Back Home to Face UND

[theeagleman5]

Well...I guess we DO have problems...lol. Shameful loss at home.....

[ORUIllini]

Oh well, lost $ on that one.

Weren’t the women playing before? Maybe thats what pushed the start time back.

At least they won tonight.

[TrueBlue82]

Got outplayed tonight - and couldn’t shoot worth a darn.  Don’t know if Max read his press clippings this week, but UND defended him hard and he couldn’t convert from three, his teardrop shots in the paint were consistently falling short, and then he had the huge turnover and foul in the final seconds of the game.  This is a big OUCH for the Summit season.  Have to recover and do it again in 22 hours...

[Keenan Henderson]

UND brought their A game: pounded it inside, kept the game in the low 70s and guarded the three point line tough.  Then they put a 6'7 guy on Max and it was a real struggle for him.  That is how teams should play the Eagles.  Rebecca really took it to K.O. and outplayed him in the second half.  UND seemed really hungry and played well.

On a side note: every game in conference play was decided by six, two, two, and one.  So most nights are going to be real battles across the Summit.

[Old Titan]

I have to say, that was a really, REALLY good game tonight, easily one of the best I can remember being played at the Mabee Center in years. 

I thought both teams showed a lot of grit all night long, I thought both coaches had solid game plans, and even the refs had a good night.  I just think UND made several huge plays down the stretch that made the difference.

For the life of me, I don't understand why UND does not win more games.  They're tough, they're well-coached, they execute, and tonight they hit a ton of big baskets when they had to have them.  How on earth did they lose by 24 to UMKC last weekend?

And, while you all know I NEVER pass up a chance to throw Coach Mills under the bus when I think he deserves it, I gotta say I don't think he made any huge gaffes down the stretch tonight (though this does go down as yet another close-game loss on his record).  Max just had a bad last minute, turning the ball over in a last-shot scenario with the game tied, and getting his shot blocked at the buzzer from out top.  Maybe he was exhausted at that point?  They beat the hell out of him all night, which frankly he can expect from every single Dakota school on the schedule.  That's simply how they play, and how they win.

My only observation for Saturday night would be to urge Glasper to be more aggressive (even late in the game) to keep the defense honest, give Max a breather in the second half so he's not so spent at the end when you need him most, overplay Rebraca's right hand in the post (he only goes right 100% of the time, BTW), and throw in a little full-court pressure or half-court trap on defense to speed the Hawks up a bit.

Otherwise, I see no reason not to expect another slug-fest that comes down to the wire again.

[Keenan Henderson]

That is a good call OT.  Even though ORU lost, it was a good college basketball game.  The question that comes to mind is: how do the Golden Eagles learn to win grind out/close games?  You cannot expect to just hit a bunch of threes's and score 90 a game in this league.  There are good defensive teams with size in the Summit league that will force ORU to play like UND did tonight.  Not sure if I have any answers but how about the rest of the sports forum?

[TrueBlue82]

10 hours ago, TrueBlue82 said:

When I look at the comparative stats between the two teams, three factors jump out:

1) ORU has attempted the most 3 point FG in the Summit League (and 7th nationally), and UND ranks #2 in the Summit in 3 point attempts, so it could be a shootout.  But, ORU makes them at a rate of 37.6%, while UND has shot 28.1%.

2) ORU's overall FG% is 44.6% and defensive FG% is 41.6%; UND's FG% is 40.5% and defense FG% is a whopping 48.6%. (plus 3 to minus 8 indicates a significant mismatch)

3) ORU has averaged 23.5 ppg more than UND, but UND averages 2.3 TO per game higher than ORU. If you run a deliberate low-scoring offense, you MUST take care of the ball.  For perspective, ORU has scored 6.75 points for every turnover it has committed.  UND scores 4.11 points per TO.

Unless these three factors change over the weekend, ORU should earn the sweep.  One other note that doesn't make the stat sheet.  Tulsa native Caleb Nero is the second leading scorer for the Fighting Hawks at 9 ppg.  No doubt, he will have extra incentive to "go off" this weekend. 

 

 

UND won in all three categories tonight, earning the victory.  Saturday, ORU needs to earn the split.

