South Dakota State 12/19/22

[Dr. Cornelius]

 

[theeagleman5]

TheEagleman remembers when OCU played basketball in D-1....and ORU40 was probably a member of that 1983 Titan team.....

[dave]

11 hours ago, Keenan Henderson said:

Tonight's game was maybe the best defensive effort that a Paul Mills team has ever had.  The stats are just off the charts.  Any thoughts on why such a great improvement in one game?  Yes SDSU is still finding their way but it was more than that.

Obviously, everyone has to buy in to playing tough D, but I continue to point to Mwamba as an influence on the rest of this team. Almost every really good team has someone who lights the fire for the rest and I believe Patrick is that guy for the Eagles. I also think Kareem is a really tough defender and disrupter. I just love the energy and aggressiveness this team is showing. It's a different style of ball than we have seen in a long time. And it is fun to watch. Keep it rolling Blue!

[Keenan Henderson]

McBride has also improved on defense this year and for the most part shut down Mayo last night.  This team is really coming together and it seems that each player really knows their roles.  ORU has also been forcing more turnovers as the season rolls on, which is their bread and butter on defense.  If that continues then the Eagles will be tough to beat.

[dave]

11 minutes ago, Keenan Henderson said:

McBride has also improved on defense this year and for the most part shut down Mayo last night.  

Agreed. I almost included McBride in my comment as well. 

[Old Titan]

53 minutes ago, dave said:

Obviously, everyone has to buy in to playing tough D, but I continue to point to Mwamba as an influence on the rest of this team. Almost every really good team has someone who lights the fire for the rest and I believe Patrick is that guy for the Eagles. I also think Kareem is a really tough defender and disrupter. I just love the energy and aggressiveness this team is showing. It's a different style of ball than we have seen in a long time. And it is fun to watch. Keep it rolling Blue!

Is there any way I can “upvote” Dave’s post like a thousand times?

[oruvoice]

12 hours ago, theeagleman5 said:

TheEagleman can't wait to hear what a certain ex Mabee Center employee has to complain about with this result....I know the Jacks have injuries but this was way too easy ....is it possible that we entering the Golden Era of Paul Mills basketball at 81st and Lewis?? 

I guess you might be referring to me (?), but I was never a Mabee Center employee. I am an alum, worked in the athletic department for 3 years, and was an Independent Contractor of the athletic department for nearly 30 years. 

That said, I'm ALWAYS glad when ORU wins. Just because I know that several staffers are complete garbage, doesn't take away from me being happy to see those kids in ORU uniforms succeed. And as far as Mills goes, he's a nice guy. Don't really have anything against him. Just think he's an average coach, at best. Honestly, I hope he continues to grow into his role and proves me wrong. Actually, you can draw some similarities between him and Scott Sutton (professionally and personally). Here's to hoping he builds a Summit dynasty, wins many conference titles, and pushes the program to great success!

[eagle88]

I believe ORU made that win look easy last night because they did a lot of things right , especially on defense. Most would agree that SDSU is not as good as in years past but we have all witnessed ORU losing to a team of their caliber in the past. There is no question that this year's SDSU team could put up points on a previous year's ORU team that played soft defense. The old saying that defense wins championships and helps the offense to be more efficient. Patrick "sparkplug" Mwamba has really energized this team and has been a rising tide that raises all ships! It seems that everyone plays harder with Mwamba on the court. This year ORU is playing from the front position and it does not seem normal to most of us. My prediction is get used to it because it is highly possible that our recruiting classes will get better and better. I got a tour of the new athletic center yesterday and talk about impressive and state of the art! We will have the best facilities in the Summit and one of the best mid major facilities and one that competes with many power conference facilities. What a great time to be a Golden Eagle fan!

[Otis 83]

I don't have any statistics or analysis to back up this view.  It is solely based on a "feeling" as I watch the games but it seems like our defensive rebounding is better or at least we have a stronger commitment.  The last couple of years I felt maybe one guy was crashing the boards and now I see 3 guys or so.  That's part of better defense too and it leads to more possessions. 

I'll wait for TrueBlue82's analysis of  opponents' offensive rebounding statistics over the last 4 years

[OKC Eagle]

18 hours ago, Old Titan said:

I've noticed this much:  teams in general - and perimeter players in particular - do not try the same passes through the lane when he's in the game, affecting their offensive flow.

Sure, post men with the ball are not really hesitating to go at him on the block, and some perimeter players have driven around him on occassion, and with some success.

But when they try to run their offenses, the simply don't pass the ball across the lane or to the offside block with him in the game.

"Fear The Condor's Wingspan!"

After reading this, I really started noticing it in the game. The Condor’s mere presence in the defensive paint really disrupts the flow for the other team. 
 

My favorite Condor play was when the SDSU athletic big man (who had beaten Conner and Mwamba on the block already) thought he could get right by again and the Condor simply reached around him and knocked the ball away without touching him. To their big guy it was like an invisible force stole the ball. 

[ORUTerry]

Link to last night's Sports-reference.com box score

Takeways:

• We held them to 26.2% FG5; they shot 19.4% from 3pt (6/31); we shot 48.5% and 39.3% from 3pt
• SDSU had 16 turnovers while we had 9

(If we continue to play with this level of defensive intensity, the teams in our league will have difficulty keeping up with us.)

• We outrebounded them 40 to 34
• The refs let them play. We committed 7 fouls and they only had 6

It was a complete defensive smothering of the Jackrabbits

Max only took six shots and had 8 points - along with 6 assists and 4 rebounds. He didn't force things and let his teammates take over - unlike another player who seemed to be a black hole when he had the ball.

Vanover is proving to be a real difference maker and is a match up nightmare for teams in our league. His BPM (box score plus or minus) for last night was an incredible 33.7. His ORtg (offensive rating) was equally impressive at 142,

[TrueBlue82]

1 hour ago, ORUTerry said:

unlike another player who seemed to be a black hole when he had the ball.

Oh boy, we could have a complete thread on this sentence...but probably better not to.  I only hope that he doesn't keep trying to force his way out of a season-long slump.  Most times that he received the ball, his body language immediately telegraphed exactly what he was going to do - lower the shoulder, try to dribble through any adversity, don't pass the pass to anybody, drive around the lane, and take an off-balanced shot that is equally likely to miss or be swatted.

Play hard - and let the game come to you!

[theeagleman5]

TheEagleman was really out in left field on Vanover....a total miss on my part in pre season.....the Condor is a God send... a stiff he is not....hope he stays in 2023-24 or is he one and done?.....

[eagle88]

I don't think Connor has had a consistent college playing career until he came to ORU. Our coaching staff is really good at finding players that fit into our system. Connor is flourishing under Mills system and he has the right players  around him. I bet he wishes he had come to ORU as a freshman. Fingers crossed he stays one more year!

[titansforever]

A digression...

That sigh you heard last night was DoMo breathing a sigh of relief that he's still #5 on the 1,000-point list.  

But he knows the end is near...  

[Old Titan]

1 hour ago, TrueBlue82 said:

Oh boy, we could have a complete thread on this sentence...but probably better not to.  I only hope that he doesn't keep trying to force his way out of a season-long slump.  Most times that he received the ball, his body language immediately telegraphed exactly what he was going to do - lower the shoulder, try to dribble through any adversity, don't pass the pass to anybody, drive around the lane, and take an off-balanced shot that is equally likely to miss or be swatted.

Play hard - and let the game come to you!

[theeagleman5]

TheEagleman really loves those gray and blue unis that the ORU ladies wore last night in Brookings.....which begs the question why our men are wearing these ugly uniforms at home all season....I like the script Oral Roberts but can't see the numbers and these uniforms just are NOT eye catching like the girls are wearing.....is it just me? 

[Old Titan]

1 minute ago, theeagleman5 said:

TheEagleman really loves those gray and blue unis that the ORU ladies wore last night in Brookings.....which begs the question why our men are wearing these ugly uniforms at home all season....I like the script Oral Roberts but can't see the numbers and these uniforms just are NOT eye catching like the girls are wearing.....is it just me? 

The girls new grey uni’s are awesome - the men need something similar; it looks like Georgetown!