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ORU vs Montana (Malibu, CA)


ORUalum

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55 minutes ago, ORUalum said:

Montana won at Pitt (83-78) and lost at Penn St (57-70).

RPIforcast says Montana by 7

Double that up...

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I am not sure if Montana is that good or Pitt is that bad.  Montana did go into Petersen Events Center on the Pitt Campus in Oakland and won 83-78 which is not an easy task on a good day.  However, Pitt is currently 1-2 having lost to both Montana at home and Navy on the road 71-62.  Their only victory so far is the game the other night when they beat UCSB at home, 70-62.  As for Montana, they are currently 2-1 with the aforementioned Pitt win and a victory in their home opener against Whitworth, 72-60.  Their loss is to Penn State a few nights after the victory over Pitt when they played the Nittany Lions in the Bryce Jordan Center in Happy Valley and they got beat 70-57.  Penn State is currently 4-0 with all victories coming on their home court.  They beat Campbell 86-75, Fairleigh Dickinson 81-57, Montana and Columbia 79-65.  Right now I would think that we are the definite underdogs in our next several games, being both Montana and Penn State.  As for the game in between with the winner/loser of the Pepperdine/UCSB game, I can not say.  We all know that we have a long way to go but on any given night anything can happen.  I guess at this time we just need to "Expect a Miracle" and pray that we learn and grow as a team.  Go Golden Eagles!

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Take Montana....lay the points. Grizz 86 ORU 71.....it's time to cash in again....:eagles:

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The Vegas line opened this morning at Montana -7.5; already moved to -8.5 and even -9 at one book.

Double-digits by tip-off...

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TheEagleman has Montana -7.....big time....;-)

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On the positive side, assuming victory might be beyond their grasp, here are some areas of improvement that would be great to see from the team, regardless of the score:

• Better shot selection from Albert and Jevon in the post, and RJ & Emmanuel on the perimeter.  I have no problem with any shot Chris Miller has taken this year, and poor Sam is just in a shooting slump (I hope) and needs to keep firing away when he has a good look.  Ruder is great if he can get squared up for a 3; but sometimes he comes around a screen and shoots off-balance with predictable results.  NEVER BE IN A HURRY TO TAKE A BAD SHOT!

• Better perimeter defense - too many open looks for threes!  The faces change, even the coaches change, but the results are the same.  Until ORU gets better at closing out the three-point line, they will inevitably lose ground as the game progresses since they do not appear to be able to keep pace from "3" on the other end.

• There is no reason in the world Albert can't get 10 rebounds in a game, other than simple lack of effort.  I find myself mesmerized these days, watching him whenever shots go up.  He just stands there many times, flat-footed, and watches as someone else gets a rebound he could have had.  I want to see him rebound like his life depended on it!

• Limit the turnovers.  It's going to be a tough year for RJ, Sam and Austin when they face pressure from teams like OSU and Arkansas, but I'm guessing that Montana will not offer that kind of wilting, full-court defense.  No reason why the turnovers should not be a reasonable number tonight, and the turnovers from setting lazy moving screens, shuffle-start traveling violations on drives to the hole, and unforced passing errors, simply have to be eliminated.  This team can't afford to not make the most out of every possession.

As for a prediction?  For some reason, these tall, pale teams from the Mountain time zone have traditionally given ORU fits (Weber State, Utah State, BYU, etc.).  Not sure why it is, but they always seem to score a bunch of points.  But, this game is on a neutral floor at sea level, so let's say Grizzlies wire-to-wire, but not by as much as you might think:  87-73.

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3 hours ago, Old Titan said:

• Better shot selection from Albert and Jevon in the post, and RJ & Emmanuel on the perimeter.  I have no problem with any shot Chris Miller has taken this year, and poor Sam is just in a shooting slump (I hope) and needs to keep firing away when he has a good look.  Ruder is great if he can get squared up for a 3; but sometimes he comes around a screen and shoots off-balance with predictable results.  NEVER BE IN A HURRY TO TAKE A BAD SHOT!

I have to say, I was pretty surprised to see some of the "Let it Rain!" shot selection from Ruder against OSU. This guy played in the Valley. Maybe he has that kind of green light from Mills, but I think even Jalen Bradley would be impressed by some of those heaves.

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Great post OT.  Hopefully we see improvement and a coming together each game going forward.  I will predict a Grizzly win, but I hate to do so.  Go Golden Eagles!

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Montana picks up four votes in the Mid-Major Top 25 today - other ORU opponents-of-note include #11 Florida Gulf Coast, #14 Oakland, and #23 Missouri State, with South Dakota, South Dakota State, and North Dakota State all receiving votes.

 

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Interesting that FGCU is ranked #11.  They are 2-1 with wins over Illinois State and Albany, and a loss to Bowling Green.  Although not bad, that to date would not be considered a powerhouse schedule.

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Thanks for posting, Alum. Watching the oru game on my phone with the Thunder game on the TV. 

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Albert should be playing on the ORU ladies team.....:|

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1 minute ago, ORU82 said:

Can anyone light a fire under Albert?

I thought Albert made a big jump in his game last year.  Early on this season, his game has regressed.  I think the staff last year lived on his tail.

  • Shot selection (seeing way more of the fade-away, off balance heaves)
  • FT shooting down
  • Not passing out of the post as well or as often
  • No improvement with low post moves or rebounding

He may be trying to do too much.  There is still time to turn things around by conference season, but this is not the same Albert we saw in league play last year.

...

I don't want to give the guards a pass -- they can't beat anyone off the dribble or make teams pay for trapping and overplaying on perimeter defense.

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