The Michigan basketball team will begin its national title defense on Monday night against a familiar foe in Greg Kampe and the Oakland Grizzlies.
An in-state school, Kampe has been the head coach at Oakland for 42 years. This will be his 43rd season, so it will be a good tune-up as Mike Boynton makes his debut as the Michigan basketball head coach.
The Wolverines will have just one starter returnning from last season's team: Elliot Cadeau. However, Trey McKenney was a key player off the bench, while Roddy Gayle has 72 career starts, with 26 coming for the Michigan basketball program.
Looking ahead to the 2026-27 season opener, here is the complete guide, starting with how to watch.
How to watch Michigan vs. Oakland
- Date: Monday, November 2nd
- Time: 6:00 PM EST
- Venue: Crister Center
- How to watch (TV): Big Ten Network
- Streaming: FuboTV/Fox Sports APP
- No. 16 Michigan record: 0-0
Michigan vs. Oakland odds
Michigan is a 26.5-point favorite for tonight's game against Oakland. The over/under is 156.5.
What to know about Oakland
According to Mgoblue.com, the Grizzlies have revamped their roster going into the 2026-27 season.
"The Golden Grizzlies were picked fourth in the Horizon League preseason poll and bring back just two players who saw action last season -- Nassim Mashhour and Warren Marshall IV. Oakland added several transfers, including Belal El Shakery (New Hampshire), Chris Fields Jr. (Campbell) and RJ Taylor (Northern Iowa), as it looks to replace much of last season's roster.
Nassim Mashhour played in just 10 games last season, starting all 10. He averaged 9.3 points, 1.2 assists and shot 37 percent from deep. Belal El Shakery (6-foot-8) was the Grizzlies best get in the portal. He averaged 11 points and eight rebounds last season for New Hampshire.
Michigan is ranked 28th in the Kenpom rankings. Oakland is ranked 188th to start the season.
Michigan vs. Oakland prediction
The Grizzlies are always well-coached. They want to play fast and score a lot of points. Michigan wants to play the same way, just with suffocating defense sprinkled in.
Boynton was known as a defensive guru as Oklahoma State's head coach. So don't expect a drop-off on that end of the floor. Trey McKenney will start his Big Ten Player of the Year campaign with a 20-point game. Cadeau will have around 20 points and 10 assists, and the Wolverines roll to a 98-71 win.
Keep an eye on Quinn Costello, too. Don't be surprised to see him knock down multiple 3-pointers in his Michigan basketball debut.
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