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ORU vs Avila (Homecoming)


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The Mills era will start off with a win. ORU up 79-60 with 4 min to play. Golden Eagles 1-0....Golden Hurricane 0-1...I love it so....:eagles:

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Pretty impressive for R. J. Fuqua to join his Dad in the ORU record books in his very first game, tying Haywoode Workman for most steals in a game with nine.  Now he only needs about 100 more entries in the record book to equal his father.

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If RJ Fuqua is 1/2 the player that his father was at ORU then we are in for quite a treat.....:eagles:

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It was obvious that RJ was ORU's best option at point.  Credit to Mills for putting the best players on the court regardless of classification.  Sutton deferred too often to his older players.

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65% of the ORU minutes played and 56% of ORU points in tonight's game were from Freshmen and Sophomores.  This is a very young team...

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After watching the game I think RJ will be the next big thing at ORU. He plays with fire and a ton of energy. I think Albert will be more of a force this year too. He looked pretty good down low. I know it was only Avila but I’m excited for the promise this team showed.

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We only have two (2) seniors, Ruder and Owens;  two (2) juniors, Conley and Harris;  five (5) sophomores, Kearns, Showman, Nzekwesi, White and Miller;  and four (4) freshmen, Sutton, Manek, Ahmedic and Fuqua.  So yes, we are a very young team.

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Didn't get to listen to the game but glad to hear that RJ started and had a strong night. I was starting to think he had a publicist with all the preseason TW articles! He filled up the statsheet tonight.

Albert one rebound shy of that elusive double-double. But good to see Javan White is back and grabbing boards. I'm going to predict Owens will get 10 rebs vs. TU.

Speaking of the Hurricane, I totally forgot about DaQuan Jeffries. There's never a bad time to see TU lose a game, but that fact just makes it better.

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8 hours ago, Old Titan said:

LOL - one of the more entertaining aspects of college basketball season is reading the game thread on the TU message board during a "guarantee game" in the non-conference schedule:

Pregame:  Unrealistic predictions, based on a combination of disdain for the opponent's capabilities and denial of their own team's shortcomings.  Every returnee & recruit is potentially all-conference.

First Media Timeout:  Utter shock that the opponent has the unmitigated gall to be competitive, that the returnees look just like they did last year, and the newcomers are not leading the statistical battle.

Last Media Timeout Before The Half:  Everything that's going wrong is the result of poor officiating.

Halftime:  Rallying of the fan base, with sure-fire second half solutions for whatever is ailing their beloved team.  Convinced that the first half is merely the result of nerves, and rust.

First Media Timeout of 2nd Half:  General angst as halftime adjustments are failing to result in desired outcome; first rumblings of needing a coaching change (because these new guys can't play a lick!).

2nd Half Midpoint:  Dissension among the ranks, as fans resort to a barrage of back-biting, name-calling and the like re: the strength of the team, the bona fides of the opponent, their mothers' chastity, etc.

Final Media Timeout:  If it wasn't the refs' fault in the first half, it DAMN sure is now! 

Postgame:  Of this much they are sure:  the returning players have not improved, the recruits are over-rated, the coach should be fired immediately, and oh, Lord - what if we lose to ORU again??

This is the single most accurate sports analysis I've ever read.

Next comes the inevitable message board campaign to never play this opponent again in the future, as it just isn't worth it for a program with the pedigree of TU

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Cautiously optimistic after what I’ve seen in this first game. 

Cautious because all the good we saw was against NAIA competition. RJ is a freshman and might struggle with consistency. When he wasn’t in the game, ball handling was suspect at times. Some defensive lapses, especially against the 3. Big Al struggled with close range buckets at times.

Optimistic because RJ has such a nose for the ball and knows how to get buckets. We have shooters!!! Javan White looks healthy and is more athletic than I remember. The offense moved the ball great. I loved the head coaches engagement from the sideline throughout the game!

This team has so much potential and will get a lot better!

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Lots of excitement from last night....but, I think most of us would agree that Monday night is when it really begins...

there certainly are a lot of story lines intertwined within the ORU-Tulsa game....is Lamar better then some think? is Tulsa worse then some think?

the whole DeQuan thing....  how big of a game is this for Coach Mills...

it all should make for a fun night in Tulsa....wish I could be there!

Anyone know what happened to the supposed throwback jerseys for last night?

Maybe gonna wear them against Tulsa?

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The 3 guards who started looked solid.  I am encouraged to see that RJ is still going to be a defensive force even though he is maybe 5'10".  All 4 of the returning big men played with confidence, which we did not always see last year from Miller and Owens.  It makes a big difference to have 4 healthy bigs who can be trusted to contribute.  I loved the 3 forward lineup that Mills ran for several minutes in both the first and second half.  If we stay out of foul trouble, then we can go "big" if we need to against some of the tough upcoming non-conference opponents like OSU, Penn St., UNLV, Arkansas, Florida Gulf Coast, etc.

A likely 7-man rotation may eventually develop with the 5 starters from last night plus Miller and White.  There may be some spirited competition for the 8th and possibly 9th spot in the rotation between Jontray Harris (once healthy), Kellen Manek, Spencer Sutton, and Conley.  A win against TU would be a really nice way for Coach Mills to start his head coaching career.

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35 minutes ago, ORUIllini said:

Anyone know what happened to the supposed throwback jerseys for last night?

Maybe gonna wear them against Tulsa?

I was wondering the same thing. I expected a throwback to the Titans, but they looked the same as last year. (I guess they were throwbacks to the Scott Sutton era). 

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Geez...RJ looks so much like his dad...just a few inches shorter...so good to see #24 on the Mabee Center court again....TheEagleman had flashbacks to 1973....when ORU was in the Top 10....and I was just 18 years old and enjoying a Shotguns Sams pizza with my Youngblood  wingmates or a burger and  some cheesecake at Michaels Alley with my first wife.....uh....that flashback just went 30 seconds too long...:ph34r:

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Yeah the true test for a guard is when your bigs aren't dominant.  RJ and Sam are both good ball handlers.  Which is great because I know Mills likes to have at least two on the floor.  Foul trouble was a little problem that would be a huge problem against good team.  Avila didn't really double the post last night so we didn't see much inside out action.  Only 10 turnovers and a couple were on screens.  I'm also willing to bet we didn't see much of the "playbook" last night.  No need to put stuff on film in a game you should win easily.

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