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IPFW at ORU


theeagleman5

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The Mastadons come to Mabee Center tonight at 8-9 overall and 1-3 in the Summit.....after getting off to a decent start IPFW has lost 6 of its' last 8 games....they really haven't beaten anybody decent.....in short....they stink.....hard to believe that this is the pre-season Summit favorite.....their leading scorer is a guy named Steve Forbes.....TheEagleman didn't realize that the former presidential candidate had any eligiblity left let alone played at IPFW.....they have balanced scoring with four players averaging in double figure and some height inside led by Forbes at 6-9......can these guys win at Mabee Center tonight?....well, anything is possible but I just can't see it....ORU seems to be playing better the past couple of games and our two all-league players Billbury and Emegano are leading the way....the cream always rises to the top....Billbury is coming off a career high of 34 points in the debut of his new haircut.....Henderson has started to contribute along with Bobby Word.....and please Coach Sutton, let's not see too much of Jabar Singleton at PG....he isn't the answer.....Young and Billbury at point are just fine.....if the Good Guys can play anywhere close to the level they showed on Wednesday night vs. Omaha....well, TheEagleman expects another big win.....once again Obi and Korey both get 20+ and ORU posts another home court victory to remain unbeaten at Mabee.....final score?....ORU 87  IPFW 72.....GO BLUE!!!.... :clap:

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While I agree with the final outcome, I'd be shocked if either team scores in the eighties, as both are averaging under 70 for the season.  The fast pace of play from Wednesday night's track meet win over Omaha will not continue tonight.  Much more of a typical Summit "grinder" game - and if any team hits 70 - they are the winner.  I think ORU hits that mark - very late - and pulls out a 71-65 win.  Surprisingly, only one other game in the Summit today - the in-state rivalry with USD visiting SDSU.  If the Coyotes win on the Rabbits' home floor - watch out for USD the remainder of the season... they've already won BOTH of their conference road games (at Denver and IPFW) and held serve at home against the Bizzzzon.

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I wouldn't throw Jabbar under the bus. He is decent defensively and provides some backup minutes. In fact, in the Omaha game I believe he played more minutes than Young.

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TheEagleman agrees that while Singleton is a poor passer....he is a better defensive player than Young...so that's obviously why Coach Sutton continues to play him....still it is painful to watch Jabar on the offensive end.....btw....NDSU rebounded at home last night and pounded Western Illinois....so the Bison are still in first place in the Summit....ORU needs a nice win tonight to keep pace....  :nerd:

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FYI- the game is on ESPN3 tonight but for those of you that have DirectTV it can be seen on channel 720, that's one of the channels on the ESPN Full Court package, which is in a free preview period through tonight.  Dish and cable providers might be running the free preview as well.

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ORU -8; o/u 137.5

 

 

crazy USD/SDSU game...USD opens with 20-0 run and SDSU comes right back with an 18 pt run

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Great game by Aaron Young! And I thought Darien Harris was HUGE in the limited minutes he saw....hit a big 3 and had some nice rebounds that keep plays alive....really want to see more of him....hoping momentum can carry into Denver on Wednesday

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IPFW played a very disciplined game with great ball movement and a strong post presence in Forbes. They committed to a soft press and zone defense early - and stuck with it for the entire game. When we made a mistake, they were quick to take advantage of it - and used their speed to score some easy baskets.

Nothing came easy for ORU - and I have to applaud our guys for not getting frustrated. Our defensive intensity was very evident - and eventually (along with some sharp shooting from beyond the arc) won the game for us. It was not a pretty game to watch, but it was a very nice win for us. The next four conference games (with only one at home) will be key to our eventual tournament seeding. We need at LEAST a 2-2 split.

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I have yet to see a Summit League team in the Mabee Center this season that I feel real comfortable about ORU beating on the road. 

 

And those teams (IUPUI, Omaha and IPFW) are, at least to this point, lower-division teams in the conference.

 

It's not like the league has gotten that much better than when ORU was last in it.  It's just that ORU doesn't have the type of roster that it took to win on the road (and thus win the league) in seasons past.

