Know Your Non-conference Opponent: Oakland

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports Basketball is (soon to be) back, baby! Xavier will begin the season over Thanksgiving weekend by hosting its own MTE, and the first game on the docket will be the Muskies versus the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. Our long national nightmare isn't over, but at least we'll have basketball to watch as a momentary diversion on the way.

Oakland was not good last year. Under Greg Kampe - who has been there since the 1984 season! - they staggered to a 14-19 mark that included 8-10 in Horizon League play. The season's high-water mark came on November 10th - a date that doesn't exist for the purposes of this year's college basketball - when they won on a neutral site against…