[Old Titan]

34 minutes ago, Keenan Henderson said:

That is a good call OT.  Even though ORU lost, it was a good college basketball game.  The question that comes to mind is: how do the Golden Eagles learn to win grind out/close games?  You cannot expect to just hit a bunch of threes's and score 90 a game in this league.  There are good defensive teams with size in the Summit league that will force ORU to play like UND did tonight.  Not sure if I have any answers but how about the rest of the sports forum?

Well, that’s what I’ve been saying for two years:  chucking up 30-to-40 threes a game while playing soft on defense is not winning basketball.

Otherwise, VMI and Loyola Marymount would have national championship banners hanging from their rafters. 

Particularly in this conference:  the Dakota schools are not going to give you open looks, they’re going to knock you to floor when you drive the lane, and they will exploit you in the paint on offense if you don’t push back. 

In other words:  they are perfectly designed to expose teams that aren’t willing and/or able to play tough, conventional basketball on BOTH ends of the floor. 

[ORUPucks]

It was a good game, but Mills final possession was for Max to go 1 on 1?No screen nothing...that is poor coaching.  Max also takes 2-3 ill timed deeeeep 3s 

[Dr. Cornelius]

Don't usually see a team with the ball, tied, and under 30 seconds remaining end up losing in regulation... I do think ORU probably would have lost in overtime since the defense fell apart after Lacis picked up his fifth foul.

Gotta shake it off and get the split.

[EagleManiac]

Max was just a bit off the whole night and that was a big factor in the loss. Everything he threw up was short. I think he got rattled by the intensity of the defense they were playing on him and overexerted himself trying to produce the way he has the last several games. Hopefully he settles in better this evening. 

Obanor is still a beast. We've had several big men the last several years that are more skilled than he is that haven't been able to put up even close to the numbers he does. It's incredible the way he works. We need Lufile back ASAP though. Need some other big bodies in the paint.

[ORUIllini]

It certainly was an enjoyable college basketball game to watch....except for the outcome.

Both teams seemed to be evenly matched and it was nip and tuck pretty much the whole game. I thought the officiating was good as well.

These back to back games do create some interesting scenarios for game 2. Just a few days ago many of us, myself included, were penciling in a 8-0 conference start for ORU. Now, tonight's game almost seems like one that ORU needs. I'm not gonna say it's a must win.

Coming into the weekend ND was probably hoping for a split at best. Now, after stealing the first one, tonight they can come out and play free knowing they've already earned the split and if they could win both, even better.

For ORU, let's hope they don't play tight and press in an effort to avoid losing both. Obviously the 3 point shooting will hopefully improve for ORU tonight. I'd also like to see more playing time for Nate. I'd like to see him work over Rebraca some. Clover may foul out early in the 2nd half, but a bigger body on Rebraca might slow him down.

Interesting to see the line tonight is pretty much the same as last night despite the result. ND getting 9 again sure does seem enticing....

Lastly, I may be in the minority, but I just feel like Lacis and Jurgens are nice role players off the bench. I would like to see DJ starting and getting 20+ minutes instead of Lacis starting. 

[Dr. Cornelius]

3 minutes ago, ORUIllini said:

Lastly, I may be in the minority, but I just feel like Lacis and Jurgens are nice role players off the bench. I would like to see DJ starting and getting 20+ minutes instead of Lacis starting. 

It doesn't seem like DJ is 100% from the way he keeps getting subbed in and out... In addition to Clover I'd like to see Jones out there guarding their 5.

[EagleManiac]

1 hour ago, ORUIllini said:

For ORU, let's hope they don't play tight and press in an effort to avoid losing both. Obviously the 3 point shooting will hopefully improve for ORU tonight. I'd also like to see more playing time for Nate. I'd like to see him work over Rebraca some. Clover may foul out early in the 2nd half, but a bigger body on Rebraca might slow him down.

Agreed. Obanor putting in 37+ minutes the first game does not seem like a winning strategy. They need to be using Clover more liberally and give him the assignment of being the most physical guy on the floor. Make the opposing big guys work. Obanor can't keep the pace with the minutes he's currently seeing. 

Same thing for Max. To me, having a player play a full 40 minutes at game speed is risky at best, but doing that on the first night of a back to back doesn't seem wise for several reasons. 

[ORUJason]

I would like to see DJ Weaver getting more playing time as well.  Lacis is a really solid player and perhaps they start him due to his defense.  However, if you play Obanor, Clover/Lufile, and Weaver on the wing, I think you would have a really solid defensive lineup, especially with Glasper out there as one of the guards.