alanfairbanks Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 You should all be happy that you have a non-fan on here saying "hey, I think you guys have a good shot at pulling this one off". I have planted no seed of doubt, because I am predicting a good game at the very least, and quite possibly an upset, which would vault your program to a whole new level (much how Tulsa's tournament successes drew so much national attention in years past). I would love nothing more than for the city of Tulsa to have two nationally prominent programs rivaling each other every year. Additionally, just because you are a fan, does not mean you must blind yourself to obvious realities. You can embrass the strengths of your coach, while noting his weaknesses (which are all correctable). Do you think that I was singing praise to coach Phillips' when he was winning NCAA tournament games? or winning the NIT? No, he had obvious weaknesses which were plain to see if you looked at their seasons in entirety. He was winning with other coach's players as he slowly ran the program into the ground. At least coach Sutton is stearing you in the right direction. He brings in quality players and is a good face for your program, and if he can figure out how to coach his team's execution, he'll elevate himself to be a great coach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akaManiac Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Regardless of what has happened in the past or getting monkeys off backs, the fact is that our program is in a great spot right now. We are in the NCAA tournament and getting a lot of good publicity. Maybe we have lost some games we should have won but that is what maturing is all about. I have no problem with TU fans talking trash about us. We are headed in a great direction and there is no need for us to get upset about one person's "objective" opinion. I was thinking. I like that we are playing Memphis instead of Texas for more than the fact that it would be really difficult to play in front of their crowd. If we would have gotten a #15 seed, we would have been just another #15 seed who is in the right place. The fact that we got a #16 seed has earned us so much more publicity and exposure. I know some may be upset that we were seeded poorly, but I would take this seed over the alternative for sure. MabeeJ is completely right. We are in the tourney where we have been hoping to be for decades now, and the fact that many publications are talking about us in the #16-#1 game shows that we've earned some nation-wide respect. This years team has raised the standard of ORU basketball now; every team that follows in the near future will be judged on how they matched up to the accomplishments of this years squad, and any year following in the near future that does not end up in a tourney bid will be considered an underachievement. If we have to play Texas as a 2, or Memphis as a 1, I take the Memphis game in a heartbeat. Its going to take an incredible game from our boys to pull of the upset either way, so why not try to make some history as the first #16 seed to ever get a win? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUHomer Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 This thread has been quite interesting to me. It contains comments from those who are very close to the program and those who sit closer to the seat of "armchair quarterback." Nevertheless, all comments have been made in good form and as MabeeJ indicated, "objectively." Best posts on this thread from each viewpoint: ORUterry on page one and allanfairbanks and ManiacAlum on page two. I would classify "fair weather fairbanks" comments as objective and insightful, though tainted with a "glass is half empty" approach. Mom's comments on the other hand are definitely tied to her closeness with the program and one who could be called on any day of the week to be Sutton's armor-bearer! Yet, she recognizes (as do tmh, ORUterry and others) how far Sutton has come in seven years. Unfortunately, in this business, the leash is often too short and the expectations extremely high. I think those who comment that our team plays to the level of its competition, underachieves, etc. can support their claim adequately and are entitled to that opinion. I especially agree with an earlier poster who noted that we have at times struggled to make in-game adjustments, switch up defense, press, trap, etc. What I have seen, however, is definite IMPROVEMENT in this area, particularly the ability to be more creative offensively and changing up defensive looks from time to time, all proving that Sutton & Co. get better and better every day. This has indeed made him an up-and-comer and one who has accomplished at ORU something Bill Self never did. Had Self stayed for seven years, however, this conversation wouldn't be happening and the expectations on Sutton would be even greater. Bottom line: I like what he's doing, I love the product on the court, and love our future. I think time will tell if the "monkey" is off his back, but I have a hunch that it is. He made me believe in my heart on Sunday night that this team is "not just glad to be here," but they will be more than ready to play. Memphis is going to have their hands full. Bring it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanfairbanks Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 great post ORUHomer, good summary. ORU is headed in the right direction. I am definately glass-half-empty on the Eagles, primarily because of what happened to TU when everyone kept touting coach Phillips and how we had arrived as this nationally recognized program, but the team played sloppy and often could not execute at all in half-court situations. This lack of true coaching/recruiting obviously caught up to us. So my point is simply that you take the good and celebrate, you have to celebrate like crazy because this is what you've worked toward for so long; but don't forget that up until the Mid-Con tournament, the season was largely a disappointment. You don't want to hold future years' teams to this year's standard just yet, because that will allow for future disappointments, which can only be offset by winning the mid-con tournament. I really feel that it is within ORU's grasp to go 26-2, undefeated in conference play, have a couple of quality non-conference wins, and get an at-large 10 seed or so. The great thing about college basketball, is that you can take a disappointing season (like this one for ORU) and totally redeam yourself by pulling off a huge upset in the tournament and going down in history. That's why i love it, watch it, and cheer for ORU to win this one on friday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManiacAlum Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 ManiacAlum, don't let fairweather get in your head and plant doubt. Reread ManiacPrez & MabeeJ's posts and focus on something more upbeat. They are the ones on campus and loyal, not skipping across town to TU and only associating with ORU when it makes him look good. We have to remember that TU thought someone who's only head coaching experience was on the highschool level could replace Buz (who I think was hired because he was Michael Jordon's roommate). Great job on promoting JP. (nice guy, but TU will spend years recovering from that and Judy M. (the AD) picked a good time to grab a life raft. I'm a loyal Golden Eagle fan and Sutton supporter. This is the best week for ORU athletics in 22 years, and I am not trying to put a damper on that. But there is definitely more work to be done beyond this season. I'm not allowing anyone to get into my head. I've seen the games and the results for myself from the past few years. We have played to the level of our competition at times, mainly on the road. The 1st game of the Mid-con was an example, and there were people doubting the team on this very message board. I don't think criticism of your favorite team necessarily makes you a fairweather fan. In my case, it means I want to see them play better. I will be watching and cheering on the Eagles on Friday. For the record, I will never cheer a TU team and hope we win every Mayor's Cup for the next 20 years....but its funny that Judy McLeod, John Phillips and Buzz Peterson's names came up. Since people always question why ORU hired Scott Sutton. Go Eagles and I support Coach Sutton, even though I am no longer in Tulsa or on the ORU campus. I also agree with MabeeJ's post about the national exposure. I have never seen a more talked about #16...and its only Tuesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManiacAlum Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 This thread has been quite interesting to me. It contains comments from those who are very close to the program and those who sit closer to the seat of "armchair quarterback." Nevertheless, all comments have been made in good form and as MabeeJ indicated, "objectively." Best posts on this thread from each viewpoint: ORUterry on page one and allanfairbanks and ManiacAlum on page two. I would classify "fair weather fairbanks" comments as objective and insightful, though tainted with a "glass is half empty" approach. Mom's comments on the other hand are definitely tied to her closeness with the program and one who could be called on any day of the week to be Sutton's armor-bearer! Yet, she recognizes (as do tmh, ORUterry and others) how far Sutton has come in seven years. Unfortunately, in this business, the leash is often too short and the expectations extremely high. I think those who comment that our team plays to the level of its competition, underachieves, etc. can support their claim adequately and are entitled to that opinion. I especially agree with an earlier poster who noted that we have at times struggled to make in-game adjustments, switch up defense, press, trap, etc. What I have seen, however, is definite IMPROVEMENT in this area, particularly the ability to be more creative offensively and changing up defensive looks from time to time, all proving that Sutton & Co. get better and better every day. This has indeed made him an up-and-comer and one who has accomplished at ORU something Bill Self never did. Had Self stayed for seven years, however, this conversation wouldn't be happening and the expectations on Sutton would be even greater. Bottom line: I like what he's doing, I love the product on the court, and love our future. I think time will tell if the "monkey" is off his back, but I have a hunch that it is. He made me believe in my heart on Sunday night that this team is "not just glad to be here," but they will be more than ready to play. Memphis is going to have their hands full. Bring it!! I absolutely agree...especially about the in-game coaching and adjustments. The coaching staff has definitely gotten better and will continue to make sure our team comes out ready to play Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Great post, ORUHomer. I couldn't agree more. Despite our detractors on other boards, Sutton is becoming a fine coach. One of his best moves, and one that he made early on, was surrounding himself with EXCELLENT assistants. As I told Cory Williams when I had a chance to visit with him a while back, I'm very proud of our coaching staff. In describing them I'll borrow one of Scott's favorite lines that he uses when talking about his players: they're great coaches, but even better people. It's easy to get behind and support ORU's coaching staff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasgrip Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 I have never seen a more talked about #16...and its only Tuesday. Are you sure about this? I know it's hard for us to be objective, i.e., we're looking for coverage of our program. But I remember last year hearing over and over about the Oakland cindarella story (again, it was hard to be objective then, too, plus, I was puking a lot) in the national media. While we may be getting more respect concerning the level of our program (as a #16 seed), are we really getting more press? Or is it just typical #1 vs. #16 coverage? Just wondering... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanfairbanks Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 I do think they are getting a little bit more press coverage than other 16 seeds, just from browsing the sports websites. But i also think it is a different kind of press, as Texasgrip alluded to. It's not the "happy to be there" kind of press like Oakland had; it's the "these guys could be dangerous" press, which is much better for the program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenEagleAg Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 A 16 seed isn't supposed to get this kind of press - I've never seen anything like it in the tournament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justafan Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 are we really getting more press? Or is it just typical #1 vs. #16 coverage? I was wondering the same thing. It is almost overwhelming and easy to get caught up in all of it. Before selection Sunday the posts here were all wondering if we could be a 14 seed and I kept reminding myself that we had not really done anything during the season to justify more than a #16 (see my post in an earlier string). Now we see our "possibilities" being written about, and it IS possible, but there are a lot of ifs. I hope the boys don't let the hype get them too excited and become deflated when they run into a wall the first five minutes. GO EAGLES!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManiacAlum Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Are you sure about this? I know it's hard for us to be objective, i.e., we're looking for coverage of our program. But I remember last year hearing over and over about the Oakland cindarella story (again, it was hard to be objective then, too, plus, I was puking a lot) in the national media. While we may be getting more respect concerning the level of our program (as a #16 seed), are we really getting more press? Or is it just typical #1 vs. #16 coverage? Just wondering... When I first saw the ORU stories, I thought the same thing...maybe I just notice it more because I'm a fan. Of course there are the usual 900-ft Jesus cracks that people dust off and use whenever they talk about ORU. But, the thing that kind of seemed different to me were the questions to Coach Calipari. I have never heard the coach of a #1 seeded team answering questions about his concern for the #16 opponent. And I have never heard an analyst suggest that a #1/#16 could be a tough matchup. Oakland's improbable run made them newsworthy, but everyone KNEW they had no shot vs. UNC. In one of the articles I read, assuming that Monmouth beats Hampton, this may be one of the best tournament fields overall. No one in the field would have an RPI over 150. That may be a first since the field was expanded to 64-teams. With all of the upsets in major conference tourneys and almost no upsets in the smaller conferences, ORU was doomed to be stuck with a #16. Regardless, I am loving all of the attention that we're getting because of it. AND, we now have the opportunity to pull off the biggest upset ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praetorfenix86 Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Normally when you hear analysis of the tourney people gloss over the 14, 15, and 16 seeds. They go straight to the higher seeds second round and potential regional semifinal matchups. With ORU they seem to be taking a more, "If Memphis can win" approach. Which is a nice compliment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orumom Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 He could show them the Memphis vs. TU in Tulsa footage. http://media.putfile.com/Carney-Dunk-Off-Glass That's just two points. It doesn't matter how you get them, as long as you get them. This game could be a SportsCenter dream. Larry Owens should get some bigtime dunks too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OKC Eagle Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 However, I am still a huge fan and I'm pulling my hair out because I can't go to FREAKIN' DALLAS ON FRIDAY!!! Just skip the rodeo and come. I've got an extra ticket for you. You me and ORUTex can start a faculty kids cheering section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasgrip Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I've got an extra ticket for you. Really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OKC Eagle Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Really? For the right price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oru86alum Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Really? If you go, I'm going! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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