ORU vs. Duke

[SpaceManSpiff]

SBNATION: March Madness predictions 2023: UConn wins it all, Oral Roberts crashes the Final Four

[Old Titan]

1 hour ago, jmg1984 said:

 

 

Simply does not sound like a coach from a low-major private school with a 5,000 student enrollment.

Wonder what an athletic director of a school with a coaching opening would think of this presser...here's hoping they never see it. 

[ron]

17 minutes ago, Old Titan said:

Simply does not sound like a coach from a low-major private school with a 5,000 student enrollment.

Wonder what an athletic director of a school with a coaching opening would think of this presser...here's hoping they never see it. 

Paul Mills absolutely crushes pressers!    Have I mentioned, though, that I'm not worried?  

[Dr. Cornelius]

 

[theeagleman5]

How polite will they be on the Duke board after ORU kicks their A$$ tomorrow night in Orlando.....it's gonna happen, folks.....Laettner and Hill won't be in uniform......Bilas and Dickie V will be speechless and Blue Devils won't be ready for some of this.......

[ORUTex]

6 hours ago, RandomDukeFan said:

Fair point as well although Duke had a layup at the buzzer to beat UVa and the refs called a foul.  Then they went to the video replay and overturned the call.  The league later issued a reprimand to the officials saying they made a mistake.  

Duke fans are still a little salty on that one as it cost the team the regular season title.

My goodness that's a lot of whining and excuses. You're Duke - you should be better than that. But fine:

Duke also lost to Miami by more than 20, 81-59 on February 6. Roach played 31 minutes, and I don't think you can blame that one on the refs. So here's how ORU beats Miami, and Duke, transitively:

on 01/14/23Oral Roberts beat St Thomas MN 81-69

on 11/18/22St Thomas MN beatTroy78-76

on 11/14/22Troy beat Florida St 79-72

on 02/25/23Florida St beat Miami FL 85-84

 

 

 

[SpaceManSpiff]

 

[jmg1984]

https://247sports.com/LongFormArticle/NCAA-Tournament-2023-What-Oral-Roberts-coach-Paul-Mills-players-said-about-Duke-matchup-206612954/#206612954_8

[Otis 83]

Was there anyone from North Carolina at that press conference?

[vcboy2000]

9 hours ago, Otis 83 said:

Was there anyone from North Carolina at that press conference?

Didn't seem like it. 

[Dr. Cornelius]

 

[Keenan Henderson]

Without being too preachy: let us remember to pray for the team, coaches, players, etc. today.  Whatever may happen tonight I think we all want God to be glorified! Go Eagles

Also, read David vs Goliath in 1 Samuel.  It will get you ready for the battle tonight!

[theeagleman5]

TheEagleman is ready to rumble....and yes, praying for the Good Guys to play their best and for the Glory of God on National TV/CBS this evening....I am sure that there are christian young men on the Duke team also and we know that our Lord doesn't play favorites.....but hoping that He leans a little on the side of our Golden Eagles tonight....TheEagleman has felt confident all week and Max has to have a big night along with pretty much everybody else...but one other guy will need to step up and score...don't care if it's McBride, Jurgens, Vanover, Mwumba, Weaver, Thompson or even Phipps....but heck...maybe all of them are in double digits...expecting Duke to fixate on Abmas so the others will have to put some pressure on the Blue Devils to guard them also....we have to stay out of foul trouble because of the short bench...If ORU can hang around into the 2nd half then it's going to be a dogfight to the finish....I like our experience to come through in the final five minutes and it's ORU advancing to Saturday with an 85-80 victory......Let's Do This!!! 

[RandomDukeFan]

With apologies in advance for the length… thought I’d share an insiders Duke view while I’m waiting for 7 PM to get here.

 

Dereck Lively:  Freshman 7-1 center who is very limited offensively but is outstanding defensively.  Projected to be a first round draft pick this year because of his defense.  As mentioned earlier, he’s a guy who can guard any position on the floor but Duke likes to keep him close to the basket where he can help defend anyone who gets by perimeter players.  Leads the NCAA in “why didn’t he shoot that moments” on offense and scores almost all his points on dunks off lobs and putbacks.  Duke likes to use him in high pick and rolls where he almost always will slip the screen and run to the front of the rim. 

Kyle Filipowski: Another 7-0 freshman who is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder.  A lot of those rebounds come off his own misses around the basket where he’s surprisingly below average in finishing.  Similarly,  he’s shooting under 30% from three this year although he’s coming off a 6-13 performance in the ACC Tournament largely based on the back of his 4-6 performance against Pitt.  What makes him great though is his ability to handle the ball at his size and get to the rim.  That can also be a problem for him though as he’s guaranteed  to get at least one offensive foul a game and he can be turnover prone.  I would suspect Duke will try to post him more tonight based on his size advantage. 

Mark Mitchell – 6-8 freshman with long arms and a very good athlete.  Shoots the ball like he grew up playing in a gym with a 14-foot roof as it’s an ugly, line drive shot but he’s converting at 36%.  Likes to get in the lane where he can absorb contact and finish with a soft touch.  Defensively he can guard a range of guys either inside or out. 

Jeremy Roach – 6-2 junior who was the only rotation player returning from last year’s squad.  Started the year at point guard but when he came back from injury he’s been mostly used as a 2G.  Streaky outside shooter hitting 34% from three.  He’s been terrific in the latter part of the year attacking the basket and scoring against bigger defenders or hitting a pull up in the lane.  Duke loves to use him in that ball screen action with Lively.  Defensively he’s had some games where opposing guards have had big games against him but in general he’s solid.

Tyrese Proctor – 6-5 freshman from Australia who reclassified and came a year early.  Started the year at SG and despite a reputation as a shooter for the first half of the season he looked like he was chucking Fosters beer cans at the rim.  He’s up to 32% from three for the season but since the start of February he’s hitting at 45%.  Defensively he’s Duke’s best perimeter defender and I would expect to see him on Abmas.

 

The bench is essentially 3 players deep:

Dariq Whitehead – 6-7 freshman who is projected as a first round pick this year.  Had two injuries that really set his development back and he’s just now starting to show the athleticism that made him such a great HS player.  Has spent much of the year as a catch and shoot guy and hits 41% from three.  Good but not great defender.

Jacob Grandison – 6-6 senior transfer from Illinois where he shot 41% from three the last two years but hasn’t been as accurate this year converting on just 33%.  His numbers from the corner three are about 50% though.  Good passer and defender… more of a glue guy.

Ryan Young – 6-10 senior transfer from Northwestern.  At least one of you tonight will say “old man at the Y” when watching him play.  Not the most athletic dude you’ll ever see but has great footwork and gets shots off from odd angles.  He’s an offensive rounding savant despite his athletic limitations but  defensively he’s not going to block many shots though he uses his size to push opponents away from their comfort spots.

The team’s backbone all year has been on defense which has been top 25 in the country for most of the year.  They’ll switch perimeter screens with the exception of a big when they’ll ice and recover.  Having 2 7 footers out there allows them to do that effectively although with Vanover it may  be tougher if you run pick and pop action.  Offensively they’re heavily reliant on Filipowski, Roach, and Proctor with Lively and Mitchell providing complementary roles.  The other thing to watch for Duke is turnovers… they’ve had several games with 16+ turnovers but during their recent run they’ve been much better averaging around 10 per game.

I’d be lying if I said good luck tonight or even play well, but congratulations on a great season regardless of the outcome tonight.  Also, I found myself in Tulsa for work last year and was pleasantly surprised at what a nice town it is.  Stayed at the Mayo in a room that was bigger than several apartments I’ve lived in.  Had a dinner at Vu which was surprisingly good sushi for being a 3-hour flight from any ocean.  Also ate at Bull in the Alley which was incredible. 

