#9 Oilers to Face Wright State/Dayton this Weekend
The Oilers, ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II Bulletin Preseason Poll, will open their season with a pair of exhibition games in Dayton, Ohio. The Oilers will face Wright State University on Friday, Nov. 1 before taking on the University of Dayton on Saturday, Nov. 2. Both contests are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Sights and Sounds
All Oilers basketball games can be heard on 88.3 FM "WLFC" or on the internet via their web site.
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 the internet. You can watch the games live by clicking on the following link:
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 window located on the left side of the Oilers athletic website.
Center Court with Charlie Ernst
Don't forget to tune into 88.3 FM "WLFC" for Center Court with Charlie Ernst. The radio show will be broadcast live from Fricker's every Monday evening during the season. The first show will be aired live from 7-8 pm on Monday, Nov. 4. Fans are encouraged to attend the show so they can listen live over the sound system and enjoy the great food Fricker's has to offer.
Fans are also encouraged to send questions in for coach Ernst through Twitter. Please send questions during the show to Tim Montgomery and Jason Granger at @Oilersonair.
To find an archive of the show, please click below:
Center Court with Charlie Ernst
For more information on Fricker's, please click below:
Series Information
The Oilers and Raiders have met twice before with Findlay coming out on top both times.
The two programs first met during the regular season of the 1970-71 campaign. Findlay came away with an 87-67 win in the game.
They two basketball teams then faced off against each other again again during the 1986-87 campaign and the Oilers escaped with a 72-69 victory.
Although the Oilers and Flyers have never met in the regular season, they have been playing each other in exhibition contests for several years now.
Last season the Flyers defeated the Oilers by a score of 77-58 during the preseason. The Oilers only shot 31.4 percent from the floor and were out-rebounded 46-28. The Flyers also held a 48-10 advantage in points in the paint.
Jake Heagen led the Oilers with 14 points and six rebounds while Greg Kahlig registered 13 points on 3-of-8 shooting.
Mark Frilling added eight points and five rebounds while Dylan Kaufman scored eight points off the bench.
Last Time Out
The Oilers were eliminated by #7 Drury University in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Division II National Tournament. The Panthers topped the Oilers by a score of 89-77 and eventually marched their way to the 2013 NCAA Division II National Championship.
Greg Kahlig led the Oilers with 20 points on 5-of-14 shooting while Brad Piehl had 16 points and seven boards.
Aaron Robinson added 13 points, making four triples, while Jack Smith scored nine points off the bench.
Jake Heagen threw down two vicious dunks en route to eight points while Dylan Kaufman recorded six points in only seven minutes of play off the pine.
The Panthers were led by Brandon Lockhart's 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Alex Hall, the Midwest Region Player of the Year, chipped in 17 points as well.
The Oilers concluded their season with a 22-8 record.
Findlay
The Oilers were picked as one of the top teams to watch this season as they are ranked ninth nationally according to the NCAA Division II Bulletin poll.
The Oilers will return a total of ten players who saw action in games last year and will also welcome back three starters.
Findlay won their second consecutive GLIAC Tournament championship last season and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the 11th time in the past 12 years.
The Oilers ended last season with a 22-8 record and were ranked 22nd in the country in the final poll of the year.
Findlay Men's Basketball Links
Wright State
The Raiders were recently picked to finish second in the Horizon League after finishing last year with a 23-13 record.
Wright State received a league-best 22 first place votes in the poll while senior Cole Darling was named preseason all-conference.
Darling averaged 11.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last year for the Raiders.
Wright State Men's Basketball Links
Dayton
The Flyers were picked to finish seventh in the preseason Atlantic 10 poll after posting a 17-14 record last year.
Senior Vee Sanford returns after averaging 12.3 points per game while former Ohio State Buckeye Jordan Sibert will be eligible to take the court this year for the Flyers.
The Flyers have already played one exhibition game, defeating Ryerson by a score of 89-62 on Oct. 26.
Dyshawn Pierre led the way with 16 points and 12 rebounds while Sibert had 17 points.
Dayton Men's Basketball Links
An Elite Program
The Oilers have the second best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 332 games and lost only 73 for an overall winning percentage of .820.
Preseason Rankings
The Oilers are ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II Bulletin preseason poll.
The Oilers won their second straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament title last year under the guidance of head coach Charlie Ernst.
Findlay finished last year ranked 22nd in the nation with a 22-8 record. They reached the NCAA Division II National Tournament, but were eliminated in the first round by Drury University, who eventually claimed the national title.
Preseason All-American
Senior forward Greg Kahlig was picked as a preseason All-American by NCAA Division II Bulletin after being named first team all-region and first team all-conference last year for the Oilers.
The Ft. Recovery, Ohio native averaged 17.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game during his junior season. He also shot 48.9 percent from the floor, 44.1 percent from behind the three point line and 84.6 percent from the charity stripe.
Racking up the Victories
The Oilers have been playing basketball since the 1902-03 campaign and have amassed a 1,443-859-2 (.626) record since their initial season of competition.
1,000-Point Club
Senior forward Greg Kahlig ranks 36th all-time at Findlay with 1,141 career points. He is chasing Lee Himmeger (1953-56) and Ron Marquette (1952-55) for 34th place on the all-time scoring list as both players poured in 1,162 points during their time with the Oilers.
A Tough Place to Play
The Oilers are 543-112 (.829) in Croy Gymnasium since they starting playing home games there during the 1969-70 season. The number is even better in the past ten years as the Oilers are a staggering 153-4 at home for a winning percentage of .975.
Dominating GLIAC Home Games
The Oilers have won 86 of their last 87 regular season conference games at home. They fell 57-55 to Tiffin University on Jan. 12, 2013. Before that game, their last loss came in 70-68 fashion against Gannon University on February 12, 2004.
Handling Non-Conference Foes
The Oilers have posted a 67-3 record (.957) against non-conference opponents in games played at Croy Gymnasium during the past ten years.
Their last loss at home to a non-conference team came against #1 West Liberty State by a score of 90-74 on Nov. 14, 2012.
GLIAC Tournament Success
The Oilers sport a 28-6 record in the GLIAC Tournament, winning titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.
Findlay has appeared in the championship game of the event nine times in the past 11 years. They reached the finals in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.
The Oilers have captured seven GLIAC Tournament titles, the most in league history. Their win in the 2013 tournament gave them two in a row away from home, the first time a school has ever accomplished the feat in the GLIAC.
Taking Care of Business
The Oilers have never lost a GLIAC Tournament game at home. Since 2002-03, the Oilers have an 19-0 record in GLIAC Tournament games within the friendly confines of Croy Gymnasium.
The 20-Win Plateau
The Oilers have achieved 20 wins in each of the past 12 years and sport a sparkling 313-64(.830) record since the 2001-02 campaign.
Dancing
The Oilers have appeared in 11 out of the last 12 NCAA Division II National Tournaments with a 16-10 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.
Conference Championships
The Oilers have won 11 GLIAC South Division titles in their 16-year affiliation with the conference and have also won seven conference tournaments, capturing titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Their seven tournament titles are the most in GLIAC history.
In the last 12 years, the Oilers have won ten GLIAC South Division titles. Overall, Findlay has won GLIAC South Division titles in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013.
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: