#7 Oilers Head to Illinois-Springfield
The University of Findlay men's basketball team, ranked seventh in the NABC/NCAA Division II poll, will hit the road to face the University of Illinois-Springfield on Monday, November 28. The contest is scheduled to begin at 8:45 p.m. in Springfield, Illinois.
Sights and Sounds
All Oilers basketball games can be heard on 88.3 FM "WLFC" or on the internet via their website.
You can listen to the broadcast by clicking on the following link:
The University of Findlay will also broadcast all of their home basketball games on America One. The games can be viewed on your computer for a small fee by visiting the American One website at the following address:
UF athletics will also offer live stats for all home games. A link to this process can be retrieved by clicking on the live stats button located on the left side of the Oilers athletic website.
The Series
The Oilers hold a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series against the University of Illinois-Springfield.
The two programs met for the first time last season in Croy Gymnasium with the Oilers coming out on top by a score of 66-57.
Findlay held a 40-37 advantage on the glass as they aided their cause with 15 offensive rebounds. They also forced 16 turnovers and hit 17-of-21 (81%) shots from the charity stripe.
Nathan Hyde led the way with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He hit 4-of-8 shots from three point range and drilled all six of his attempts from the free throw line.
Kyle Caiola also reached double figures, scoring 15 points to go along with four rebounds and two steals.
Sean Samsel came off the bench to contribute eight points while Greg Kahlig added six points and four rebounds.
The University of Findlay
The Oilers had their best shooting night of the young season on Tuesday, November 22 en route to a 90-84 win over Cedarville University.
The Oilers shot a season-high 54.1 percent (33-of-61) from the field and drilled a season-best 11-of-19 (57.9%) shots from three point range.
The Yellow Jackets also shot well, hitting 50.9 percent (28-of-55) of their shots and 52.4 percent (11-of-21) of their triple tries.
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig scored a game-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting while junior guard Aaron Robinson canned a career-high 5-of-7 three point attempts en route to a season-high 17 points.
Junior forward Jack Smith had a solid all-around game with 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists while junior forward Brad Piehl contributed nine points, four assists and three steals.
Senior guard Kyle Caiola added eight points and four assists while sophomore forward Mark Frilling recorded eight points off the bench.
For Findlay's 2011-12 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Findlay's 2011-12 roster, please click on the following link:
University of Illinois-Springfield
The Prairie Stars are currently 1-3 on the season and are coming off of an 84-69 loss to Hillsdale College.
Lester Hart scored 19 points in the loss while Michael Fakuade chipped in 16 points and ten rebounds.
For Illinois-Springfield's 2011-12 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Illinois-Springfield's 2011-12 roster, please click on the following link:
Simply the Best
The Oilers have the best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 289 games and lost only 58 for a percentage of .833.
A Tough Place to Play
The Oilers are 516-110 (.824) in Croy Gymnasium since they starting playing home games there during the 1969-70 season.
In the past nine years, the Oilers are a staggering 140-3 at home for a winning percentage of .979.
Conference Championships
The Oilers have won ten GLIAC South Division titles in their 14-year affiliation with the conference and have also won five conference tournaments, capturing titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010.
In the last ten years, the Oilers have won nine GLIAC South Division titles.
GLIAC Tournament Success
The Oilers currently sport a 22-6 record in the GLIAC Tournament, winning titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Findlay has appeared in the championship game of the event seven times in the past nine years. They reached the finals in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
National Elite
The Oilers have appeared in nine of the last ten NCAA Division II National Tournaments with a 15-8 record, reaching the Elite Eight during the 2004-05 campaign and the Final Four in the 2008-09 season when they captured their first NCAA Division II National Championship.
They also reached the Sweet 16 during the 2007-08 campaign.
Preseason GLIAC Poll
The Oilers received a league-best 170 points and 20 first place votes in the 2011-12 Preseason GLIAC Poll, which was released on November 2.
They have won nine GLIAC South Division titles in the past ten years.
Preseason All-GLIAC
Senior guard Kyle Caiola was tabbed a first team all-conference pick while junior guard Aaron Robinson earned second team all-league honors during the preseason.
Caiola, who was a first team all-league pick last year, averaged 14.0 points per game last season.
Robinson, an all-defensive team selection last year, averaged 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2010-11.
Preseason Polls
The Oilers are ranked seventh in the initial National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll, which was released on Tuesday, November 1.
The Oilers are also ranked fifth in the Preseason Division II Bulletin Poll, which was released on Thursday, October 13.
The Oilers finished last season with a 24-4 record, winning their ninth GLIAC South Division title in the past ten years.
Preseason All-American
Senior guard Kyle Caiola was tabbed an honorable mention All-American by the Sporting News.
Caiola, a first team all-conference selection last year, averaged 14.0 points per game during his junior season.
NABC/NCAA Division II Poll
1. Bellarmine, Ky. (8 first place votes) 33-2
2. Alabama-Huntsville 29-5
3. BYU-Hawaii 22-9
4. Missouri Southern 26-5
5. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. 27-3
6. West Liberty, W.Va. 33-1
7. Findlay, Ohio 24-4
8. Tarleton State, Texas 24-6
9. Bowie State, Md. 23-6
10. Metropolitan State, Colo. 22-8
11. Central Oklahoma 30-4
12. Southern Indiana 24-6
13. Benedict, S.C. 21-8
14. Humboldt State, Calif. 26-4
15. Kentucky Wesleyan 19-10
16. Augustana, S.D. 18-9
17. Alaska-Anchorage 24-10
18. Colorado School of Mines 25-6
19. Indiana, Pa. 26-6
20. Saint Rose, N.Y. 22-9
21. Georgia Southwestern 20-9
22. Seattle Pacific, Wash. 20-10
23. Massachusetts-Lowell 20-10
24. Arkansas Tech 25-6
Helpful Links
For more information on the GLIAC, please click on the following link:
For more information on NCAA Division II Men's Basketball, please click on the following links: