Oakland and No. 7 Michigan might be located roughly an hour from each other, but they don’t have an extensive shared history.
The season-opening game between the two teams Nov. 3 in Ann Arbor will mark just their second matchup since 2011 and the first since 2020.
Michigan enters this season with great expectations after bringing in several high-profile transfers following a Big Ten tournament title and a Sweet 16 appearance last season.
The frontcourt could be the best in the country, with potential NBA lottery pick Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB) and potential first-rounders Aday Mara (UCLA) and Morez Johnson (Illinois) having transferred to the program.
Also coming in is point guard Elliot Cadeau from North Carolina. Add returnees L.J. Cason, Roddy Gayle, Nimari Burnett and Will Tschetter, and a highly touted freshman in Trey McKenney, and it’s no wonder why Michigan has Final Four aspirations.
“The expectations, we’re not going to shy away from them,” second-year Michigan head coach Dusty May said. “We think we have a very talented roster. We have a group that works well together. They’re connected at this point in the year. So, it’s just a matter of can we continue to block out all the outside noise throughout the season and focus on what’s important and not get too high or too low.”
The most high-profile newcomer is Lendeborg, a 6-foot-9 player with a 7-4 wingspan who can play every position on the court. He attended the NBA Draft combine but eventually withdrew his name to take a reported multi-million-dollar NIL package from Michigan.
“He’s as much of a guard as just about anyone on the roster, and so his versatility is unique,” May said.
The first test for Michigan will be an Oakland squad that also had a lot of roster turnover, but more so out of necessity, being a small program in this NIL age.
Oakland does have a prominent veteran back in senior forward Tuburu Naivalurua, who was named the Horizon League’s Preseason Player of the Year.
Greg Kampe, who is entering his 42nd year as head coach at Oakland, is also excited about transfer guards Brody Robinson and Khoi Thurmon, who he said will give him two reliable point guards.
Following an exhibition win over Alma College, Kampe said his team will be different in that it hopes to use its zone defense and increased depth to play games at an over 80-possession pace instead of games with possessions in the high 60s.
“Playing at 80-plus possessions, what’s going to happen with that zone?” Kampe said. “The zone beats you up, and it’s supposed to take time off the clock. We’re trying to make them shoot twos. … We want them getting shots early in the shot clock if we are going to play like this. That’s all new for me. It’s new for me to play that many players. (I’m) an old guy who has been around for a long time and has a lot of new things on his plate. We’ll have to figure out how to eat them.”
–Field Level Media
