The Wolverines and Golden Grizzlies will square off at the beginning of the men’s college basketball season for the second straight year.

But this time, the contest will count.

Michigan will host Oakland in the 2025-26 season opener for both teams on Nov. 3 at Crisler Center, according to a signed game contract obtained by The Detroit News through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Michigan and Oakland played in a charity exhibition last season at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Wolverines won convincingly, 92-48, in Dusty May’s debut as head coach.

Both sides will have drastically different rosters compared to a year ago. Michigan lost its three leading scorers from a 27-win team that won the Big Ten tournament title and made a Sweet 16 run, while longtime Oakland coach Greg Kampe returns just one of his top seven scorers from last season’s team that finished 16-18.

This will mark the 10th all-time meeting between the two programs and the first regular-season encounter in five years. Oakland nearly pulled off the upset in its last trip to Ann Arbor on Nov. 29, 2020, but former coach Juwan Howard’s Wolverines escaped with an 81-71 overtime victory.

Michigan holds an 8-1 edge in the series, has won the past seven matchups and is 6-0 in games played at Crisler Center. Oakland’s lone victory came in November 2000 at the O’Rena in Rochester.

In addition to Oakland, Michigan will host McNeese State on Dec. 29 as part of its nonconference schedule. The game will be played two years to the date coach Will Wade and the Cowboys walked into Crisler Center and stunned the Wolverines, 87-76, in the first meeting between the teams.

Last season under Wade, McNeese State went 28-7, repeated as Southland regular-season and tournament champions, and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Wade signed a six-year contract with N.C. State in March and will be replaced by Bill Armstrong, who was Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau’s prep school coach at Link Academy in Missouri.

Michigan will pay Oakland $90,000 and McNeese State $92,000 for the games, according to the signed contracts. Tip times and TV designations for both contests will be announced at a later date.

The rest of Michigan’s nonconference slate includes neutral-site games against Wake Forest at LCA (Nov. 11), against San Diego State (Nov. 24) and Auburn (Nov. 25) at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, and against Duke in Washington, D.C. (Feb. 21). The Wolverines also will play at TCU (Nov. 14) and host Villanova (Dec. 9).

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

@jamesbhawkins

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