[ORUTerry]

Thanks for sharing this. I was working on a scouting report but it wasn’t anything as detailed or inside oriented like your analysis. 

[titansforever]

I debated putting this under Max Accolades, but decided to post in this thread. 

Already an ORU legend, Max Abmas eyes another NCAA Tournament upset

Kelly Hines   March 16, 2023

ORLANDO, Fla. — Max Abmas has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest players to wear an Oral Roberts uniform, and he has a chance to add to that Thursday night.

The prolific-scoring point guard will look to pull off another upset in the NCAA Tournament when the 12th-seeded Golden Eagles play No. 5 seed Duke, the winningest program in tournament history.

“I think we have accomplished a lot during the regular season, but now none of that really matters,” Abmas said. “Every team in this tournament is good and they’re here for a reason. We have to do the necessary things that we have to do so that tomorrow we put our best foot forward and do what we can to continue our season.”

A senior who went under-recruited out of the Dallas area, Abmas ranks third in program history with 2,550 points, having scored at least 20 points in half of his career games. He has started 122 consecutive games and is averaging 35 minutes per game for his career.

How Abmas has evolved throughout his career is becoming more of a facilitator, going from being the top scorer in the nation two years ago to still averaging 22.2 points this season while increasing his assists. In the Summit League title game, he totaled 26 points and 11 assists.

“It kind of speaks volumes about how taking away things that may bring more accolades in order to allow the team to win and be willing to do it,” coach Paul Mills said. “I just think that at that position you have to have a guy who cares about winning, and he may need to score, but then he also may need to facilitate.

“The kid could have gone anywhere in the country (as a transfer) if he would have wanted to. To put his ego aside and say, ‘How do I have value here and what role do you need me to add value in?’ he consistently does that.”

In addition to tormenting defenders in the Summit League en route to player of the year honors twice, Abmas has found success on the biggest stage, propelling ORU to the Sweet Sixteen with improbable wins against Ohio State and Florida as a No. 15 seed in 2021.

After that season, Abmas easily could have left to pursue the NBA or transfer to another school. He could have left after last year, when the team came up short in the conference tournament. Instead, he’s where he wanted to be: back in the NCAA Tournament.

“I came back and wanted to win a championship and get back to this stage and put a spotlight on Oral Roberts again,” Abmas said. “To be back in this position, it’s definitely what I envisioned coming back — believing that we could do it again.”

Nobody outside Tulsa could pronounce his name two years ago, but everyone knows Abmas now. He is undoubtedly the focus of the Blue Devils’ scouting report, although ORU has six other players averaging at least six points.

“I’m not sure if you can stop Abmas,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “He’s been around long enough where everybody understands what a special scorer that he is. He’s a great college guard. He’s going to have a chance to play beyond college as well.

“But he’s a guy you have to be really disciplined with. You want to make it as tough as you can for him, understanding he’s going to hit some shots. He has deep range. He’s an automatic free-throw shooter. His passing is much improved. I don’t think it’s about stopping him. I think it’s about just being disciplined and making life as difficult as possible on him.”

Abmas could take advantage of the additional COVID year of eligibility, but it seems more likely for him to launch his professional career after another stellar season. That means his time at ORU could fittingly end in the NCAA Tournament.

“I’m just staying in the moment and really just enjoying every step of the way,” Abmas said. “I think that’s a big thing that I’ve kind of been doing the whole year, just trying to stay in the moment and not look too far ahead. I get a lot of questions about the future and everything, but the big thing is right now and doing what I can to prepare myself for the future.”

[darrenj]

58 minutes ago, RandomDukeFan said:

With apologies in advance for the length… thought I’d share an insiders Duke view while I’m waiting for 7 PM to get here.

 

Dereck Lively:  Freshman 7-1 center who is very limited offensively but is outstanding defensively.  Projected to be a first round draft pick this year because of his defense.  As mentioned earlier, he’s a guy who can guard any position on the floor but Duke likes to keep him close to the basket where he can help defend anyone who gets by perimeter players.  Leads the NCAA in “why didn’t he shoot that moments” on offense and scores almost all his points on dunks off lobs and putbacks.  Duke likes to use him in high pick and rolls where he almost always will slip the screen and run to the front of the rim. 

