Michigan State Basketball: Series history vs. Oakland Golden Grizzlies

Michigan State basketball is back on the court on Monday night against Oakland. What does their series history look like?

Michigan State basketball is back in action quickly after their dominant win over Baylor. This time against a familiar foe, one they have played every year but one since 2005. In-state foe Oakland will be coming to the Breslin Center Monday night in what surely will be another great game.

There is a lot of history between these programs with all the matchups they’ve played.

You might be surprised, however, to learn how one-sided this series has been.

Series history vs. Oakland

Monday night will mark the 21st time these programs have faced off. You might guess that Michigan State leads this series comfortably. But surely Oakland has been able to pull off the upset once or twice, right? Wrong. The Spartans are an undefeated 20-0 all-time against Oakland, including a win over the Grizzlies each of the last 11 seasons. Going 20-0 against any program is impressive, even against a mid-major.

There have been some pretty close matchups between these teams, however. And 2015 might have been the most exciting matchup between these two teams. That year’s game was played at the Palace of Auburn Hills where the Pistons played, and it turned into an instant classic. The Spartans were the No. 1 team in the country but were playing their first game without their Player of the Year Denzel Valentine. The Spartans held on to beat Oakland in overtime 99-93. Bryn Forbes led the way with a career-high 32 points behind a blistering 7-for-9 three-point shooting performance.

The game in 2010 was also one for the memory books. Also played in Auburn Hills, the No. 7 Spartans were led by a 25-point performance by Kalin Lucas in a 77-76 victory.

A close game could be likely

Don’t get me wrong, a majority of these matchups are blowout wins for the Spartans. But Oakland has proven more than enough times that they can hang with and almost beat some of the best Michigan State basketball teams of all time. It is no secret that our team hasn’t been that great this season. Maybe that is changing after the Baylor win, but one win doesn’t change the overall narrative of this team yet.

Can Oakland get it done and get their first win against the Spartans in program history? It’s not impossible, but I don’t see it happening Monday night. I’d like to believe this team has turned a corner this season and is ready to show the country who it really is.