Life as a mid-major college basketball team is defined by the term struggle. These teams struggle from the start of the basketball season in November until the end of December. This two-month time frame consists of the out-of-conference games in which the mids compete against the big schools at their arenas and amongst their fans for recognition, money, and wins when they are lucky enough to get them.
For the past two months, the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball team lived this struggle. They competed against some of the biggest and most historic basketball schools in the country: Syracuse, Michigan, Michigan State, Kansas State, and Iowa. They even picked up a win on the road against the University of Oregon Ducks. They did it all without their star senior, and they did it in a respectable manner, showcasing their toughness and heart on a national level.
When they were not playing the super schools, they took on regional foes such as Cleveland State, Green Bay, Eastern Michigan, and Toledo, accumulating a 3-1 record. These games proved that the Grizzlies are an area mid-major powerhouse always looking to execute well against the schools that compete with them for future student-athletes.
For our purposes, this struggle is important because it better prepares our team for conference season where true recognition can eventually be achieved. As a mid-major, winning the conference is the only sure way to make it to the vaunted NCAA Tournament in March. Here, 65 teams compete for the chance to win the national title. For smaller schools like Oakland, though, the chances to win the national title are one-in-a-million, yet simply being a part of the Madness has huge dividends. Not only is it a great opportunity for the players and the coaches (who can use the appearance for name dropping purposes while recruiting), but it also helps out the university in so many ways.
Since entering Division I play, the Golden Grizzlies have had just one NCAA berth, becoming one of the last two teams to make it into the field of 65 in 2005. They won a play-in game, earned a 16-seed, and played on a national stage against the eventual national champions. While the 28-point loss they endured may have stung a bit, that simple appearance in the tourney resulted in something funny: the highest spike in OU-related web searches in history.
As the graph illustrates, the highest point of web searches for “Oakland University” since 2004 was in March 2005. Similar graphs result from searches for “Oakland Golden Grizzlies,” “Golden Grizzlies,” and “Oakland Basketball.” And those aren’t small peaks. Try it for yourself.
What this all means is that the struggles the OU basketball players face are similar to those which the university faces in its quest for national recognition, prestige, and increased exposure. Both are constantly seeking to bolster themselves, yet they can not do so without the other, as these graphs display. In essence and perhaps to the chagrin of academic purists, the growth of a mid-major university is inherently connected to the growth of its mid-major athletics.
Yet growth in athletics and academia, just as it is in real life, is a struggle that perhaps never ends, especially on this level. Even with that said, both the university and the basketball team have showed their strength in the face of adversity. As we approach a new semester where student population may decrease because of tough economic times, we can not help but be positive about the future because OU arguably offers one of the best student experiences in the state. Likewise, as the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies approach conference season with some tough losses behind them, they must remember they fought hard and learned much in the past two months and are now more than prepared to make a solid showing in The Summit League.
It is now that the dream for national recognition begins. Conquering the Summit will not be easy as there are plenty of feisty teams we must face who have similar mindsets and experiences as our Grizzlies, but our team knows what it is like to struggle. They know how to tackle hardships and fight the foe all in the name of winning the game. Yet now, more than ever, constructing a simple string of wins can mean the difference between floundering and flourishing, not only for this team here and now, but for the future of the program and the university itself.
Here’s to a conference championship!
This is great. How can you get this to the team and coaches? It should give them a boost – from a booster-
The “Beginnings” could be great for recruitment of new students. I look forward to reading further articles when, as you state, may be frequent or infrequent.
Try to get this out there among the campus shareholders; eg students, alumni, and faculty. Well done!
Outstanding Mr. Mason, well done. The journey for that elusive #1 seed in South Dakota will not be won or lost by just a couple of players, it will take the effort of the whole roster.
Thanks for the comments. I agree it would be great to get some more readers and other points of view on these issues. We’ll be trying.
Also, to Ryan, I think team performances is all a part of that mid-major struggle. On this level, as you know, we can’t get stars who can will teams to conference championships alone, although there was that little dude from the SoCon last year, you know, the one with the dad named after a popular computer company.
What a wonderful article. I am an Admissions Adviser for Oakland University and would love to pass this article along. Oakland University despite the economic circumstances is growing and attracting many students due to its wonderful education that can be achieved at a low tuition rate. An excellent athletic department and great division 1 program allows students many opportunities to gain a quality education and also be involved with a great institution.
Good Article. Hit some points right on the money.
Awesome.