UDM's Inferiority Complex

Let's see. They finished with seven wins. At one point they lost 13 in a row. In back-to-back games, they failed to crack 40 points. They were a non-factor in their conference tournament. They have no coach.

Yet somehow, the University of Detroit faithful are on the offensive regarding Oakland. Depressed? Yes. Delusional? Most certainly.

After a recent Terry Foster article in the Detroit News, the U of D Mercy message board lit up.

Let me say this before you read on -- everyone I've ever come into contact with at OU has hoped for a good U of D squad. Nothing would be better for this area. Unfortunately, U of D won't play Oakland. That's it, plain and simple. Rather than settle it on the court, the Titan fans insist on false hope and the memories of years ago. It's actually quite sad.

Here's a sampling of some of the 4-star comments from the Titans message board:

I think we would have beaten them if we had played the last couple of years. Kampe maybe getting recruits, but he's not a great coach. I'm sure we would have had a better record than OU if we played in the Summit League.

Seriously? They go 7-23 overall, and 3-15 in the Horizon and yet they would have had a better record than us. Hmmm...let's look at some common opponents:

• U of D beat Eastern 72-68; Oakland beat them 86-71
• U of D lost to Green Bay by 26 on the road, by two at home. OU lost on a last second shot (by 1) at UWGB
• Oakland beat Bowling Green by 10; U of D lost by 16

Remember people, they said they'd be better than us...yet they fared much worse against common opponents.

Non-Conference
Since U of D has a very weak non-conference schedule, this one is tough. U of D did play Butler (currently ranked 14) twice. Results? Two losses, including a 34 point drubbing where Mercy scored 31 total points.

OU played three top-25 teams -- and won once. The Grizzlies lost at MSU 75-71 and at Xavier 93-68, both without Erik Kangas. OU beat then #14 Oregon 68-62.

Other Favorites
This comment is probably my favorite:

A huge number that should factor into this mess is OU's overall record against the Titans. (I can't really figure out the coaches against each other, but it doesn't really matter when you see this result.) OU is 1-11 against the Titans.

Let's have a looksy regarding Division 1 head-to-head games:

2000-2001
U of D win, 77-56 at Calihan

2001-2002
Oakland win, 93-67 at OU

2003-2004
Detroit win at Calihan, 76-60.

And that's it! The Titans ceased playing the Grizzlies after 2004. So, out of the 1-11 the poster mentions, only three of those games were even Division 1.

So, the question is, why won't they play Oakland?

Outrecruited. Outcoached. Out publicized. It's a losing proposition. And contrary to popular belief, it's not just the coach that is hampering the coach. It's the city.

Face it U of D fans, you're program is never coming back. Sorry, the facts say otherwise. They play in a conference a small step above the Summit, yet with poorer facilities, a depleted city and no coach. If you were a recruit, what would you choose?