theeagleman5 Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 ORU flies over to Fort Wayne for a match up with pre-season Summit favorite IPFW (10-4) on Saturday afternoon...hopefully the guys had a smoother flight than the Butler Bulldogs did last night from JFK (had to make an emergency landing in Pittsburgh; but everyone is fine).....The Mastadons are coming off a stunning upset loss at home last night to league doormat Western Illinois who hit 18 three pointers to steal the win.....IPFW is sure to be ticked off and not wanting to start league play at 0-2....ORU has not won a game on the road yet this season and this isn't a favorable situation.....our play has been scattershot on the road to say the least.....we have long stretches where we can't score and don't play a lot of perimeter defense....that's a bad combo and needless to say, TheEagleman isn't feeling the love for ORU in this one....based on our 4-11 record I just can't see us pulling an upset.....we may hang around for awhile and could even be close late in the contest but these Golden Eagles haven't shown any ability to close one out on the road....have had chances vs. Mississippi, Missouri State, Michigan State, Creighton and Denver but come up small every time....tomorrow is no different.....IPFW isn't really THAT strong a team but they did take an impressive scalp at Indiana last month....the Good Guys battle with the Mastodons for 35-36 minutes but in the end come up short.....IPFW 82 ORU 74...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 1. Any team that ties a conference record with 18 threes (on the road!) is not a "doormat" and did not "steal" anything. 2. IPFW really IS "that strong of a team", as I'm afraid ORU may discover the hard way Saturday night. Road woes for the good guys continue: Dons, by double digits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUalum Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 "hey, i've got a great idea! we've got an early afternoon start against the best team in the conference, let's stay in Chicago the night before. that way we get to bus in 3 hours the morning of gameday." ---- says no one except ORU it was going to tough anyway. why make things harder on your team? 56 - 39 at the half ---- IPFW w/ 12-20 from behind the arc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUIllini Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 3 minutes ago, ORUalum said: "hey, i've got a great idea! we've got an early afternoon start against the best team in the conference, let's stay in Chicago the night before. that way we get to bus in 3 hours the morning of gameday." ---- says no one except ORU it was going to tough anyway. why make things harder on your team? 56 - 39 at the half ---- IPFW w/ 12-20 from behind the arc I thought that was strange too Alum! And if I'm right, according to twitter they left around 9 am...that doesn't leave much time before 1:30 tip..... oh well... Expect a Miracle 2nd half Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 I've stayed on Fort Wayne before, so I know they have hotels. They hosted the Mid-Con tournament back in the Barry Hinson days. Very friendly folks in Fort Wayne. In fact, the business across the street from the team hotel had "WELCOME ORAL ROBERTS BASKETBALL" splashed across their marquee throughout the tourney. Of course, it was a strip club, but hey - their heart was in the right place! The Dons just tied the Summit League record for 3's in a game with 18 - and there's 8 minutes left in the game, leading 81-61. They are shooting over 50% from behind the line - shocking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUalum Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 it just makes no sense. i'm not saying it cost ORU the game, but you are not setting up your team for success. the team does not get to practice on the game floor the night before and then you walk right off the bus into shoot around on game day after a 3 hr bus ride. oh well, i'm sure new year's eve tonight will be much more fun in Chi town as opposed to Fort Wayne......that was probably the thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleManiac Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Wasn't able to listen to the game, unfortunately. You're not going to beat many teams giving up 20 3-point buckets. Sometimes you play great defense and our opponent just can't miss. And sometimes you play garbage defense and give the offense wide open shots and they make 57% of them. Anyone listen and know which kind of game it was? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUIllini Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 I listened to the post game show and Coach Sutton again talked about playing with pride and getting off to a fast start....and once again it didn't happen...where does the blame lie for that? He mentioned how important it was needed against Denver, and how the team took another step back after good performances vs. Creighton, UALR, Richmond i just don't understand how this team can be so inconsistent.....how does Kris Martin not score ONE point? What is up with Nzekwesi and his minutes? Is he not 100%, or has the staff lost confidence in him? I'm curious how much Western will be favored by next Saturday? As we move into a new year, I am mad and sad....and already looking forward to the 2017-18 season please save us!