#17 Oilers Face Ashland, Wayne State
The University of Findlay men's basketball team, ranked 17th in the NABC/NCAA Division II poll, play a pair of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contests this week against Ashland University and Wayne State University. The Oilers will travel to Ashland, Ohio to take on the Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and then return home to face the Warriors at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday in Croy Gymnasium.
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 57-25 advantage in the all-time series dating back to the 1910-11 campaign when Findlay was victorious by a score of 35-10.
Last season, the Oilers swept the Eagles after winning 72-58 at home and 70-58 on the road.
In the win at home, Kyle Caiola led the Oilers with 17 points while Greg Kahlig tallied 15 points and nine rebounds.
In the win at Ashland, Kyle Caiola led the team with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting while Tyler Sparks (12) and Aaron Robinson (12) also reached double figures in the game.
Brad Piehl played outstanding off the bench, scoring nine points to go along with nine rebounds while Nathan Hyde chipped in eight points and a career-high ten rebounds.
The Oilers hold a 22-15 advantage in the all-time series against Wayne State dating back to the 1990-91 campaign when they came out on top by a score of 80-79.
The two programs split their regular season series last year with each team winning on their home floor, but the Warriors knocked the Oilers out of the GLIAC Tournament with a 73-64 victory in the semifinals.
In the Oilers 91-68 loss at Wayne State, Kyle Caiola led the team with 19 points while Nathan Hyde contributed 17.
Jack Smith also broke into double figures with 13 points in the loss.
In the Oilers 73-71 win at home, Nathan Hyde hit 8-of-11 shots and finished with 24 points to lead the team.
In the GLIAC Tournament, Nathan Hyde scored 18 points while Kyle Caiola added 17.
The University of Findlay
The Oilers crushed Goshen College by a score of 83-59 on Thursday, December 29 in Croy Gymnasium. The victory gave the Oilers a 10-2 record on the season.
The Oilers shot 48.3 percent (29-of-60) from the floor and hit 8-of-14 (57.1%) shots from three point range. They also recorded 44 rebounds and made 13 steals in the win.
Goshen meanwhile hit on only 33.3 percent (22-of-66) of their field goal attempts and were limited to a 6-of-27 (22.2%) showing from behind the three point line.
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig led the team with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, hitting all three of his three point tries.
Junior forward Brad Piehl and junior guard Aaron Robinson each added 12 points while freshman forward Jake Heagen recorded a double-double with ten points and 11 boards.
Robinson also added eight rebounds and three assists while senior guard Kyle Caiola contributed nine points, four assists and four steals.
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:
Ashland University
The Eagles are 5-6 on the year with a 1-4 record in the GLIAC.
Evan Yates leads the conference in both scoring and rebounding as he averages 21.1 points and 13.5 boards per game.
Yates has recorded eight double-doubles on the season and leads the nation in rebounds per game.
For Ashland's 2011-12 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Ashland's 2011-12 roster, please click on the following link:
Wayne State University
The Warriors have an 8-3 record on the season and are a perfect 5-0 in conference play.
Mike Hollingsworth leads the team with an average of 17.2 points per game while Ike Udanoh has recorded 15.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per outing thus far.
Cole Prophet and Ian Larkin are also scoring in double figures on a nightly basis, averaging 13.1 and 12.2 points per game, respectively.
For Wayne State's 2011-12 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Wayne State's 2011-12 roster, please click on the following link:
Lighting Up the Scoreboard
The Oilers are averaging 82.2 points per game on the season, the best mark in the GLIAC.
The last time the Oilers averaged over 80.0 points per game in a season came during the 2001-02 campaign when they scored 86.4 points per contest.
Individually, sophomore forward Greg Kahlig ranks 16th with 13.8 points per contest while senior guard Kyle Caiola is 22nd at 13.0 points per outing.
Pounding the Boards
The Oilers are ranked first in the GLIAC in rebounds per game at 39.6 and lead the conference with 27.1 defensive rebounds per outing.
Individually, sophomore forward Greg Kahlig leads the team and ranks 15th in the league with 5.9 rebounds per game.
Junior forward Jack Smith also shows up in the league leaders, ranking 17th with 5.8 rebounds per contest.
Swatting Shots
The Oilers are averaging 4.1 blocks per game on the season, the second best mark in the league.
Individually, sophomore forward Mark Frilling ranks 11th in the GLIAC with 1.1 blocked shots per game.
Making Shots
As a team, the Oilers are connecting on 47.8 percent of their field goal attempts, which is the second best mark in the league.