Kyle Filipowski: Another 7-0 freshman who is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder.  A lot of those rebounds come off his own misses around the basket where he’s surprisingly below average in finishing.  Similarly,  he’s shooting under 30% from three this year although he’s coming off a 6-13 performance in the ACC Tournament largely based on the back of his 4-6 performance against Pitt.  What makes him great though is his ability to handle the ball at his size and get to the rim.  That can also be a problem for him though as he’s guaranteed  to get at least one offensive foul a game and he can be turnover prone.  I would suspect Duke will try to post him more tonight based on his size advantage. 

Mark Mitchell – 6-8 freshman with long arms and a very good athlete.  Shoots the ball like he grew up playing in a gym with a 14-foot roof as it’s an ugly, line drive shot but he’s converting at 36%.  Likes to get in the lane where he can absorb contact and finish with a soft touch.  Defensively he can guard a range of guys either inside or out. 

Jeremy Roach – 6-2 junior who was the only rotation player returning from last year’s squad.  Started the year at point guard but when he came back from injury he’s been mostly used as a 2G.  Streaky outside shooter hitting 34% from three.  He’s been terrific in the latter part of the year attacking the basket and scoring against bigger defenders or hitting a pull up in the lane.  Duke loves to use him in that ball screen action with Lively.  Defensively he’s had some games where opposing guards have had big games against him but in general he’s solid.

Tyrese Proctor – 6-5 freshman from Australia who reclassified and came a year early.  Started the year at SG and despite a reputation as a shooter for the first half of the season he looked like he was chucking Fosters beer cans at the rim.  He’s up to 32% from three for the season but since the start of February he’s hitting at 45%.  Defensively he’s Duke’s best perimeter defender and I would expect to see him on Abmas.

 

The bench is essentially 3 players deep:

Dariq Whitehead – 6-7 freshman who is projected as a first round pick this year.  Had two injuries that really set his development back and he’s just now starting to show the athleticism that made him such a great HS player.  Has spent much of the year as a catch and shoot guy and hits 41% from three.  Good but not great defender.

Jacob Grandison – 6-6 senior transfer from Illinois where he shot 41% from three the last two years but hasn’t been as accurate this year converting on just 33%.  His numbers from the corner three are about 50% though.  Good passer and defender… more of a glue guy.

Ryan Young – 6-10 senior transfer from Northwestern.  At least one of you tonight will say “old man at the Y” when watching him play.  Not the most athletic dude you’ll ever see but has great footwork and gets shots off from odd angles.  He’s an offensive rounding savant despite his athletic limitations but  defensively he’s not going to block many shots though he uses his size to push opponents away from their comfort spots.

The team’s backbone all year has been on defense which has been top 25 in the country for most of the year.  They’ll switch perimeter screens with the exception of a big when they’ll ice and recover.  Having 2 7 footers out there allows them to do that effectively although with Vanover it may  be tougher if you run pick and pop action.  Offensively they’re heavily reliant on Filipowski, Roach, and Proctor with Lively and Mitchell providing complementary roles.  The other thing to watch for Duke is turnovers… they’ve had several games with 16+ turnovers but during their recent run they’ve been much better averaging around 10 per game.

I’d be lying if I said good luck tonight or even play well, but congratulations on a great season regardless of the outcome tonight.  Also, I found myself in Tulsa for work last year and was pleasantly surprised at what a nice town it is.  Stayed at the Mayo in a room that was bigger than several apartments I’ve lived in.  Had a dinner at Vu which was surprisingly good sushi for being a 3-hour flight from any ocean.  Also ate at Bull in the Alley which was incredible. 

That is a great write up sir! Thank you. It will be interesting to see how they play Abmas as the game goes along. 

[ORUalum]