Tru Blue Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 ORU will face two tough opponents this week. With that said neither IPFW or SD State have any really impressive non conference wins. IPFW lost to Ohio St by 46 pts and to UCLA by 25 pts. SD State only lost to Nevada by 4 or 5 pts. If we continue to play at our current level we have an outside shot of beating either of these teams. It is apparent that the Summit League is down a little from previous years which could bode well for our beloved Eagles! This would be a great time to steal 1 or 2 road wins! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I tend to like ORU's chances a little better in these northern arenas when I don't see three blonde-headed referees yucking it up with the other players, their coaching staff, the fans, the ushers, etc. (see "Yorkovich, John"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Funny...TheEagleman was just thinking the other day that ORU is overdue to see ORU hater John Yorkovich....I think still the only Ref ever to "T" up mild mannered Scott Sutton....maybe we see this clown at Fort Wayne or Brookings this week...but hoping not...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 We started the 2018 conference season 3-0 as well. ORU beat Omaha (93-74), Fort Wayne (76-60) and Western Illinois (81-66) all at home. We then proceeded to go 2-9 in conference play before losing to Denver (88 – 90) in the Summit League tournament. In our first three conference wins last year we averaged a +16.7 margin. We lost our next game at SDSU by 3 points. The rest of the losses varied between a margin of 1 and 26 (at WIU). Our two wins were at home against NDSU (67-66 in OT) and at Omaha (83-75). This team is not last year’s squad – but we should be aware that we have traveled this road before. I seem to remember that Fuqua was hurt during some of that stretch - and was probably playing injured more than we realized. It seemed that last year conference foes figured out the zone, or at least how to attack it, as the season wore on. It will be interesting to see what, if any, adjustments or changes we make as opponents get used to our defense. The fact that the guys have had one more year to acclimate to the zone - and that we have more length on the perimeter, might make this year a bit different. We also have more offensive weapons than last year, although our depth is thin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 This is a really big game at Fort Wayne on Thursday evening.....a battle of the only two remaining Summit League unbeaten (3-0)....If we are going to steal one of the road games up north this week....TheEagleman has to believe that this is the one.....doubtful ORU can win at SDSU even if we play well....that's just a tall order....but this game is winnable if ORU plays as they did last week and IPFW doesn't bring their A game....the home fans in Fort Wayne not nearly as intimidating as those in Brookings.....but ORU will need big games from E-Man, Obanor, Weaver and others....and hopefully Kearns can play...anybody hear an update on his shoulder injury???.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 57 minutes ago, theeagleman5 said: and hopefully Kearns can play...anybody hear an update on his shoulder injury???.... I think Kearns will probably start against IPFW. He never went to the locker room and even played a bit after landing on his shoulder. I think he was just kept out because the team didn't really need him to finish the game - and why risk your starting PG's health when it's safer to rest him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 IPFW has great guard play from Harrell and John Koncar. They hit 17 three's against South Dakota State, so they live and die by the three. Hopefully, ORU can slow them down with the zone and continue to pound the ball inside. ORU will need to bring their A game to have a chance to pull out the win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 On 1/7/2019 at 12:00 PM, theeagleman5 said: Funny...TheEagleman was just thinking the other day that ORU is overdue to see ORU hater John Yorkovich....I think still the only Ref ever to "T" up mild mannered Scott Sutton....maybe we see this clown at Fort Wayne or Brookings this week...but hoping not...... He didn't just "T" up Scott; he gave him TWO technicals for his only ejection in 18 years as a head coach. Tom Hankins finished up the game, a come-from-behind victory at Western Illinois. Just this past week, Yorkovich worked the SDSU-USD rivalry game. He's a fixture up in that part of the conference, while rarely calling any games in Tulsa. It's just a bad arrangement, and has been for almost a decade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former SID Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Feel like I need to chime in here... Scott's first (only?) career ejection came at WIU and it was Danny McKenzie who gave him both Ts. Chris Crutchfield finished coaching the game because it was his scout. Not sure If McKenzie ever worked another Summit League game again. I remember the other two officials apologizing to Scott after the game. It was funny, because McKenzie knew he'd screwed up after the second one. I'll never forget that look on his face. Yorkovich gave Scott a T at IPFW moments after Yorkovich gave Kelvin Sango a T after Kelvin slapped the floor in frustration for getting his fourth foul. York gave Scott the T from about 50 feet away and that pissed Scott off even more but he wasn't tossed. I recall Scott being incensed at the T. York also gave Scott a T at NDSU a few games before the IPFW game and Scott felt the one in Fort Wayne was retribution for a hallway confrontation the two had after the game in the bowels of the old Bison Sports Arena, or BSA (We had another name for it based on the acronym; fill in your own blanks). I'll see myself out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 ....that's classic info, SID....love those stories....look, we have lost a lot of games on our own merits but ORU has been hosed so many times up North that I have lost count...and the Good Guys never seem to get that kind of home cookin' at Mabee Center.....I guess it's just part of the deal.....or maybe we are being too sensitive?....hard for TheEagleman to say....but thanks for chiming in with those stories.....great stuff!!....Yorkovich = Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Thanks for sharing those stories... It is interesting how some officials seem to have an attitude about ORU. It’s also noticeable how ORU typically does not get favorable treatment at home by the officials. Opponents generally don’t have to worry about that. I saw it on display last night in several games. It makes it that much harder to win on the road in conference games. I hope our young/new players are ready for that adversity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Here is a link to Fort Wayne's statistics: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/ipfw/2019.html They are a guard oriented, very good shooting team - led by Konchar and Harrell. A quick look through their games shows that no one has slowed this pair down. I am going to just list conference stats. They play 9 players with Konchar and Harrell seeing minimal bench time. Their height consists of Holba (6'7"), Carl (6'11") and Benford (6'8") off the bench. Team: 92.7 points per game 54.5% FG / 38.5% 3-pt (35/91) 73.6% free throw +1.67 rebound margin (they crash the boards; and limit rebounds by making their shots) 13.3 turnovers per game Starters: Konchar (6'4" - Sr): 26.3 ppg on 53.3% FG and 44.4% 3-pt with 9.7(!!) rebounds and 5.7 assists and 3.3 turnovers. This guy really fills up the stat sheet. He is averaging 36 minutes in conference play Harrell (6'3" - Sr): 20.0 ppg on 71.4%(!!) FG and 60% 3-pt with 5.3 rebounds and 2 assists. He is averaging 34.3 minutes per game. Holba (6'7" - So/trans): 12.7 ppg on 53.8% FG and 44.4% 3-pt with 2.7 rebounds Montgomery (6'0" - Fr): 11.0 ppg on 68.4% (!!) FG and 58.3%(!!) 3-pt with 1.7 rebounds Carl (6'11" - So): 8.7 ppg on 47.8% FG with 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists and 3.7 turnovers Bench players DeBerry (6'5" - Jr): 5.7 ppg on 30% FG and 18.8% 3-pt with 3.7 rebounds Godfrey (6'5" - Fr): 3.7 ppg on 55.6% FG and 33.3% 3-pt with 0.7 rebounds and 1.3 turnovers Weir (6'1" - So): 3.3 ppg on 40% FG and 0.7 rebounds and 1.0 turnovers Benford (6'8" - So): 1.3 ppg on 40% FG and 2.3 rebounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Our team stats through 3 games: 84 points per game 53.5% FG / 43.9% 3-pt (25/57) - we have the least amount of three pointers in the league (33.5% of our shots vs. Ft Wayne's 48.7% of their shots). 76.3% Free Throws +11.3 rebound margin (this is helped by limiting teams to 43.7% FG and 33.3% 3-pt) 13.0 turnovers per game (this has to improve) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 8 hours ago, Former SID said: Feel like I need to chime in here... Scott's first (only?) career ejection came at WIU and it was Danny McKenzie who gave him both Ts. Chris Crutchfield finished coaching the game because it was his scout. Not sure If McKenzie ever worked another Summit League game again. I remember the other two officials apologizing to Scott after the game. It was funny, because McKenzie knew he'd screwed up after the second one. I'll never forget that look on his face. Yorkovich gave Scott a T at IPFW moments after Yorkovich gave Kelvin Sango a T after Kelvin slapped the floor in frustration for getting his fourth foul. York gave Scott the T from about 50 feet away and that pissed Scott off even more but he wasn't tossed. I recall Scott being incensed at the T. York also gave Scott a T at NDSU a few games before the IPFW game and Scott felt the one in Fort Wayne was retribution for a hallway confrontation the two had after the game in the bowels of the old Bison Sports Arena, or BSA (We had another name for it based on the acronym; fill in your own blanks). I'll see myself out... Always great ot hear from the guys who were "in the room", so to speak, but I'm afraid that Yorkovich has figured into so many shaftings on the road for ORU over the years that we ALL may be a little fuzzy about the wheres-and-whens (as it appears upon further review that Scott actually WAS ejected by two Yorkovich technicals, at NDSU in 2011). Here are some links to posts from that particular game that prove one thing for certain: John Yorkovich is a menace to society and should be stopped at all costs. Scott Sutton Ejected As ORU Loses Fourth Straight (1/7/11) Fargo Newspaper Story On ORU Vs. NDSU Game (1/7/11) Just search this forum with the name "Yorkovich" to see a decade-long accounting of his ineptness. "Sad!!" (LOL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 ...and here is the Tulsa World story from that game, credited to "Staff Reports", which means someone from ORU either dictated this story over the phone, or e-mailed it in already written. Wondering if that was in fact our man CB? Also, note the red type: classic! -- Scott Sutton Ejected as ORU Loses Fourth Straight Staff Reports Jan 7, 2011 FARGO, N.D. - It was another case of "close but no cigar" for the Oral Roberts basketball team Thursday night. Playing without injured leading scorer Dominique Morrison for the second straight game, the Golden Eagles again gave themselves a chance to win at the end, but fell to North Dakota State 80-74 for their fourth straight loss. The Eagles trailed by two points with 11.6 seconds left when ORU head coach Scott Sutton received two technical fouls in rapid succession and was ejected. NDSU's Mike Felt made six straight foul shots - two for a personal foul and four more for the technicals - to put the game out of reach. ORU's Steven Roundtree scored with four seconds left to account for the final six-point margin. Sutton said he was reacting to "four or five calls" that went against the Eagles down the stretch by substitute official John Yorkovich, "a guy we've had problems with before." Yorkovich wasn't on the original crew but was subbed in when another official had travel problems and couldn't reach snowy Fargo. One of the calls Sutton thought was questionable came in a tied game with 1:05 left. NDSU's Michael Tveidt was on the move to the basket when the whistle blew. Yorkovich called ORU's Warren Niles for fouling Felt away from the ball. It was Niles' fifth foul and Felt made two free throws, putting the Bison ahead to stay. "It had nothing to do with (Tviedt's) play," Sutton said. "In that case, you almost have to mug a guy for that foul to be called." ORU had another chance when Ken Holdman stripped a Bison player and streaked toward a tying basket, but his shot was blocked by Tveidt and went out of bounds with 14 seconds left. Sutton thought surely the Eagles would regain possession, but the officials gave the ball to the Bison, forcing the Eagles to foul. They fouled Felt, starting a chain of events that led to Sutton's technicals. Damen Bell-Holter scored 17 points and Holdman had a career-high 15 points with four steals for ORU (5-12 overall, 2-3 Summit). Felt scored a career-high 22 for the Bison (8-6, 2-2). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Tulsa World article on the Western Illinois game the year before. Could have sworn I remembered Geoff Haxton (or Dave Garrett?) saying on the broadcast that Tom Hankins was calling the shots following Sutton's ejection, and I thought I remembered Tom doing the post-game radio interview, but I must have got it mixed up with some other game. There've been so many over the past 50 years, they all run together! Minus Sutton, Eagles Triumph Staff Reports Jan 17, 2010 MACOMB, Ill. — The Oral Roberts basketball team exploded to life after seeing head coach Scott Sutton ejected for the first time in 11 years at the ORU helm and raced to a 74-62 win over Western Illinois in Summit League play. Two plays in rapid succession raised Sutton's ire with the Golden Eagles leading 42-39 with 11:05 left. WIU's Ceola Clark ripped the ball away from ORU's Mikey Manghum, and moments later ORU's Michael Craion was whistled for fouling David Nurse on a similar play. Umpire Danny McKenzie called a technical on Sutton when he objected and quickly called another, cause for automatic ejection of the head coach. "I deserved the first one, but I thought the second was a little quick," Sutton said. "A coach really has to go out of his way to deserve the second one, but he gave it to me. I'm just proud of the way our guys responded." WIU (7-9, 1-6 in Summit League) led 44-42 after Nurse made 5-of-6 foul shots, but the Eagles outscored the Leathernecks 17-6 over the next seven minutes, finally breaking open a game that saw nine ties and 17 lead changes. Western's last lead came at 46-44, but Warren Niles answered with a basket and foul shot and ORU was ahead to stay. Kevin Ford followed with one of his five dunks and Dominique Morrison scored on a drive to make it 51-46. Ford, Morrison and Niles each scored 15 points and Craion and Ken Holdman had 11 each for ORU. The Golden Eagles (10-9, 5-3) won in Western Hall for the third consecutive year. ORU's next game is Wednesday, hosting Tulsa in the 46th installment of the Mayor's Cup series. ORU played without sophomore forward Kyron Stokes, who was held out to give his ailing right ankle more time to heal. Ford also had 10 rebounds to finish with his seventh double-double of the season, despite not starting. Sutton said the senior center "was not being the type of leader we need him to be" and started freshman Damen Bell-Holter in Ford's place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Funny-but-not-so-funny post about the officiating back then: Why Coach Sutton Got Tossed At WIU (1/16/2010) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 One of the things I miss most about the now defunct StatSheet.com is the ability to to track referee stats by individuals and conferences. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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