dave Posted May 3, 2021 Share Posted May 3, 2021 Not that important The wisdom of coach Paul Mills Keeps Eagles humble 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 3, 2021 Share Posted May 3, 2021 1 hour ago, TrueBlue82 said: The COVID tourney also helped ORU in that not only did they play major teams on a neutral court, but with very few fans in attendance. Usually, a first round game in a 15,000 seat arena would see ORU fans outnumbered by 20-1. But in Indy, the fan count was much closer. In fact, ORU’s fan base was larger (and louder) than Florida’s, and even the Sweet Sixteen Arkansas game was no larger than a 3-1 ratio in favor of the Hogs. This truly was a “perfect storm” year for an ORU run. That crowd element in the NCAA tournament swings both ways for teams like ORU. True, their opponent would typically have more fans, but fans of other teams in the same bracket who are in the arena always get behind the underdog, since they want the better seed eliminated. I can only imagine how the Baylor fans would have been jumping up and down for ORU down the stretch against Arkansas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted May 19, 2021 Author Share Posted May 19, 2021 Looking back, ORU lost 5 of its top 7 players from the 19-20 year (including Lufile's injury). They lost guys like E-man and Burns (all stars) plus Sam Kearns and RJ Fuqua. So how did they have a better conference record, win the tournament, and go to the Sweet 16, after losing all that talent? Still impressive to lose five of your top players and have a lot better season in 20-21. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titansforever Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 I think COVID played at least a small role this year. With so few or no fans in the stands, there was less energy for some of the other teams to feed off of, especially at the tournament. And I think our guys were just ready to win! And our coach BELIEVED they could do it. And can we say MAX? And KO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 The amazing thing is that this team accomplished multiple wins in the NCAA tournament without any seniors participating. Normally, success by mid/low major schools is a result of a senior/upper class laden squad that has played together for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 Expect A Miracle, baby..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU40 Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 On 5/19/2021 at 11:25 PM, theeagleman5 said: Expect A Miracle, baby..... Play tough D, make your 3's, don't turn the ball over and hit your free throws, then... Expect a Miracle! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 1 hour ago, ORU40 said: Play tough D, make your 3's, don't turn the ball over and hit your free throws, then... Expect a Miracle! Leading up to the postseason last year, the team accomplished 3-out-of-4 of those criteria in spectacular fashion: making 3’s, not turning the ball over, and hitting free throws. Conversely, they failed miserably in the remaining category of “playing tough D”, culminating in a .500 record in the regular season and a 4th-place finish in a weaker-than-usual Summit League. The formula for success this coming season is consequently so simple, and was so obviously proven in the postseason, that it hardly bears mention again (but, never stops me from doing so anyway): Play. Better. Defense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 Helps to have the right lineup on the court as well... Hopefully the guys saw the effects of playing hard on the defensive side of the court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 I would add a 5th item to the list: Rebound consistently... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 Does anyone box out anymore. That was always key element to good defense and it leads to consistent rebounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmg1984 Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 31 minutes ago, dave said: Does anyone box out anymore. That was always key element to good defense and it leads to consistent rebounding. For sure!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 If Lufile can play, he boxes out as a matter of course because he takes up so much space. Just saying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 Offensive rebounding can cure a lot of shooting ills, but ORU last season (and many other successful teams over the years) have proven that getting out-rebounded is not necessarily a recipe for disaster. I can remember that Nolan Richardson’s best teams at Tulsa and Arkansas were routinely beaten on the boards, but they won anyway. If you play a defense that pressures way out on the perimeter, you’re going to inevitably give up some offensive rebounds to the opposition. I think giving up the occasional 2-point stick-back basket is an acceptable trade-off to packing the lane and giving up a bunch of uncontested threes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave Posted May 23, 2021 Share Posted May 23, 2021 No doubt, 40% three point shooting has changed the way teams play defense. The floor is so spread out and it leads to lots of long rebounds that are up for grabs. I would just like to see the guys closest to the basket be more concerned with blocking out their guy and not allowing so many put backs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted May 24, 2021 Author Share Posted May 24, 2021 Here is a topic for discussion: was last year the greatest year in ORU basketball's school history? Not saying the greatest team of all-time but greatest year because of the win on CBS/publicity, etc? Also for those who have followed the Eagles for a long time: when was the last time they played a game on CBS? Just throwing some topics out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 I would really like to say yes because the tournament is such a huge promotional cash cow and garners such media attention. But, I think I would have to give the nod to the '74 season because it vaulted the program into the spotlight for the first time. Plus, the overall record was much better (20-6 compared to 18-11). This year's season feels a lot like that because we had been off the radar for so long and now people know who and where ORU is. But hey, I wouldn't argue either way. I wouldn't trade the end of this year's season for any other. What a blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU40 Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 21 hours ago, Keenan Henderson said: Here is a topic for discussion: was last year the greatest year in ORU basketball's school history? Not saying the greatest team of all-time but greatest year because of the win on CBS/publicity, etc? Also for those who have followed the Eagles for a long time: when was the last time they played a game on CBS? Just throwing some topics out there. I would say ABSOLUTLY! The amount of national media attention, fan interest or curiosity has never been at this level for ORU basketball before. (hopefully, it will bring fans back into the Mabee center for games) The national attention that March Madness generates now is so far above what it was in the past. People that aren't even basketball fans fill out brackets. I don't think this is ORU's best team at all, but ESPN didn't even exist in the 70's, let alone social media. Like the old saying goes " Its's not how many games you win, It's when you win them" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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