EAST LANSING — Oakland and Greg Kampe have yet to figure out how to beat Michigan State basketball in 23 meetings all-time.
Tom Izzo knows that could change any time. Maybe this year.
“You start asking yourself when,” the MSU coach said after practice Thursday, Dec. 18. “How many times do you beat a team in a row that’s well-coached and a damn good team?”
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The ninth-ranked Spartans (10-1) hope No. 24 won’t be the charm when they take on the Golden Grizzlies (6-6) at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday (noon, Big Ten Network).
The past nine meetings have all been decided by double-digits, with an average margin of victory for MSU of 17.4 points. Still, there have been some close calls, such as the 2015 meeting at The Palace of Auburn Hills, in which MSU squeaked out a six-point win in overtime. Likewise, 2013’s game at the Palace was a four-point affair, and 2010’s game there was decided by merely one point, 77-76, by a Spartans squad ranked No. 7 at the time.
Here is what to watch for when the nearly annual MSU-Oakland rivalry renews for the 24th time.
Seeking improvement
Michigan State’s Jesse McCulloch, left, dunks as Toledo’s Sean Craig defends during the first half on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
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The Spartans are off to their best start since opening 15-1 during the 2017-18 campaign. That team, with Cassius Winston, Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr., won the Big Ten title but stumbled in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in the same building MSU faces Oakland at Saturday.
While this MSU squad doesn’t have that same elite star power, Izzo knows that this is when he begins molding his group for an extended postseason stay. That has included additional practices since beating Toledo on Tuesday night, 92-69.
“Some of my former guys call and say, ‘Hey, this is when we get better,’” Izzo said. “They all know the drill. They just gotta fight through it.”
Redshirt freshman forward Jesse McCulloch said practicing two times a day last year was an adjustment that newcomers might not like but will benefit from in the long-term. Like he did last season while sitting out.
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“It was really hard, especially as a freshman. Your body’s gotta get used to it,” he said. “But now this time, your body’s adjusted. You just gotta go play hard each and every practice and take each practice seriously.”
Ugly sweaters
EAST LANSING, MI – DECEMBER 21: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans (R) talks with head coach Greg Kampe of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies before the game at Breslin Center on December 21, 2022 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
Yet this game is not all about seriousness. And in what has emerged as one of the more festive new traditions, Izzo and Kampe have again agreed to wear ugly sweaters on the sideline during the game that typically happens during the holiday season.
The first time they both donned their apparel was in 2022 at Breslin Center, with Izzo sporting a green elf shirt to Kampe’s green-and-black “Merry Grinchmas” relaxed button-down collared number.
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After a one-year hiatus, the two coaches revived it last year at Little Caesars Arena and took it one step farther. Both wore identical lime green sweaters, with stitched-out etchings of the Grinch’s face on them, as the Spartans knocked off Oakland, 77-58, then sat next to each other in a joint postgame press conference like a pair of twins in matching outfits.
“I feel like an idiot half of the time. How would you be Grinch and get a (technical foul). That’s not so much fun,” Izzo said Thursday. “It was all his idea. I just went along with it. And now it’s become a tradition. And it’s actually a pretty good tradition.”
This year is Izzo’s turn to pick out what they will wear. He said he planned to give Kampe his sweater Friday, which Izzo got from his West Michigan beach house neighbor who put them together from a company she works for in Chicago. Stay tuned for the mirth and merriment Saturday.
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Oakland update
Nov 7, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oakland Golden Grizzlies guard Brody Robinson (55) drives to the basket against Purdue Boilermakers guard Jack Benter (14) during the second half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
Kampe’s team has played a gantlet early that started with three straight road losses: at No. 1 Michigan (121-78), No. 6 Purdue (87-77) and No. 8 Houston (78-45). The Grizzlies also lost road games at Central Florida (87-83) and Eastern Michigan (97-91).
Since that 1-5 start, Oakland has won five of six, including a 98-97 home win over Toledo on Dec. 6. The Grizzlies face the Spartans on short rest after Wednesday’s 82-77 road win at Northern Kentucky.
“Kampe’s Kampe. He does an unbelievable job,” Izzo said of his close friend, who got Izzo and MSU to open Oakland’s arena in 1998 to start the rivalry after the Grizzlies moved up from Division II. “He plays the most screwed-up zone. He keps telling me he knows what he’s doing, but I don’t believe him. They’re confused, we’re confused, he’s confused, everybody’s confused. But he’s had some success because he gets his guys to play very hard.”
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Brody Robinson, a 5-foot-11 senior guard who arrived via transfer from UT-Arlington, leads Oakland at 16.3 points and 6.1 points a game as one of four players scoring in double figures. Forward Isaac Garrett, a 6-8 junior transfer from Snow College in Utah, adds 15.2 points and a team-leading 6.9 rebounds, while Michael Hogue (6-7 forward), Tuburu Naivalurua (8-8 forward) and Ziare Wells (6-6 guard) combine for 37.9 points and 15.8 boards and give Kampe unusual size and strength compared to some of his previous teams over his 42 seasons as Oakland’s coach.
Chris Solari’s prediction
While Kampe has a bigger team than usual, the Golden Grizzlies’ defense has been suspect against elite competition. Expect Coen Carr to take advantage of that and shake out of a recent slump, while Izzo gets to once again play the Grinch and spoil Kampe’s quest for a first win in the series. The pick: MSU 82, Oakland 66.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball looking for 24th straight win vs Oakland
