A non-conference basketball game in late December probably doesn’t sound like the hottest ticket in town a week before Christmas, at least on paper.
But when you anchor it as an annual holiday event helmed by the state’s premier college hoops program and host it in the same building where Cade Cunningham and the current conference-leading Detroit Pistons play, you’re on the right track towards building an institution that puts two of Michigan’s all-time great collegiate coaches in the spotlight.
More importantly, you’ve incentivized young players by putting them on the big stage with the most fervent fans in the state watching. Big game environment in a packed Little Caesars Arena, with 2025 AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal throwing t-shirts into the crowd. It all culminated with the Michigan State Spartans and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies putting on a showing well worth the price of admission at the fifth annual ‘College Basketball in the D’.
Oakland coach Greg Kampe (left) and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo sporting their Holiday sweaters at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit in both 2024 and 2025. (Ton Patroske/TPM)
Since the inception of this series in 2017, Oakland head coach Greg Kampe has championed what competing in this game means to his players. He hasn’t been shy about what it means to him personally, either. The camaraderie between Kampe and Tom Izzo is the backdrop this event is rooted in, with the two routinely wearing their ugly X-mas sweaters for the occasion (this year’s fashion statement was a pair of ref-inspired ‘Naughty & Nice’ outfits). While the game pits two in-state teams against each other at the mecca of basketball in Michigan, it’s essentially a holiday-themed home field for the Spartans — one where the Golden Grizzlies have never won.
But you wouldn’t know it if your only foray into this matchup was Saturday’s outing.
Oakland, who play in the Horizon League as a perennial contender in the conference, keeps getting closer and closer to securing that big upset over Michigan State. Just like last year’s affair, the Grizzlies played Sparty extremely close in the opening half.
Senior forward Michael Houge took the reins early, going 4-for-4 for 11 points deep into the first period. The formula for Kampe and his side was apparent early: running their zone defense at an aggressive tempo, playing with physicality inside through their forwards, and all but daring MSU to beat them from beyond the arc (the Spartans were 2-7 from 3-point range at the break).
Michigan State entered the contest with a 10-1 record, only losing to fourth-ranked Duke in a 66-60 outing at the Breslin Center, but the Spartans trailed the Golden Grizzlies for most of the early goings, claiming a small 39-36 lead at halftime off a Carson Cooper and-1.
“It looked like [in] the first half we were already on vacation,” Izzo said of his team’s performance through the first 20 minutes of game time.
But, like most of Izzo’s teams, this Michigan State squad is primed to battle through adversity — thanks in no small part to their depth and size. In what was a hotly contested game, the biggest advantage Sparty claimed en route to their 79-70 victory was on the boards, where they out-rebounded the Golden Grizzlies by a margin of 16 (42 to 26).
Despite the loss, if you had told Kampe and his players that they were going to shoot 43% from the field, go 10-22 (45.5%) from 3-point range and only miss one free-throw against one of the best teams in the country, I think he’d be pleased with the direction his squad is trending towards as the conference schedule heats up.
“I told my team, ‘Would you rather win and go to the NCAA tournament or win this game?'” Kampe shared with the media postgame. “What we learned from this game will help us in our conference, because there’s nobody like [Michigan State] there.”
As always, Oakland’s head coach was candid about the mistakes that cost his team the game and how they can learn from them as the season progresses.
“We hung our heads a little bit when a couple things went wrong, and you can’t do that. We don’t turn it over, and yet we went [three consecutive] to start the second half. Then Brody Robinson grabbed us and got us back. He made a three and got us back, and then we were good again.”
The players understand the importance of learning from these matchups against highly ranked opponents, too.
Not even at the halfway mark of the season, Oakland has faced four teams ranked in the Top 10, including back-to-back games against the top-ranked team in the nation (Purdue, Houston) and the in-state juggernauts that are Michigan and Michigan State.
Oakland forward Tuburu Naivalurua shoots over Spartan defenders on Saturday. (Tony Patroske/TPM)
“Being able to execute against this caliber of player, this type of athleticism and length — it’s a big confidence booster heading into conference play,” Oakland fifth-year power forward Tuburu ‘Buru’ Naivalurua, Oakland’s leading scorer on the afternoon, shared after the game. “We just played Michigan State at the Breslin, basically. So, just being able to handle that environment with all the noise and everything going on, it’s a confidence booster for us – just being able to see that we are capable of doing it against anybody.”
Point guard Brody Robinson, playing in his first season at Oakland, echoed his teammate on the lessons gleaned from opportunities like these.
“From an experience standpoint, say we do go and win the [Horizon League] tournament and make March Madness, we’ll get seeded against a really good team. We’re prepared. We’ve seen everything. So when we get to that moment, people won’t be afraid of the lights. We’ll be ready and know that we can win any game that we play in.”
Being prepared to play winning ball when it matters will be the defining challenge for the Golden Grizzlies this season. And while it’s encouraging to see the players key in on the gravity of these moments for their hopes of making the tournament, it’s even more visceral to hear it from their head coach in the very unique context of this game.
“About five hours from now, [Izzo] is gonna call me and he’s gonna tell me what we have to do to win,” Kampe told the media. “And I can’t wait for that call, because I want to know what he thinks.” Not one to mince words, Kampe would go on to refer to his bond with Tom Izzo as “the single most important relationship in my professional career,” and didn’t shy away from backing it up.
“What he’s done for me and our program, I’m getting choked up, because it’s true. I’ve got really good players because I was able to pay some, and he’s the one who helped me do that. On his own, he came and did an event twice for me, that I’ve raised close to half a million dollars.”
As Izzo, a larger-than-life figure by any standard in college sports, continues to travel down the golden years of his coaching career, this event speaks volumes to his generosity, character, and values. It’s a rare high tide that lifts all boats, and the Spartans head coach insists that it’s here to stay.
“As long as I’m here, we’re gonna play you,” Izzo told Kampe. “Even though I think I’m insane, because it’s gonna happen (Oakland upsetting MSU), but I have a lot of respect for you, your program, and the people down here. I’ve got a lot of respect for Detroit. There’s some great things happening here.”
Check out more photos from Michigan State’s win over Oakland here
