an ideal opportunity for Oakland to make amends for its big bump in the road this season. But, Kampe doesn’t want his team making too big a deal of the opponent, either. The ultimate goal is the NCAA Tournament appearance, and that won’t be won Monday, but it can be lost.
“The bigger picture is more important than the little picture, right?” said Kampe, in his 41st season as Oakland’s head coach. “The answer to the little picture is, I’m glad we get another chance (at Robert Morris). …. That can’t encompass you. … We can’t play for the championship on Tuesday if we don’t win on Monday.
“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. (But) I’m happy we get a chance to play them again. They are the champion. We are the defending champion. So it’s kind of the new champion vs. the old champion.
“Let’s see what happens.”
Robert Morris has won eight straight, and 14 of it last 15 games.
The winner of Oakland-Robert Morris will play the winner of the late Monday night semifinal between No. 2 Cleveland State and No. 4 Youngstown State. Robert Morris and Youngstown State are the only Horizon League teams Oakland hasn’t beaten this season.
Horizon League men’s tournament
At Corteva Coliseum, Indianapolis
MONDAY
▶ No. 1 Robert Morris (24-8) vs. No. 6 Oakland (16-17), 7, ESPNU
▶ No. 2 Cleveland State (21-11) vs. No. 4 Youngstown State (20-12), 9:30, ESPN2
TUESDAY
▶ Championship game, 7, ESPN
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
