More teams are willing to face ORU (TW)

[praetorfenix86]

By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer

6/21/2006

The Golden Eagles' basketball schedule features 14 home games.

Assistant coach Tom Hankins is putting the finishing touches on Oral Roberts University's 2006-07 men's basketball schedule.

Things are proceeding well. The same project was a headache last year.

More teams are willing to play the Golden Eagles. It's partially because ORU lost six seniors from the school's first NCAA Tournament team in 22 years.

"People don't think we're going to be as good," Hankins said.

Don't tell anyone, but Caleb Green and Ken Tutt have another year. They've been ORU's best players over the past three seasons.

Mid-major schools are generally more willing to play challenging nonconference games, said ORU head coach Scott Sutton. As a result, the Eagles have possibly the most attractive schedule since Sutton took over the program in 1999.

Akron of the Mid-American Conference, Lamar of the Southland and Montana of the Big Sky will visit the Mabee Center in 2006-07. ORU will have 14 home games -- the most since 1996-97 -- and could add a 15th if it receives a home Bracket Buster assignment after playing on the road the past two years.

With games at Kansas, Arkansas and arch-rival Tulsa, the schedule is close to the severity of last season's -- with a key difference.

"You won't see us going a month without playing at home," Sutton said.

ORU played seven straight road games in a 31-day span last season, losing four straight against NCAA Tournament teams from the year before. The near-disastrous stretch threatened to sink Sutton's most promising team before it reached the Mid-Continent Conference part of the schedule.

This year's schedule has three December home games and a five-week break between KU (Nov. 15) and Arkansas (Dec. 22). ORU played Oklahoma and Minnesota four days apart last December.

Sutton said other mid-major coaches are realizing it's better for a school's ratings percentage index to play an ORU at 131 than a Prairie View A&M at 334 -- even if it the latter seems easier to beat.

"They're starting to see what the (Missouri Valley Conference) has done to improve its RPI by trying to play good out-of-conference schedules," Sutton said.

In recent years, playing teams like ORU was seen as a no-win situation. The Eagles were capable of beating good teams, but barely recognizable on the national radar.

Who wants to lose to a team like that? The Eagles have found it nearly impossible to coax opponents to visit the Mabee Center. That's why they only had four nonconference home games last season.

ORU had a head start on 2006-07. Louisiana-Lafayette is contracted to play at ORU the next two years as part of a four-game contract that started in Lafayette last December. The Ragin' Cajuns will visit the Mabee Center on Nov. 22.

Montana, which upset Nevada in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, owed ORU a home game after the Eagles visited Missoula for a Bracket Buster game last February.

Akron, 21-9 last season, is part of a three-team deal that sends the Eagles to Loyola Marymount for their Nov. 11 opener. The California school sought a home game and a road game in the Upper Midwest to complete its schedule. Akron agreed to play at ORU in exchange for a home game with Loyola Marymount.

[tmh8286]

Boy!  I don't think any fans will be complaining about the schedule THIS year!  That's a good home schedule and a good road schedule. 

It remains a question what the Mid-Con is going to do about the lost teams.  While they won't affect our schedule too much this season (roadie to CSU being the notable exception), it could have fairly drastic consequences on next season's scheduling.  Even if teams ARE chosen by the powers that be this month to add to the conference, will they automatically be put on conference schedules for next season?  This will be an interesting period of time in the Mid-Con.