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 35 minutes ago, ORUIllini said: As we move into a new year, I am mad and sad....and already looking forward to the 2017-18 season please save us!! The only thing that could be worse than this season would be wasting Javan's eligibility by playing him. ORU would probably be better served sending a recruiter (or two) on the road while the rest of this season plays out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUIllini Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 42 minutes ago, Dr. Cornelius said: The only thing that could be worse than this season would be wasting Javan's eligibility by playing him. ORU would probably be better served sending a recruiter (or two) on the road while the rest of this season plays out. I couldn't agree more! I've pretty much moved on to next year and hope Javan can play a big part in turning this thing around.... no reason whatsoever for him to play now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUalum Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 i could not disagree more. if he is healthy now and can help you win one game then lose the red-shirt. you guys are assuming 3 healthy years if he sits. i would not take that bet. so far he is 0 for 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 Another game....another loss. Brutal......not sure how much more Theeagleman can take....but at least we cant lose the rest of this week because we dont play.....oh buddy....Western Illinois IS a doormat....ORU will prove that next week when we get our first Summit win up there.....hopefully 2017 will be a better year....Go Trump...Go ORU!!!!... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 3 hours ago, ORUalum said: i could not disagree more. if he is healthy now and can help you win one game then lose the red-shirt. you guys are assuming 3 healthy years if he sits. i would not take that bet. so far he is 0 for 2. Unfortunately we aren't just a player away from being a decent team. Javan may take us over the hump to 7 or 8 wins but that's it. We are are 3-4 players away from being competitive in the Summit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingMaaaan Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 On 12/31/2016 at 6:49 PM, Dr. Cornelius said: ORU would probably be better served sending a recruiter (or two) on the road while the rest of this season plays out. Send a coach to Kilgore, Texas and find a hotel to call home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 21 hours ago, Dr. Cornelius said: Javan may take us over the hump to 7 or 8 wins but that's it. ORU will have those eight wins without Javan before the end of January, with one month left on the schedule. While an 0-2 start is not what we all hoped for, losing on the road is commonplace in any conference. Just as we shouldn't get too optimistic after two home wins (UALR/Richmond), we shouldn't go into mourning after two road losses. Missed opportunities, yes. End of the world, no. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingMaaaan Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 14 minutes ago, TrueBlue82 said: ORU will have those eight wins without Javan before the end of January, with one month left on the schedule. While an 0-2 start is not what we all hoped for, losing on the road is commonplace in any conference. Just as we shouldn't get too optimistic after two home wins (UALR/Richmond), we shouldn't go into mourning after two road losses. Missed opportunities, yes. End of the world, no. I don't think it's so much the two road losses as much as it's the 2-10 record vs D1 competition this year. Here's the January slate followed by my prediction for the game. 1/7 L 1/12 L 1/14 W 1/18 L 1/21 W 1/25 L 1/28 L 1/31 W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 A couple of observations from the past four games: 1. There's a distinct possibility the improved 3-point FG defensive numbers at home against UALR and Richmond simply speak to those two teams' inability to make 3's, not improved perimeter defense. The Trojans and Spiders got open looks - they just couldn't/didn't hit them. On the season, UALR ranks a mediocre 157th nationally in 3-point FG percentage, Richmond is near the bottom at 288th. (In case you're wondering, ORU ranks a respectable 89th). 2. The Summit is a 3-point shooting league, particularly for the home teams (ORU included). These past two games may not be the abominations we hope they are when it comes to the volume of 3's ORU can expect night-in and night-out for the next 9 weeks, to be continued at Western Illinois this weekend. 3. If you're playing man-to-man defense in a 40-minute college game, and your opponent manages to launch 35 threes that are good-enough looks for 20 to find the mark, you're not doing it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 Our 3 point defense truly is DEPORABLE and EMBARRASSING....so is it the lack of ability or effort of the players or lack of coaching?....honestly, seems to TheEagleman that it's the former....our guys just can't or wont' defend the perimeter and Coach Sutton is totally frustrated by that.....but he HAS to do something about it....what that is, I don't know....but he's getting over $500K per year to figure it out not me....this has to improve or we might be looking at about 9-21 this season..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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