 

A casual fan who used to come to every single home game five years ago, but who was making their first appearance last night since that time, asked me with some emphasis, "Why doesn't ORU have any big players anymore?", mentioning the likes of Caleb Green, Mickey Michalec, Larry Owens, Kevin Ford and Yemi Ugunoye while commenting, "I guess #34 (Denell) is tall, but look how little some of those guys are now!"

 

And, after watching (who I think is) a fairly pedestrian post player such as Steve Forbes rip ORU for 22 and 10 in the paint last night, I have to admit I find myself (once again) wondering the same thing.  This ain't exactly Keith Benson from Oakland we're talking about here.

 

ORU is certainly to be commended for holding serve at home during this stretch of games, and there have definitely been some encouraging bright spots along the way, but there's still a LOT of basketball yet to be played, and most of it is against the true contenders in the league. 

 

With four out of their next five conference games on the road, one has to wonder if we will see ORU at 3-games-over .500 in conference play at any further point this season...

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TheEagleman did not see the game last night and i was surely wrong about the final score....62-58....glad that i did not bet the game....IPFW dictated the pace and kept it slow....sounds like ORU was fortunate to pull out a late win.....we aren't going to win many games when Billbury only gets 7 but thankfully Obi got his 15 and Young came thru with 14....I really like that young man.....but ORU will really need to pick things up if we expect to win at Denver on Wednesday.....have to agree with OT....we need more of Henderson inside and maybe it's time after almost 20 for Owens to step up and give us some minutes....ORU is gonna need that if we expect to finish in the top 3 in the Summit this season.....at least with the win we kept pace with NDSU and SDSU.... :nerd:

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I have yet to see a Summit League team in the Mabee Center this season that I feel real comfortable about ORU beating on the road. 

 

...

 

With four out of their next five conference games on the road, one has to wonder if we will see ORU at 3-games-over .500 in conference play at any further point this season...

i was all pumped about ORU's start to conference play until i read your post.  way to be a Debbie Downer there OT.

 

i agree that conference road wins will be at a premium, but i think ORU should be able to hold serve at home.  we have seen them win 2 at home when playing less than stellar basketball.

 

this has to be one of Coach Sutton's best coaching jobs to have this team over .500 with such an offensively challenged squad.

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i was all pumped about ORU's start to conference play until i read your post.  way to be a Debbie Downer there OT.

 

i agree that conference road wins will be at a premium, but i think ORU should be able to hold serve at home.  we have seen them win 2 at home when playing less than stellar basketball.

 

this has to be one of Coach Sutton's best coaching jobs to have this team over .500 with such an offensively challenged squad.

 

Agree on all counts (yes, I am a downer - just calls 'em likes I sees 'em)

 

I'm guessing something like 9-7 or 10-6 in conference play, with a clean slate at home (though the XDSU's are going to be tough at the Mabee Center).

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no ORU w/Green, Oakland w/Benson, SDSU w/Wolters in the league.  10 or 11 wins may get you a share of the league title this year.

 

IPFW is at SDSU and home for NDSU this week.  playing for their season, am i crazy in thinking they could get both?

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Denell Hendersen had a nice game defensively. 3 blocks, including the hustle play of the year so far in my opinion. We were battling, up 16-15 late in the first half, and after two offensive rebounds (one by DH), we threw the ball away for an easy layup for IPFW. Or so everyone thought. The picture below shows how far ahead of everyone their guy was when he got the pass: 
 
post-63-0-33018300-1421716009_thumb.jpg
 
I thought Denell would just coast down in case he missed the layup. But incredibly, he caught him and blocked the shot:
 
 post-63-0-69666900-1421716029_thumb.jpg

 

Billbury got the rebound, we came down and scored, and kept the lead a while longer. Without that play, the halftime deficit is 6 or 8 instead of 4, and who knows what happens? 

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Call me crazy...but, I still think we could get to 12-4 in conference this year.

 

If we win all the remaining home games, 12 conference wins and 20 overall, is still on the table.

 

That said, if we lose at Denver tomorrow night, I will be singing a different tune.

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Yes, Voice....YOU ARE CRAZY......but I love it.....the game in Denver will tell us a lot....ORU needs a win...not sure if we can get one though...... :|

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