ORU Bracketology and rankings for 2023

[Old Titan]

 

[ORUTerry]

 

[Old Titan]

 

[ORob2]

5(!) vote "points" this week in the AP poll, meaning if every team that got votes was ranked, ORU would be ranked 39th.

https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll

[Old Titan]

ORU picking up 5 votes in this week's AP Top 25, from 3 voters:

• David Cloninger, The State (Columbia, SC) - 23rd (3 votes)
• Kelly Hines, Tulsa World (Tulsa, OK) - 25th (1 vote)
• Dave Preston, WTOP Radio (Washington, DC) - 25th (1 vote)

Wondering how many schools that are ranked or receiving votes in the AP Top 25 have ever been denied an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament?

[SpaceManSpiff]

49 minutes ago, ORob2 said:

5(!) vote "points" this week in the AP poll, meaning if every team that got votes was ranked, ORU would be ranked 39th.

https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll

Three voters this week:

https://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/team/oral-roberts-golden-eagles/2022

David Cloninger at 23 (three points)

Dave Preston at 25 (one point)

Kelly Hines at 25 (one point)

Edit: Old Titan beat me to the punch.

 

[Old Titan]

Beating the "at-large bona fides" dead horse just a bit more, this is a pretty good synopsis of how the committee might view ORU's resume should the Golden Eagles stumble in Sioux Falls. 

I don't think it's possible to quantify just how much the last factor listed might resonate with committee members: it basically represents EVERYTHING good about college basketball right now...

 

[Keenan Henderson]

ORU is receiving more votes than Kentucky.  Been a few years since we have said that!

[TrueBlue82]

Just now, Keenan Henderson said:

ORU is receiving more votes better than Kentucky.  Been a few years since we have said that!

Fixed it for you.

[TrueBlue82]

13 minutes ago, Old Titan said:

 

This is such GREAT publicity for the University and for the basketball program, that I almost feel bad critiquing it.  But, if you’re accurately presenting the resume of ORU, you really need to add “(all road losses)” after the mention of the four games in which ORU has fallen short.  If those four games had been played at the Mabee Center, I’m confident that our record would have been 2-2 at the worst, and very realistically 3-1.  

[OKC Eagle]

I also think that we are a far better team now than we were when we played those road loss games (NM excluded perhaps). I would love to get another crack at St Mary’s or Utah St. now with the way our defense is playing, especially at home. 

[theeagleman5]

TheEagleman totally agrees with that statement, TrueBlue.....in fact, I feel fairly confident that ORU could hang with and probably beat any team in that AP Top 25 outside of the Top 9 or 10 if the games were played at Mabee Center.....The Golden Eagles are experienced and unflappable....now look....winning AT Sioux Falls will not be an easy task...ORU will have the target on its back and need to bring the A game to get to the Big Dance.....but if we make it to the NCAA and play good teams on neutral courts.....anything is possible.....

[Old Titan]

I'm not sure ORU is better than any of the four teams they've lost to; and I don't think it matters since they all are rated higher than ORU and won the game in their own gym.

ORU can't be penalized for not beating teams they haven't played.  Outside of those four losses where they were not favored on the road and in all but one were competitive the entire game, ORU has beaten everyone else on their schedule.  Literally not one slip-up; that's saying something...

[theeagleman5]

Yeah but I am thinking ORU could probably beat UNM, Utah St and St. Marys at Mabee Center and i might like our odds on a neutral court as well........Houston?...no....the Cougars would still kick out butts anywhere....watched them get revenge at Temple yesterday and still not sure how the Owls beat Houston on the road.....but stuff happens.....Houston could end up as National Champions.....

[Old Titan]

 

[Keenan Henderson]

It is still six weeks away but say ORU wins the Summit League tournament and makes the dance.  Will the fact that the Eagles made the Sweet 16 in 2021 in any way affect their seeding in the tournament?  I bring that up because it seems that in the past, mid majors who have a recent NCAA tournament success usually get a little higher seed than those that are basically unknown.  Example Loyola of Chicago, which was seeded around 8-10 after their run to the Final Four.  Not saying ORU will be seeded that high but it cannot hurt to have strong past results in the 2021 tournament.

[SonofaLegend]

I have noticed that trend in all of our trips as well. Our 16 seeded team was really really good.

[Old Titan]

28 minutes ago, Keenan Henderson said:

It is still six weeks away but say ORU wins the Summit League tournament and makes the dance.  Will the fact that the Eagles made the Sweet 16 in 2021 in any way affect their seeding in the tournament?  I bring that up because it seems that in the past, mid majors who have a recent NCAA tournament success usually get a little higher seed than those that are basically unknown.  Example Loyola of Chicago, which was seeded around 8-10 after their run to the Final Four.  Not saying ORU will be seeded that high but it cannot hurt to have strong past results in the 2021 tournament.

It's a fascinating prospect because of factors we've discussed already:  ORU still has the same star player and same head coach as two years ago, which is rare for low-to-mid-majors.  Usually the coach leaves and/or the player leaves early or transfers.

Butler and Wichita State are a couple of examples of mid-majors with household-name coaches and players in multiple years, but they were Gonzaga-like programs at the time from conferences that frequently had multiple teams in the tournament.

ORU came out of nowhere in a one-bid league two years ago.  To make the tournament in high-flying fashion with members of the same cast (and after falling short of expectations last season) would be unprecedented for a school ORU's size.