Guest EagleBackr Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 CollegeHoops.net has already begun its annual "144 Teams in 144 Days" preview for the 06-07 basketball season. No. 144 is none other than ORU home opponent Montana. Check it out at the link below - and where do you think the Golden Eagles will rank? I say somewhere in the #75 range... http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/preview/2006/index.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 With a little work I was able to find last year's pre-season ranking, which was #62. Do you think that they will rank us higher this pre-season than last, EB? I'm not really sure. We lost six, which doesn't bode particularly well, but the heart and soul of the team, Ken and Caleb, are still around, with Marchello coming on strong, and a strong PG in Adam Liberty coming off last year's bench to take JB's place. Add to that an NCAA tournament trip last year. I think it'll be a wash, and we'll end up in about the same place - 60-65 range. But I could be wrong. We've got a while to wait to find out. I thought last year's preview of ORU was pretty interesting in hind sight, and since things are soooo sloooow on the board right now, I thought I'd post it. See how good you think these guys are. #62 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles Mid Continent Conference 2004-05: 25-8, 13-3, 1st 2004-05 postseason: NIT By Joel Welser In the midst of the Cinderella story of Oakland lies the nauseating story of Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles were the clear favorites to prevail in the Mid-Con Tournament on their homecourt, but lost in a last second heartbreaker to Oakland. Coach Scott Sutton returns much of his team from last year and this time around they?re even better. Jonathan Bluitt is a proven point guard. Larry Owens is an athletic small forward with a knack for rebounding. Mickey Michalec has plenty of experience under the basket. And then there is Caleb Green and Ken Tutt who will battle each other for conference player of the year honors. Who?s Out: Luke Spencer-Gardner started 22 contests, averaging 9.1 points and 3.8 assists last year. He was a nice option from behind the arc, hitting nearly half of his 3.2 attempts per game. Center Matt Gastel provided a quality option off the bench, but there is plenty of depth left. Gastel averaged 2.5 points and 2.3 rebounds during his senior campaign. Who?s In: Marchello Vealy is an extremely talented small forward. He averaged 17.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per game last year en route to Oklahoma Player of the Year honors. ORU doesn?t need much help on the wing this year, but it?ll be hard to keep Vealy on the bench. Daren Jordan averaged 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists last year at Phoenix Browne High School. He?ll see minutes immediately backing up returning point guard Jonathan Bluitt and will take over the reigns in 2006-2007. Sylvester Spicer, another small forward, averaged 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds at South Oak Cliff High School in Texas. With so much talent on the wings already, Spicer is a likely redshirt candidate. Injuries kept Eric Fowlkes and Yemi Ogunoye away from the court last year. Fowlkes, sidelined with a shoulder injury, scored 5.0 points per game during the 2003-2004 campaign. The 6-3 guard will add some experience off the bench. Ogunoye didn?t see as many minutes two years ago, but that was mostly from the back injuries that kept him out all of last season. The 6-9 forward is quite versatile and will see some minutes in the post. Who to Watch: Two years ago Ken Tutt and Caleb Green were amazing freshmen. Last year there was anything but a sophomore slump. Now the duo, who were the only two players to start all 33 games last year for ORU, are upperclassmen. Green, a 6-8 240 pound power forward, led the team with 19.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Tutt tacked on an additional 17.1 points per contest. Tutt is just a great scorer. The Garland, Texas product, after just two years, is sixth in school history with 183 career three pointers. When the game is on the line, Tutt will be taking the big shot?and most of the time he?ll make it. Projected Conference Rank: Not to put any pressure on ORU, but there is no reason that this team shouldn?t dominate the Mid-Con. Valpo is always dangerous, IUPUI is coming around nicely, UMKC only finished a game behind ORU last year and Oakland has the momentum from their improbable trip to the NCAAs, but in the end the Golden Eagles will finish 1st in the conference. It might not end there either. Looking far into the future, Oral Roberts has the best chance of any small conference team to win a game in the NCAAs?don?t worry Norfolk, Athens and Milwaukee, the Colonial, MAC and Horizon aren?t small conferences, they are mid-majors. Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA Projected Starting Five: Jonathan Bluitt, Senior, Guard, 7.5 points per game Ken Tutt, Junior, Guard, 17.1 points per game Larry Owens, Senior, Forward, 9.2 points per game Caleb Green, Junior, Forward, 19.4 points per game Mickey Michalec, Senior, Center, 7.3 points per game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EagleBackr Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 With a little work I was able to find last year's pre-season ranking, which was #62. Do you think that they will rank us higher this pre-season than last, EB? No, I don't - like I said, around #75, which is 13 spots lower than last year. And that's based on us going around 19-11, with a 10-4 regular season conference record... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 I always find it hard to know how to express my meaning with these rankings - does "higher" rank mean that you are given a lower number (better than before) or a "higher" number (worse than before). Actually my meaning was what you had already said - did you think that they would drop us from 62 to 75 this year. No matter; we're on the same page now. I'd be a little disappointed if they ranked us lower this year than last, because I feel we may have even better potential, but I don't suppose it matters all that much. The only one that really counts is the number at the END of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EagleBackr Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 higher ranking = lower number lower ranking = higher number I think we will be ranked "lower" this year, which means a "higher" number. (this is starting to remind me of when my kids ask if they can "turn the air conditioner down". Does that mean they want it colder, meaning a lower thermostat setting; or warmer, meaning a higher setting? Which is why I always answer, "IT'S JUST FINE - LEAVE IT ALONE!!") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 higher ranking = lower number lower ranking = higher number I think we will be ranked "lower" this year, which means a "higher" number. Great! Now how about RPI? Same standard, or opposite? If we have a "higher" RPI is our RANKING higher or lower? This is a good time to get the rule book written on these things This has always confused me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EagleBackr Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Same standard: better ranking = lower number. Think of it this way - it's like how you place or are seeded in a contest or tournament - 1st place is the "highest" ranking, 2nd place is lower, 3rd even lower, etc. A good RPI, or a good rating in the "144 Teams in 144 Days" preview is a low number, cause that's how you would be seeded... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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