At the midway point of the Summit League season, the Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball team has cruised to a 9-0 start with a win over each of the other teams in the conference.

Oakland University won all of those games by at least seven points and has rarely trailed on the scoreboard at any point. In the second halves of their nine league games, the Grizzlies have only trailed for a combined 2:43 of game time.

Saturday’s win over North Dakota State gave OU sole possession of a conference record 17th consecutive win over league opponents, a goal which head coach Greg Kampe and his players had been intent on accomplishing since last season. But the focus now shifts to bigger pursuits.

“Up on our goal board, the main goals are to win the league and tournament championships, and after that it’d be to advance in the NCAA Tournament, but we’ve gotta accomplish those other goals first,” Kampe said.

The team’s dominance has garnered praise from coaches around the league, who have struggled to put together a game plan to keep pace with Oakland’s high-powered offense.

“I don’t think we’re going to see another team like this in 30 years, they’re that good,” IPFW coach Dane Fife said after losing to OU on Jan. 15. “(Oakland) is a very, very good basketball team. Then you throw in the two big guys (Keith Benson and Will Hudson) who can start for most Big Ten teams. It’s an unbelievable team.”

The Grizzlies survived their toughest road trip of the conference season in the last two weeks thanks largely to their depth off the bench, which compensated for slow nights from some of the starters.

The emergence of freshman guard Ryan Bass has given Oakland yet another reliable contributor to insert into the lineup.

“Bass has been outstanding lately,” Kampe said. “The Fort Wayne game was the key game for him because we were in so much foul trouble he knew we couldn’t take him out, and that’s what really turned his season around.”

Senior Larry Wright’s return to health also proved critical to defeating North Dakota State on Saturday. Wright, who did not start, scored 20 points in 24 minutes on a night when the Grizzlies appeared vulnerable to an upset.

After nearly three weeks of the Grizzlies playing away from home, fans will have a chance to attend a pair of games as part of Homecoming week on Thursday and Saturday.

While the prospect of running the table against the Summit League a second time through will prove more difficult as opponents will have greater familiarity with OU, the toughest stretches of the schedule have passed.

“That’s what makes the conference season so difficult because everybody knows everybody,” Kampe said. “The good for us is that we’ve played the contenders on the road already, except for IUPUI. If you look at (the schedule), that’s the silver lining of it and now we just have to hold home court.”

With just five games at the O’rena remaining, Kampe said tickets are already scarce and sellouts are expected.

Noticeably absent from Kampe’s list of goals for his team is an 18-0 record in the conference — a feat which has never been accomplished. Kampe said it’s not something he’s giving thought to as he knows how quickly that type of thinking could lead to a loss.

Thursday’s matchup with Oral Roberts figures to be a defining game, as the Golden Eagles are jockeying for position within in the Summit standings.

“I think it’s going to be a war Thursday. They’ve got a very favorable schedule too and this is a big week for (ORU) with us and IPFW on the road. This is a key game and maybe the most important game we’ve played so far.”