Michigan State Defeats Oakland, 77-58, at Little Caesars Arena While Michigan-Native College Basketball Coaches Revel in Special Bond

DETROIT – 14,416 combined wins, 71 combined seasons and two matching Grinch sweaters.

That’s what longtime friends Oakland head coach Greg Kampe and Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo brought to the December 17 College Basketball in The D matchup in front of 12,011 fans at Little Caesars Arena.

In the end, Michigan State defeated Oakland, 77-58, but Kampe, in his 41st season as Oakland’s coach, said the final score was the least important aspect of the night.

“For me, it’s the most important game (of the season). And it’s not because I want to win,” Kampe said to more than 30 media members after the game. “I tell (my players) I don’t care about the results. This is all for them. We get to play, in my opinion, the best college basketball coach maybe ever. It’s our state, and we get to play at Little Caesars Arena, the mecca of basketball in the state against a blue blood team. We’re on that stage for one night every year. And that’s for them. It’s a memory for a lifetime.”

The matchup was the fourth between Oakland and Michigan State all-time at Little Caesars Arena and it marked the 13th straight season the two in-state, intraconference teams have faced each other.

The loss dropped Oakland (3-6 record this season, 1-1 Horizon League) to 0-23 all-time against Michigan State, but Kampe said despite the losing streak, he wants to keep MSU on the schedule every season because of the special atmosphere of each matchup and the bond he shares with Izzo.

“This is what basketball is supposed to be,” Kampe said. “We like Michigan State players, they like us. That (postgame) handshake line was like brothers going through. We all cheer for each other. It’s the two longest-tenured coaches in the country from the same state that love their state. That’s why I do it.”

With the win, Michigan State improved to 9-2 (1-1 Big Ten) this season, and Izzo said he was thrilled with the Spartans’ crowd support in Detroit.

“I can’t thank our crowd enough,” Izzo said after the game. “The number of people from Michigan State that showed up, that’s why I play (this game). So, people that never see us can see us. A lot of times, those people don’t get to get into Breslin (Center), and I greatly appreciate (the support). The crowd was awesome.”

Izzo, 69, said the matching Grinch sweaters were Kampe’s idea and said Kampe purchased the sweaters before the game. Kampe crashed the end of Izzo’s postgame press conference, and the 69-year-old Oakland coach asked the assembled media a question.

“Have you ever seen the coaches wear the exact same shirt at a game before? It’s a first, right here at Little Caesars Arena,” Kampe said. "And they think we’re old, right? They think we can’t relate to these young kids.”

Izzo summed up the coaches’ special relationship with a simple sentence.

“Me and Kamp, boy,” Izzo said. “Brothers for life.”

The next scheduled college basketball action at Little Caesars Arena is the 2028 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament and the 2028 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Regional, both set for March 2028. But if Izzo and Kampe have anything to do with it, a sooner Oakland and Michigan State matchup in Detroit is inevitable.

“As long as, for the state of Michigan, we can do this, I’m going to be involved,” Kampe said. “To play at the mecca of basketball, Little Caesars Arena, to play Michigan State, to be on this stage, it’s something the (players) are going to remember for the rest of their lives, and that’s why I want this game every year.”

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GAME STATS & NOTES:

• Michigan State sophomore forward Xavier Booker led all scorers with a career-high 18 points.
• Oakland senior guard and Pontiac, Mich., native DQ Cole led Oakland with 17 points, including 15 in the first half.
• Michigan State’s stifling defense held Oakland scoreless for the first 3:35 of the game and held the Golden Grizzlies to just 10 points for the first 10:02 of game action.
• MSU led by only one point, 31-30, at halftime, and Oakland held a brief 19-18 lead in the first half.
• Eight players from the state of Michigan played in the game, and both rosters have 11 combined players from Michigan.
• Michigan State went on a 13-3 run with just under eight minutes remaining to put the game away.

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(Photos Courtesy of Clarence Round, Oakland University)