NCAA First Round: #15 ORU vs. #2 Ohio State

[Dr. Cornelius]

2 hours ago, Keenan Henderson said:

Joey Brackets (ESPN) just put a video on ORU's ESPN page saying the Golen Eagles will shock the world and upset Ohio State!  That will probaly get the Buckeyes fired up.

 

What's the link to the video?

[ORUTex]

Go to the ORU page on ESPN and it's the first video:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/198/oral-roberts-golden-eagles

Edit: and this should be a direct link to the video:

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=31075836

Edited March 16, 2021 by ORUTex
added direct link

[ORUTerry]

So much for staying under the radar. Lunardi may have just poked the bear...

[Old Titan]

FWIW:  the deadline passed at 5pm for positive COVID tests resulting in replacement teams.

That means Louisville (first in line for any multi-bid conference team that tested positive) and South Dakota State (first in line from the Summit League should ORU have tested positive) can now unpack their bags. 

From this point through the Final Four, positive tests that affect the roster of any team will result in a forfeit. 

The Buckeyes are on the clock; maybe there’s a tattoo parlor near the hotel (Google it).

[Old Titan]

22 minutes ago, ORUTerry said:

So much for staying under the radar. Lunardi may have just poked the bear...

His next phone call after posting that video was to his bookie:  

“Yeah, Tony?  What's the moneyline for Ohio State?"

"It's -2500?  Really?"

"Whatever - gimme 10 large.”

[ORUTerry]

[Otis 83]

41 minutes ago, Old Titan said:

His next phone call after posting that video was to his bookie:  

“Yeah, Tony?  What's the moneyline for Ohio State?"

"It's -2500?  Really?"

"Whatever - gimme 10 large.”

A lot like watching Bill Ackman on Squawk Box. 

[Old Titan]

Paul Mills to Joe Lunardi:

(of course, if you've seen Caddyshack, you know the real line is "WELL, TANKS FOR NUTTIN'!!")

 

[ORUPucks]

Sorry just getting back to this my father-in-law hooked me up with the tickets 

[ORUTerry]

[Old Titan]

Does any brewery in Tulsa even make a non-alcoholic version??

 

[ORUTerry]

What about Liberty and Abilene Christian? They would have the same issue as well. 

[Keenan Henderson]

An advantage that ORU should have in this game is that Ohio State does not usually face the Eagles style of play in the Big Ten.  It may take the Buckeyes a half to get use to ORU's small ball and five shooters on the floor at one time.

[Old Titan]

It occurred to me last night why Joe Lunardi made such a random prognostication:  on Monday, he was one of the four panelists on the virtual "Bracketology Breakfast" fundraiser for ORU Athletics, along with Paul Mills and former ORU and Kansas coaches Ted Owens and Bill Self.  Who knows, he may have even commanded an appearance fee for his participation.

Regardless, I'm guessing he thought he was doing ORU a solid in the profile department by picking them to give Ohio State all they could handle; he just went too far picking them to win the game outright.

A little publicity is nice, but not when it becomes bulletin board material.  He just did a better job of getting the Buckeyes laser-focused than their coach could have hoped to achieve in a thousand pep talks.

[ORUTex]

Good point about what got him thinking about ORU. But I'm pretty skeptical that anything Lunardi says is going to affect the motivation of Ohio State's players for an NCAA tournament game. I'm happy for the publicity!

[Otis 83]

On 3/16/2021 at 4:29 PM, Old Titan said:

The Buckeyes are on the clock; maybe there’s a tattoo parlor near the hotel (Google it).

I got a haircut by that tattoo parlor in Columbus. 

[ORUTex]

Oh, and poking around for reaction to the upset pick, I learned that there's a SECOND Lunardi video even more boldly predicting the upset. Here's a story about it on Bucknuts, the 24/7 Sports Ohio State page:

https://247sports.com/college/ohio-state/Article/ESPNs-Joe-Lunardi-picks-Oral-Roberts-to-upset-Ohio-State-basketball-in-NCAA-Tournament-March-Madness-first-round-162519336/

They quote Joe saying:

But here's my upset special of the tournament. The Buckeyes against Oral Roberts, a 15 seed. Can it happen? Yes, and I think it will. Oral Roberts, sneaky good. Ohio State, sneaky done.

And here's that mystery second video:

https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/31075786

[Keenan Henderson]

Now the NCAA changed their minds to only allow 9% or 1350 fans at tomorrow's game.  So it won't be a much of an advantage for the Buckeyes.  Thinking the Golden Eagles keep it close in the first half but then Ohio State finishes us off in the second half, 85-70.