Community Picks: Oakland 0% vs Wisc Milwaukee 0%

ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (AP) -- Kahil Felder scored 29 points with 14 assists as Oakland beat Green Bay 111-95 on Saturday. Continue to Article

January 23, 2016 4:47:pm EST

ROCHESTER, Mich. (AP) -- Jalen Billups had 22 points and eight rebounds, Tyler White added 20 points and made five 3-pointers, and Northern Kentucky pulled away late to beat Oakland 90-73 on Tuesday night. Continue to Article

January 19, 2016 9:33:pm EST

Five weeks into a season in which he has shot threes and only threes, Oakland University's Max Hooper stumbled across an article about his astonishing stat line. Only then did it first dawn on him that he was doing something unusual. Hooper has now attempted 133 shots in 17 games this season, and all 133 of them have come from behind the 3-point arc. To others, that's a statistical oddity. To Hooper, it's just a sign he's embracing his role as a perimeter shooter whose responsibility in Oakland's offense is to knock down threes and space the floor for his teammates. "My job on this team is to get open and shoot the ball," Hooper told Yahoo Sports. "When I'm playing, I'm not thinking, 'Don't shoot a two. Don't shoot a two.' I'm just trying to help my team win, and that's the way it has worked out so far." It's difficult to assess whether another player has ever taken this many 3-pointers in a single season without attempting a shot from inside the arc, but anecdotal evidence suggests it's extremely rare. Only two players who finished the regular season in the top 100 nationally in 3-point attempts the past 10 years shot fewer than 20 two-point shots. Butler guard Bruce Horan attempted 252 3-pointers and 10 shots inside the arc during the 2005-06 season and eight seasons later Creighton forward Ethan Wragge hoisted 220 deep balls and tried only seven twos. Whether Hooper's one-dimensional approach is unprecedented or not, there's no reason for him to alter it. The 3-point specialist has sunk 45.1 percent of his attempts from behind the arc this season. Oakland scores an efficient 1.12 points points per possession this season, but when Hooper is one of the five players on the floor, that number leaps to 1.30, which would easily surpass every other team in the nation. "Max is playing with such confidence," Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. "He honestly believes he's the best shooter in the country every time he steps onto the floor, and we try to foster that. We want him to be the cockiest guy in the world, to think that if he has a bow and arrow he could put a blindfold on and shoot the apple off my head." It has taken a special set of circumstances for Hooper to make it through half a season without attempting a two-point shot. You need a player with an incredible knack for outside shooting and a keen awareness of his strengths and limitations. And you need a coach whose system demands a catch-and-shoot specialist with the confidence to fire away when given even an inch of space. The way Kampe sees it, the presence of an elite shooter like Hooper removes a defender from the floor and almost allows his offense to go 4-on-4. If Hooper's man stays glued to him behind the 3-point arc, it creates more space for star point guard Kahlil Felder to attack the rim off the dribble or for Oakland's big men to score in the post. If Hooper's man helps elsewhere or lags behind chasing him off screens, he's leaving one of the nation's most lethal 3-point shooters free. Continue to Article

January 15, 2016 1:24:pm EST

Valparaiso and Oakland were picked to finish first and second respectively at the top of the Horizon League when the season began two months ago and when they met Friday night the Crusaders left little doubt they're the team to beat, at least at this point. Valparaiso's defensive strength trumped Oakland's offensive prowess in a 84-67 win that gave the Crusaders a 2-0 start to league play. Valparaiso also crushed the Golden Grizzlies on the boards grabbing 19 more rebounds. [ Louisville player endures walk of shame after going to wrong bench ] Oakland came into the game ranked sixth in the nation in scoring as a team and guard Kay Felder is the third-highest scoring individual in the land. But Valparaiso features the most efficient defense in the land and it proved to be the difference. It's also a reason why the Crusaders are a threat to make a deep run in March if they can win the conference tournament and get to the big dance. It might be hard for coach Bryce Drew's team to earn an at-large berth two months down the line with losses to Ball State and Belmont. But March is still a long way off and a lot could change for both these teams between now and then. Just a few weeks ago, Oakland took then-No. 1 ranked Michigan State to overtime and looked capable of more than just winning the Horizon League. Yet, it now finds itself losers of three of the past four games and searching for answers. While Oakland has a dynamic talent in Felder who has proven capable of taking over games single-handedly in the past, it can't afford to have him struggle to score as much as he did Friday. He scored 20 points for the Golden Grizzlies but he needed 28 shots to get there and probably should have elected to try to get his teammate more involved at times. He is the national assists leader after all at 9.2 per game. He dished six Friday. [ Clever BYU students troll Utah with hard hats, 'safety first' signs ] Valparaiso proved to be much more well-rounded on the offensive end, too. Sophomore Tevonn Walker led all scorers with 24 points but he was one of six Crusaders who scored at least eight points. Valparaiso had 18 assists on 28 made baskets. Oakland will travel to Valparaiso in the third week of February and try to get some revenge. It's possible these teams could see each other a third time in the confernece tournament but Oakland has work to do to make that happen. - - - - - - - [ Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo Continue to Article

January 08, 2016 10:18:pm EST

ROCHESTER, Mich. (AP) -- Tevonn Walker made 6 of 8 3-point shots with 24 points and seven rebounds to help Valparaiso beat Oakland 84-67 on Friday night. Continue to Article

January 08, 2016 9:32:pm EST