I understand it was an exhibition game, but how can you possibly lose to Walsh University if you’re Oakland?
In case you missed it, Oakland dropped its first game of the season to Walsh University on Thursday, Oct. 19, 75-69. Although it was an exhibition game, it was a bad look for an Oakland team that should’ve taken care of business rather easily.
Instead, Oakland, a Division I team, fell behind early to Walsh, a Division II team, and couldn’t muster a comeback.
Trey Townsend and Jack Gohlke led the way in scoring for Oakland with 22 and 15, respectively, but Walsh’s Kobe Mitchell poured in 32 to knock off the Golden Grizzlies at the O’rena.
Prior to the exhibition matchup, I had no idea Walsh University existed. No idea where it was located. I had never heard of it.
If you’re like me and need a quick brush-up on your knowledge of Division II basketball schools, you’re in luck.
Walsh University is a private university located in North Canton, Ohio, with a total enrollment of roughly 2,700 students.
Oakland’s enrollment of greater than 15,000 outnumbers Walsh’s enrollment by more than 500%.
Obviously, upsets happen in sports. And there are much, much bigger games to be played than a meaningless exhibition bout between Oakland and Walsh, but how can a loss to a Division II program be justified?
Sure, Walsh had the best player on the floor that night in Kobe Mitchell, but no other Cavalier finished in double figures for Walsh.
In year 40 of the Greg Kampe era, what can students, faculty, fans and onlookers of the men’s basketball program realistically expect?
Is a six-point loss to a significantly smaller school a sign of things to come for Kampe and the Golden Grizzlies this winter? Or can Oakland put the loss — which admittedly means nothing — behind and rebound when it counts?
Oakland hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2011, and things aren’t looking like they’re going to get better any time soon.
The Golden Grizzlies have won just six conference titles in Kampe’s time with the program, with the last league championship coming in 2017.
Oakland has finished third or worse in the Horizon League in 10 of the last 12 years, dating back to its last appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Three consecutive fifth-place finishes have put Oakland in a bit of a rut as Kampe’s time at the helm inevitably begins to approach its end.
Kampe and the Golden Grizzlies will begin their regular season in Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday, Nov. 6. They will then follow it up with another trip to a Big Ten school as they visit Illinois in Champaign.
Nov. 14 will feature the first home game of the season for Oakland when it will host Bowling Green at the OU Credit Union O’rena at 7 p.m.
Following that, Oakland will head south for its annual international tournament. This year, Kampe will take his team to the Cayman Islands, where they will compete from Nov. 19-21.
Horizon League play is set to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 29, against Detroit on the road at Calihan Hall.
