OU qualified for the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship tournament for the first time in 2005. In 2010, Oakland made their second ever trip to the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship tournament after winning the Summit League Tournament. They came in as a 14 seed against No. 3 Pittsburgh. In 2011, Oakland won the Summit League regular season and tournament for the second consecutive season and again received a 14 seed. This time, they played No. 3 Texas, where they lost 85–81. In 2024, after winning the Horizon League Tournament (behind Conference Player of the Year Trey Townsend), Kampe’s 14 seed Grizzlies were matched up against John Calipari’s 3 seeded Kentucky Wildcats.