Individually, junior foward Brad Piehl ranks first in the GLIAC in field goal shooting percentage, hitting 60.5 percent of his tries.
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig checks in eighth with a 55.5 percent shooting clip.
Grand Theft
The Oilers lead the conference and rank 16th in the nation in steals per game with 10.6 per contest.
Individually, sophomore forward Greg Kahlig is ranked tenth in the league in steals per game at 1.6 while senior guard Kyle Caiola sits 12th with 1.5 steals per outing.
Spreading the Wealth
The Oilers rank second in the GLIAC with 15.9 assists per game.
Individually, senior guard Kyle Caiola is ranked sixth in the GLIAC in assists per game with 3.7 per contest.
Automatic from the Line
Senior guard Kyle Caiola is hitting 92.5 percent of his free throw attempts on the year, the second best mark in the league and the 14th best percentage in the nation.
In addition, junior forward Jack Smith ranks ninth with a 86.1 percent shooting clip from the line while junior forward Brad Piehl checks in tenth with a 85.0 percent showing from the charity stripe.
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig also shows up in the league leaders, sitting 14th with an 81.6 percent shooting clip from the free throw line.
As a team, the Oilers are shooting 75.7 percent from the line, the best mark in the GLIAC.
Stroking 3's
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig ranks eighth in the GLIAC in three point shooting percentage, hitting 43.3 percent of his attempts.
Senior guard Kyle Caiola is also shooting the ball well from long range, draining 43.2 percent of his three point attempts, the ninth best mark in the league.
As a team, the Oilers are hitting 35.6 percent of their three pointers, which is the fourth best mark in the GLIAC.
They are also making 6.5 three pointers per contest, the fifth best total in the conference.
Defense Wins Championships
The Oilers are allowing 67.2 points per game, the seventh best mark in the GLIAC.
The Oilers are also holding opponents to a mere 40.0 percent shooting clip, the second best mark in the league.
Taking Care of the Rock
Senior guard Kyle Caiola ranks fourth in the GLIAC in assist to turnover ratio at 1.8 on the year.
Simply the Best
The Oilers have the best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 296 games and lost only 59 for a percentage of .834.
A Tough Place to Play
The Oilers are 522-110 (.826) 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 146-3 at home for a winning percentage of .980.
Dominating GLIAC Home Games
The Oilers have won 70 straight GLIAC games at home during the regular season.
Their last loss at home in conference play came in 70-68 fashion against Gannon University on February 12, 2004.
Handling Non-Conference Foes
The Oilers have posted a 78-4 record (.951) against non-conference opponents in games played at Croy Gymnasium during the past ten years.
Putting the Ball in the Hole
Senior guard Kyle Caiola has been a tremendous scorer during his career and has racked up 1,591 points during his tenure at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and The University of Findlay.
Playing his first two seasons at Massachusetts-Lowell, Caiola scored 1,043 points. He has since scored 548 with the Oilers after transferring in last season.
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.
Passing Their Way into the Record Book
The Oilers dished out a school record 30 assists in their lopsided 98-57 win over Notre Dame (Ohio) on December 3.
The previous record of 28 was established twice before in a 94-45 win over Rio Grande (12/22/2007) and a 99-67 win against Lake Erie (11/27/2006).
Breaking Board Records
The Oilers broke a school record in their first game of the season after snatching 63 rebounds in their 92-62 win at home over Ohio Valley on November 12.
The previous record of 56 rebounds came in a 102-54 win against Tiffin on December 18, 2001.
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 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. Metropolitan State, Colo. (5) 12-0
2. Southern Indiana (1) 10-0
3. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. (1) 12-0
4. Kentucky Wesleyan (1) 10-0
5. Bellarmine, Ky. 9-1
6. Cal Poly Pomona 8-0
7. West Liberty, W.Va. 10-1
8. Fort Hays State, Kan. 9-1
9. Tarleton State, Texas 10-1
10. Winona State, Minn. 10-1
11. Northern Kentucky 10-0
12. Colorado School of Mines 10-1
13. Alabama-Huntsville 8-2
14. Missouri Southern 11-2
15. Bowie State, Md. 8-1
16. Midwestern State, Texas 11-0
17. Findlay, Ohio 10-2
18. Alaska-Anchorage 9-2
19. Minnesota State-Moorhead 9-0
20. Indiana, Pa. 8-2
21. Augustana, S.D. 8-2
22. Arkansas Tech 8-2
23. Western Washington 12-2
24. Benedict, S..C. 3-1
25. West Georgia 13-1
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: