Old Titan Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 A couple of somewhat rhetorical questions in the wake of the recent homestand: How did that South Dakota team beat St. Thomas by 12 in Minneapolis on Saturday, giving the Tommies their only home loss so far in conference play? What was the more impressive achievement by ORU this past week: scoring an average of 93 points a game, or holding their opponents to an average of 59 points a game? Is "Yes" the correct answer to Question No. 2? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idig32 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 In response to question #1, I think South Dakota was completely wiped out last night. They had no energy left after traveling 2,000+ miles in 5 days. They just wanted to go home. That said, I think this speaks to us all having to get used to how much better ORU is than every other team in the conference. I’m starting to think this team shouldn’t be considered a Cinderella if we make the tournament. This team has the look of a contender, like they expect to beat everyone they play. I’m not used to seeing this level of talent, execution, and defensive intensity on an ORU team. I first realized this at the game against Liberty. I was watching Liberty warm up and seeing the guys they had and thinking “I thought Liberty was a really good team? ORU’s guys are way more athletic and bigger than these guys”. That same realization happens every time we play a team that’s supposed to be “good”. I’ve decided that these teams ARE good, but ORU is just at a different level than most teams. Someone on the board in another post has mentioned being told that we have a “power five” team this year. I think I believe them now! 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasgrip Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Having been able to watch all three games from the 4th row (thanks to@OKC Eagle), I felt like Denver played much more tired than USD. We simply outclassed and outperformed USD in every way. They clearly had a horrible and uncharacteristic night of shooting - but even if they would have been on, ORU was just too good last night. And the answer to number 2 is yes! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle88 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 I was told this past summer that ORU would be a power 5 caliber team this year and I think my sources were correct. FYI Coach Mills was one of my sources. We look and play like a power 5 team! I pray this year is a catalyst for even better teams moving forward. A fan that sits near me reminded me that several years ago Coach Mills said he expects our program to become a Gonzaga. I believe we are seeing this come to pass. Hopefully Mills stays at ORU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TrueBlue82 Posted January 31, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted January 31, 2023 36 minutes ago, Old Titan said: A couple of somewhat rhetorical questions in the wake of the recent homestand: How did that South Dakota team beat St. Thomas by 12 in Minneapolis on Saturday, giving the Tommies their only home loss so far in conference play? What was the more impressive achievement by ORU this past week: scoring an average of 93 points a game, or holding their opponents to an average of 59 points a game? Is "Yes" the correct answer to Question No. 2? A couple of questions??? 1, 2, 3... Another session of "point, counterpoint"... While "Yes" is a good answer to Question No. 2, we have to remember that we're talking about an ORU team that averaged 94.5 points per game in the home series against the South Dakotas last season - and LOST BOTH GAMES. The most impressive achievement of this past week (and the season as a whole) has been the improvement in the defense (from a dismal 290th in the country last season to a very respectable 129th this year - per kenpom). This makes ORU a very dangerous team. For a Summit team to beat ORU this season, it will require three components: 1. ORU must have an off-shooting night and/or an excessive amount of turnovers, and 2. ORU must have significant defensive breakdowns, and 3. The opponent must play one of their best games of their season. So far, no team has pulled off the trifecta. Omaha came close twice, but ORU's offense persisted in Omaha, and the Golden Eagle defense won the game at home on Saturday night. UMKC played an amazing game at Mabee Center and caused the ORU defense to falter, but ORU's offense was just good enough to pull it out (albeit with some Midcourt Max Magic). And, SDSU and USD both found out what happens when ORU is playing on all cylinders. Wow... 3 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglefan 21 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 1 hour ago, eagle88 said: I was told this past summer that ORU would be a power 5 caliber team this year and I think my sources were correct. FYI Coach Mills was one of my sources. We look and play like a power 5 team! I pray this year is a catalyst for even better teams moving forward. A fan that sits near me reminded me that several years ago Coach Mills said he expects our program to become a Gonzaga. I believe we are seeing this come to pass. Hopefully Mills stays at ORU. I remember hearing him say something similar. I also remember him stating that one of his goals was to pack the Mabee Center. I honestly didn't think that goal would be achieved but after watching the Omaha game on Thursday night, I was a bit emotional seeing people sitting in the upper decks. I didn't think I would see that again unless we played an OU or OK state at home. 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonofaLegend Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 I believe Mills is proving he can build a program the likes of Gonzaga right now. Time will tell, next year could be a nice dose of reality, but it feels different than having a "really good season". For one, I see the quality of players sitting on the bench. For two, we don't have much of a retention problem at all, which is unbelievable consider the rule changes with the portal. I believe the portal may be a big reason some of our promising athletes don't see more minutes before their time has come. I know we will likely lose a lot of star players this year (part of me hopes they just keep coming back for a 7th/8th season), but I am very optimistic about the guys watching from the bench. Mills is a phenomenal coach for ORU, and has brought so much pride to the program, not only because of our great successes on the court, but the young men he is developing in to great leaders and role models. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OKC Eagle Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 The answer to question 2 is clearly defense. Coach Norman Dale: I've seen you guys can shoot but there's more to the game than shooting. There's fundamentals and defense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 TheEagleman watching Coach Mills with Adam at Waldo's Chicken right now.....good stuff.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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