ORU at St. Thomas

[Old Titan]

Does anyone know if the Tommies have any kind of message board?

I mean, I don't expect anything they might have to bear any resemblance to ours (kind of like our home venues), but I can't find anything so far in Google searches and such.

Expecting ORU to be favored by 8 points or so when the line comes out Wednesday; and since it's another crackerbox "arena" (seats 1,800 fans in bleachered comfort) I'm expecting another sellout, which ORU's traveling road show seems to be drawing at each stop in the Summit.

[tmh8286]

8 hours ago, Old Titan said:

I'm expecting another sellout, which ORU's traveling road show seems to be drawing at each stop in the Summit.

As ORUTerry has been known to say, a rising tide lifts all boats!!

[ORUJason]

They play in a cracker box right now, but within 2 years they will have a brand new basketball/hockey arena.  With the twin cities recruiting ground, they will continue to improve over time IMHO.

[Dr. Cornelius]

12 hours ago, Old Titan said:

Does anyone know if the Tommies have any kind of message board?

I mean, I don't expect anything they might have to bear any resemblance to ours (kind of like our home venues), but I can't find anything so far in Google searches and such.

Expecting ORU to be favored by 8 points or so when the line comes out Wednesday; and since it's another crackerbox "arena" (seats 1,800 fans in bleachered comfort) I'm expecting another sellout, which ORU's traveling road show seems to be drawing at each stop in the Summit.

I wasn't able to find anything for St. Thomas either... I usually check here: http://collegesportsinfo.com/directory/

[Dr. Cornelius]

51 minutes ago, ORUJason said:

They play in a cracker box right now, but within 2 years they will have a brand new basketball/hockey arena.  With the twin cities recruiting ground, they will continue to improve over time IMHO.

I agree. St. Thomas has the resources to be a power in a short time frame.

[Keenan Henderson]

St. Thomas is 10-1 at home this year.  They really like that cracker jack box of a gym.  The Tommies were one of the worst defenses in all of college basketball last year, which was to be expected after coming over from D3.  Now they have improved a lot in their area and about even with ORU in giving up around 70 points a game.  Really impressed with St. Thomas in that they have won 16 games this year and have an outside chance at 20.  Not bad for a second year D1 school.

[OKC Eagle]

You guys keep getting me worried about these games and then we kill the other team.  10-1 home record is impressive.  I think if we play our game, this won't be close.  They have to guard every player on the floor, any one of whom can go off for 15 points (or more for some) on a given night.  That pressure is wearing teams out by the second half.

Instead of having Max take some plays off, I think we should sit him for several 2-3 minute stretches and keep the offense moving to not let the opponent's defense rest. We have enough legs on the bench to run the whole game and run the (Summit League) opponent out of the gym.

I say ORU 84-63.

[theeagleman5]

Agree, OKC.....St. Thomas might be really good at home but they haven't played ORU in Minneapolis yet....a reminder that we beat them at Mabee Center by 12 last month when we were not playing as good as we are now...... Thursday Night might see the game close for 20-25 minutes.....but the Good Guys on a roll and will beat the Tommies again by double digits......

[Old Titan]

24 minutes ago, OKC Eagle said:

You guys keep getting me worried about these games and then we kill the other team. 

This just comes from 50 years of seeing otherwise run-of-the-mill teams play out of their minds at home when ORU visits.

My dad had a matter-of-fact saying he would always use for everything from contests like these, to the airline losing your luggage, to your order getting screwed up in the drive-thru: 

"It's tough on the road."

 

[ORUTerry]

As OT and his Dad said - it’s tough to win on the road. The home team is familiar with the arena and they usually get calls from the officials on their home court. ORU needs to stay focused, defend well and use their athleticism/depth to wear down the Tommies. Don’t look past any opponent and just win the next one. I don’t care how much we win by as long as we win. 

[Keenan Henderson]

We all know in sports that any team can look great one game and then so/so the next.  No matter who they are, even the Houston Cougars.  Usually ORU guards the Tommies shooters well and then is ok with Bjorkland scoring 20 in the paint.  Then the Eagles win the battle on the boards by 8-10.  That is also how South Dakota beat St. Thomas on the road.  That seems to be the winning formula, so why change it now.  

[Old Titan]

For the record:  Max Abmas has made 88 three-pointers this season (ranking him fourth in all Division 1) on .388 percent shooting. #smh

In Tulsa last month, Miller struggled getting his shot off, going 1-for-5 from three and totaling only 6 points.

 

[ORUTex]

To me, the ultimate example of the possible difference between a home and road game came in 2001-02 (I had to look up the year). ORU dominated and destroyed Oakland 93-61 at home on January 12, 2002. Less than a month later, on February 7 in Michigan, Oakland won 85-76. I'm not sure I've seen a bigger swing since then.

[Old Titan]

30 minutes ago, ORUTex said:

To me, the ultimate example of the possible difference between a home and road game came in 2001-02 (I had to look up the year). ORU dominated and destroyed Oakland 93-61 at home on January 12, 2002. Less than a month later, on February 7 in Michigan, Oakland won 85-76. I'm not sure I've seen a bigger swing since then.

I found several instances in the record book of ORU beating a conference foe such as Western Illinois or UMKC by 12-to-15 points in Tulsa only to lose to them on the road a month or so later by 5-to-10 points.

But THIS one has to be the greatest disparity ever:

• In Scott Sutton's second year, ORU destroyed Texas-Arlington 115-62 in the Mabee Center on Dec. 17, 2001. 
• Just TWO WEEKS later after Christmas break, ORU fell to UTA at their place, 83-77 in overtime.

Just your basic 59-point swing in margin-of-victory... 

[theeagleman5]

 

Say what????

[SonofaLegend]

Which is why Omaha is the team I hope to avoid in March! Down a point with 3:16 left, in our recent rematch at the Mabee Center . That team seems the most capable and talented from what I've seen. I blame nerves as that's easily the largest HOME crowd this group has played in front of. I think we are able to learn the same type of lessons you would in a loss, in our close victories though, so it's the best outcome as our record at this point is very important. 
 

One thing I love about this roster is these guys are hungry for minutes. They play hard, and rarely if ever take plays off. 
 

It's like watching a snowball rolling down a hill, the defensive intensity has led to PLAYING better and better defense, which has led to more offense, which has led to widespread success, and right now these guys look like they are having fun while wiping the floor with just about everybody! 
 

It's hard to imagine us struggling to score, it happens to everybody/every team, but the time we've all been waiting for is rapidly approaching, the guys know it, and they look ready.  "This is the last dance" in the words of Max Abmas (with a very confident smile). 

We will try and send a message to the committee, and National media, just like we have been doing the last several games. 
 

ORU +32

[ORUTex]

Yeah, but ORU got revenge a mere 12 years later, beating UTA in the 2013 CIT. It was Scott’s first postseason win and broke an 11-game ORU postseason losing streak. 
https://www.collegeinsider.com/upload/tournament-pdf/2013-CIT-Round1-ORU-Recap.pdf

[Ting]

Impressed with the stats knowledge of this board. You guys just have all those stats and facts top of mind? Or have to actually do research for these posts….?