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The Wolverines began last season’s national championship campaign with a home game against the Golden Grizzlies.
The two teams are going to run it back again — same date, same place.
Michigan will kick off its national title defense and the Mike Boynton Jr. era by hosting Oakland in the 2026-27 season opener on Nov. 3 at Crisler Center, according to a signed game contract obtained by The Detroit News through a Freedom of Information Act request.
This marks the third consecutive year the two in-state programs will square off. Two seasons ago, Michigan beat Oakland in a charity exhibition at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Last season, the Wolverines dominated in a 121-78 rout in Ann Arbor.
Overall, it’ll be the 11th all-time meeting between the two programs during the regular season. Michigan holds a 9-1 edge in the series, has won the past eight matchups and is 7-0 in games played at Crisler Center, though Oakland nearly pulled off the upset in an overtime loss in Ann Arbor in November 2020.
Oakland’s lone victory against Michigan came in November 2000 at the O’Rena in Rochester.
Both sides will look much different compared to a year ago. The Wolverines lost former coach Dusty May to the NBA as well as their top three scorers and the bulk of their rotation from a 37-win team that won the Big Ten regular-season title and captured the program’s first national title since 1989. Longtime Oakland coach Greg Kampe returns just one of his top seven scorers from last season’s team that finished 16-16 overall and tied for third in the Horizon League at 12-8.
In addition to Oakland, Michigan will host the College of William & Mary on Nov. 15 as part of its nonconference schedule. It’ll mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
William & Mary went 20-12 last season under second-year coach Brian Earl and finished tied for fifth in the 13-team Coastal Athletic Association with a 10-8 record. The Tribe ranked in the top 10 nationally in average possession length (13.7 seconds; No. 1), adjusted tempo (72.6 possessions per game; No. 7) and assist rate (63.8%; No. 9), per KenPom, and ranked No. 31 in scoring offense at 83.1 points per game.
Michigan will pay Oakland and William & Mary each $90,000 for the games, according to the signed contracts. Tip times and TV designations for both contests will be announced at a later date.
The rest of Michigan’s nonconference slate includes a national title game rematch against UConn in Boston (Nov. 6), a home game against Marquette (Nov. 11), a neutral-site clash against Duke (Dec. 21) and a trip to Villanova (date TBD). The Wolverines will also face Creighton (Nov. 24) in the first of at least three games at the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week.
[email protected]
@jamesbhawkins
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan basketball to host Oakland in 2026-27 season opener
Continue reading...
The two teams are going to run it back again — same date, same place.
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Michigan will kick off its national title defense and the Mike Boynton Jr. era by hosting Oakland in the 2026-27 season opener on Nov. 3 at Crisler Center, according to a signed game contract obtained by The Detroit News through a Freedom of Information Act request.
This marks the third consecutive year the two in-state programs will square off. Two seasons ago, Michigan beat Oakland in a charity exhibition at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Last season, the Wolverines dominated in a 121-78 rout in Ann Arbor.
Overall, it’ll be the 11th all-time meeting between the two programs during the regular season. Michigan holds a 9-1 edge in the series, has won the past eight matchups and is 7-0 in games played at Crisler Center, though Oakland nearly pulled off the upset in an overtime loss in Ann Arbor in November 2020.
Oakland’s lone victory against Michigan came in November 2000 at the O’Rena in Rochester.
Both sides will look much different compared to a year ago. The Wolverines lost former coach Dusty May to the NBA as well as their top three scorers and the bulk of their rotation from a 37-win team that won the Big Ten regular-season title and captured the program’s first national title since 1989. Longtime Oakland coach Greg Kampe returns just one of his top seven scorers from last season’s team that finished 16-16 overall and tied for third in the Horizon League at 12-8.
In addition to Oakland, Michigan will host the College of William & Mary on Nov. 15 as part of its nonconference schedule. It’ll mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
William & Mary went 20-12 last season under second-year coach Brian Earl and finished tied for fifth in the 13-team Coastal Athletic Association with a 10-8 record. The Tribe ranked in the top 10 nationally in average possession length (13.7 seconds; No. 1), adjusted tempo (72.6 possessions per game; No. 7) and assist rate (63.8%; No. 9), per KenPom, and ranked No. 31 in scoring offense at 83.1 points per game.
Michigan will pay Oakland and William & Mary each $90,000 for the games, according to the signed contracts. Tip times and TV designations for both contests will be announced at a later date.
The rest of Michigan’s nonconference slate includes a national title game rematch against UConn in Boston (Nov. 6), a home game against Marquette (Nov. 11), a neutral-site clash against Duke (Dec. 21) and a trip to Villanova (date TBD). The Wolverines will also face Creighton (Nov. 24) in the first of at least three games at the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week.
[email protected]
@jamesbhawkins
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan basketball to host Oakland in 2026-27 season opener
Continue reading...
