This week marks the 25th anniversary of the inaugural match at the O’rena, now known as the OU Credit Union O’rena, between the Oakland University men’s basketball team and the Michigan State University (MSU) Spartans.
More than 25 years ago, before the O’rena became the revered home of the Golden Grizzlies, the team was known as the Pioneers. They played their home games at the Lepley Sports Center, a venue that served the team well during their time in Division II.
However, as the school transitioned from Divison II to Divison I, the construction of the O’Rena began. Notably, during the construction of the O’Rena, the men’s basketball team played its home games in an inflatable bubble formally known as the Sports Dome.
Heading into the match, the Grizzlies retained a record of 1-2. The team’s first Division I win came after an upset over the Illinois State University Redbirds.
“We had a 16-point lead Sunday and hung on and won,” Oakland head coach Greg Kampe said in a 1988 press release. “Nobody could believe it. I’m not sure I believed it myself.”
In comparison, the Spartans entered the game undefeated through their first two games of the season and were ranked fifth in the AP Top 25 poll.
The Grizzlies opened the match in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 3,000 people. In the early possessions of the game, OU kept it close with the Spartans, refusing to let MSU pull ahead early.
Midway through the first half, a Brad Buddenborg 3-pointer was the highlight of a 17-10 Grizzly run, and the team remained just one point behind the Spartans at 27-26.
“I knew they had guys who could shoot the lights out,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. “But they surprised me at how well they could penetrate on the dribble.”
Following Buddenborg’s triple, Spartan guard Charlie Bell put on a show, sinking eight of the Spartans’ last 13 shots in the first half, as the Grizzlies trailed the Spartans 52-43 heading into the break.
In the second half, the Spartans started to pull away from the Grizzlies. Although OU shot an outstanding 47% from distance in the first half, they ran out of steam in the second. Remarkably, the Grizzlies took seven fewer 3-point attempts and shot just 13% from deep.
As the match progressed, MSU continued to wear down the Grizzlies, resulting in a Spartan victory as they defeated the Grizzlies 96-66.
Dan Champagne led the way for the Grizzlies with 30 points. However, it wasn’t enough, as three Spartan starters, Mateen Cleaves, Antonio Smith and Bell, each scored more than 20 points.
“I’ve got some kids that can play,” Kampe said. “Now everybody knows that Illinois State was not a fluke. But we’re not the No. 5 team in the country. Those kinds of fairy tales just don’t come true.”
Although the Grizzlies didn’t win their arena’s inaugural match, the team made a statement: they were here to stay and compete with the best competition that college basketball had to offer.
“Make sure you understand this,” Izzo said. “We didn’t play bad tonight. Oakland played well. In years to come, I think they’re going to have a good program. When they do, I hope they never invite me back.”
Throughout the men’s basketball team’s 25-year journey in Division I, Kampe has coached the entire time. Under Kampe’s steady leadership, the Grizzlies have retained an overall winning record of 425-376 since becoming a Division I program.
