#20 Oilers Open Season vs. #6 IUP, #5 STAC
The No. 20 Oilers will face No. 6 Indiana (Pa.) and No. 5 Saint Thomas Aquinas in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Nov. 3-4 in Evansville, Ind. They will play the Crimson Hawks on Nov. 3 and then battle the Spartans on Nov. 4.
For more information on the Hall of Fame Classic, ticket information and about the Ford Center, please click below:
Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
Ticket Information
Ford Center
Sights and Sounds
Get Your Oilers Gear Now!
The University of Findlay athletic department recently unveiled their new online store, shopoilers.com. The online store features more than 1,000 products for Findlay fans ranging from traditional apparel such as hats, t-shirts, and sweats to less common gift items such as jewelry, drinkware, technology skins and items for golfing, tailgating and in-home decor.
To access the store and get some new Orange and Black gear, please click below:
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 aired on Tuesday evenings during the season from 7-7:30 p.m.
Follow the Oilers on Social Media
Follow the Oilers on social media to keep up with all the exciting news surrounding UF athletics.
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Youtube
Series Information
The Oilers will be playing both programs for the first time in school history.
#20 Findlay
The Oilers were picked as the favorite to win the Great Midwest this season by the coaches within the league. Findlay, who reached the Sweet 16 last year and ended the 2016-17 campaign with a 25-7 record, received 121 points in the poll and a league-high 11 first place votes.
Findlay is coming off of an 89-86 win over NCAA D1 Toledo in an exhibition game on Oct. 24. Senior guard Martyce Kimbrough paced the Oilers with 22 points on 8-of-21 shooting. He canned 6-of-11 attempts from behind the three point line and also added four rebounds and two assists.
Senior forward Taren Sullivan had a solid game with 16 points and six rebounds while White had 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
Sophomore forward Aaron Overhiser added 12 points in only 12 minutes of action while Kahlig reached double figures with ten points in the game.
Senior guard Austin Gardner nearly reached double figures with eight points and he added four rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Junior guard Trey Smith did not break into the scoring column, but contributed five steals, five assists and three rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.
#6 Indiana (Pa.)
Indiana (Pa.) ended last season ranked eighth nationally with a 28-4 record. They reached the round of 32 in the NCAA Division II Tournament and will be led during the 2017-18 campaign by junior Jacobo Diaz, who earned first team all-district honors and honorable mention all-American accolades for the Crimson Hawks last year.
Diaz, who was also named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Division Player of the Year, averaged 14.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
#5 St. Thomas Aquinas
Saint Thomas Aquinas reached the Elite 8 last season and finished the year with a 28-6 record. They are led by senior Justin Reyes, who accumulated a number of all-American accolades during the 2016-17 campaign. He was selected as the East Coast Conference (ECC) Player of the Year in each of the past two years and was named the NCAA Division II East Regional Most Outstanding Player during the 2016-17 season.
An Elite Program
The Oilers have one of the best winning percentages in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 416 games and lost only 105 for an overall winning percentage of .798. During that timeframe, the Oilers reached the Elite 8 in 2005, appeared in the Sweet 16 in 2008 and again in 2017, and won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2009 with a perfect 36-0 record.
20-Win Seasons
The Oilers have won 20 games in a season 15 times in the past 16 years. The streak started during the 2001-02 campaign when Findlay finished with a 23-7 season. The only year that they did not reach the 20-win plateau came during the 2014-15 campaign when they finished with a 16-11 record.
Overall, the Oilers have reached the 20-win plateau 25 times since the 1985-86 campaign, which spans a total of 31 seasons.
1,000-Point Club
Senior guard Martyce Kimbrough ranks 39th all-time at Findlay with 1,066 career points. He is chasing Tyson McGlaughlin for 38th on the all-time scoring list as McGlaughlin put up 1,134 career points from 2002-05. Senior forward Taren Sullivan is right behind Kimbrough and ranks 40th all-time at Findlay with 1,061 career points.
Kimbrough Tabbed a Preseason All-American
Senior guard Martyce Kimbrough was named a preseason NCAA Division II All-American by the DII Bulletin.
Kimbrough had a record-breaking junior season for the Oilers last year and helped lead them to a 25-7 record and their third appearance in the NCAA Division II Sweet 16.
An honorable mention All-American selection by the D2 Bulletin, Kimbrough finished the 2016-17 campaign with a scoring average of 19.3 points per game. His 617 points scored during the season ranks eighth all-time at Findlay and he broke school records for most made three pointers (114) and most three pointers attempted (282), all while shooting 40.4 percent from long range.
Kimbrough racked up first team all-region from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). He was also a first team all-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) pick and was voted to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional All-Tournament team.
A three-time GLIAC South Division Player of the Week (12/12, 2/20, 2/24), Kimbrough put up a season-high 41 points in the Oilers 105-87 win over Tiffin on Feb. 16. He set a school record by making 11 three pointers in the game. His performance led him to becoming the Oilers first men's basketball player to earn NCAA Division II National Player of the Week honors on Feb. 22.
Sullivan Tabbed a Preseason All-American
Senior forward Taren Sullivan was named a preseason NCAA Division II All-American by Street & Smith's.
Sullivan had an incredible junior season for the Oilers men's basketball team and helped lead the squad to the Sweet 16. The Lima, Ohio native ended the year with one of the best statistical seasons in the history of the Oilers storied program as he averaged 18.1 points, and a team-high 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot a team-high 55.2 percent from the floor and 44.8 percent from behind the three point line.
A first team all-conference selection, Sullivan also earned second team all-region honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). He was also named to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team and earned second team all-region accolades from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).
Sullivan also set a Findlay record by being named the GLIAC South Division Player of the Week four times during the 2016-17 campaign. He earned the honor on Jan. 9, Jan. 23, Feb. 6 and Feb. 13.
Helpful Links
NCAA
NCAA Division II Stats
National Association of Basketball Coaches
G-MAC
NCAA Division II Basketball