Oilers Set for 2 Exhibition Games this Week
The University of Findlay men's basketball team will open their season with a pair of exhibition games this week. They will face Wright State on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. in Dayton, Ohio and then battle Toledo on Nov. 8 at 2:30 p.m. in Toledo, Ohio.
Ticket Information
Those wishing to get tickets to the Wright State contest can get them by clicking on this link:
The game against Toledo will be FREE to the public.
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:
Follow the Oilers on Social Media
Follow the Oilers on social media to keep up with all the exciting news surrounding UF athletics.
Series Information
The Oilers have never lost to the Raiders as they have a 2-0 record against Wright State in regular season games and a 1-0 mark against them in exhibition contests.
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 then faced off against each other again again during the 1986-87 campaign and the Oilers escaped with a 72-69 victory.
In an exhibition game last season, Findlay came away with an 80-76 win behind 20 points from Greg Kahlig.
Jake Heagen stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal while Dylan Kaufman contributed 11 points and three boards.
Findlay shot 55.6 percent (25-of-45) from the floor and also connected on 7-of-15 (46.7%) shot attempts from behind the three point line. They also held a 39-33 advantage on the boards and held the Raiders to a mere 37.3 percent (25-of-67) shooting clip.
The Oilers have played the Rockets 29 times in the regular season dating back to the 1910-11 campaign when Toledo won by a score of 42-27.
Findlay trails in the all-time series by a 21-8 margin and will be playing the Rockets for the first time since 1945 when Toledo upended the Oilers by a score of 40-32.
Findlay
The Oilers were picked to win the GLIAC South Division this season after receiving a league-high 125 points in the poll, which included 13 first place votes.
Findlay won their third consecutive GLIAC Tournament title last season, the first time a program has ever won three straight in league history, and completed the year with a 24-6 record. They qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament, but were upended by Lake Superior State in the opening round.
2014-15 Roster
2013-14 Statistics
Wright State
The Raiders finished last season with a 21-15 record and are picked to finish fifth in the Horizon League this season.
The team features three seniors in Kendall Griffin, Reggie Arceneaux and Chrishawn Hopkins along with four others and seven newcomers. Wright State has advanced to the league championship game the past two seasons and played in two postseason tournaments in that time.
Arceneaux, who needs just 178 points to reach 1,000, has started 68 games while appearing in 101 over his first three seasons. Griffin, who was sidelined the second half of last season, has been a defensive stalwart for the Raiders, starting 52 times while Hopkins has played in 25 games for the Raiders after transferring to WSU.
2014-15 Roster
2013-14 Statistics
Toledo
The Rockets return four starters from last year's squad, which set a school record with 27 victories in addition to capturing its eighth Mid-American Conference title.
Julius Brown, a first team all-conference player, will lead the team after averaging 14.9 points per game. Justin Drummond and J.D. Weatherspoon also return after earning all-league honors last year for the Rockets. Drummond averaged 14.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while Weatherspoon posted averages of 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest.
Nathan Boothe also returns after averaging 9.2 points per game while Jonathan Williams is back after recording 6.7 points per game last year as a freshman.
2014-15 Roster
2013-14 Statistics
Preseason Accolades
Senior forward Jake Heagen was picked as a preseason first team all-conference performer. He returns to lead the team after posting averages of 12.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for the Oilers last season. He was named second team all-conference and also earned a spot on the GLIAC all-tournament team during the 2013-14 campaign.
An Elite Program
The Oilers have the second best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 356 games and lost only 79 for an overall winning percentage of .820. During that timeframe, the Oilers reached the Elite 8 in 2005, appeared in the Sweet 16 in 2008 and won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2009 with a perfect 36-0 record.
The 20-Win Plateau
The Oilers have achieved 20 wins in each of the past 13 years. The last time they failed to reach the 20-win plateau came during the 2000-01 campaign when they went 19-11.
Findlay is one of only 14 teams in NCAA basketball to have at least ten straight 20-win seasons and the only NCAA Division II team with more than ten. A total of 1,065 teams play college basketball in the NCAA across all three divisions.
1,000-Point Plateau
Senior forward Jake Heagen will look to become the Oilers 43rd member of the 1,000-point club this season. Heagen has currently scored 888 points during his career at Findlay.
Conference Championships
The Oilers have won 12 GLIAC South Division titles in their 17-year affiliation with the conference and have also won seven conference tournaments, capturing titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.
In the last 13 years, the Oilers have won 11 GLIAC South Division titles. Overall, Findlay has won GLIAC South Division titles in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014.
GLIAC Tournament Success
The Oilers sport a 31-6 record in the GLIAC Tournament, winning titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Findlay has appeared in the championship game of the event ten times in the past 12 years. They reached the finals in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The Oilers have captured eight GLIAC Tournament titles, the most in league history. Their win in the 2013 tournament gave them two in a row away from the friendly confines of Croy Gymnasium, the first time a school has ever won back-to-back championships on the road in the history of the GLIAC Tournament. Their victory in 2014 marked the first time a GLIAC school has won three straight tournament championships.
Dancing
The Oilers have appeared in 12 out of the last 13 NCAA Division II National Tournaments and have recorded a 16-11 record in those games. The team reached the Elite 8 for the first time in school history during the 2004-05 campaign and advanced to the Sweet 16 during the 2007-08 season. They then used that success to win a NCAA Division II National Championship during the 2008-09 campaign, finishing the year with a perfect 36-0 record. Their 36 wins as an undefeated national champion are the most in the history of NCAA Division II men's basketball.
Helpful Links
NCAA
NCAA Division II Stats
National Association of Basketball Coaches
GLIAC
NCAA Division II Basketball