Best ORU Season Ever

[TrueBlue82]

I've posted this in the Men's Basketball section because it has the largest daily activity, but the conversation really extends to all programs within ORU Athletics.

Before we move deep into October and all of our thoughts turn to the 2023/24 season on the hardwood, I wanted to give the successes of the last season one last hurrah - and attempt to assess their places in ORU Athletics history. The question on the table is how the 2022/23 ORU MBB and BASE seasons should be ranked in the category of “Best ORU Team’s Season Performance Ever”. 

 

Of course, this decision is subjective, just as “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.  But, isn’t this kind of discussion exactly what fan message boards should be considering during the off-season???

 

First, let me throw out some potential teams and season performances as finalists for Best Season Ever (in historical order):

 

MBB - 26-2 NIT 3rd Place 1971/72 

MBB - 23-6 Elite Eight run 1973/74

BASE - 45-12 CWS top 6 nationally 1978

MGOLF - NCAA Championship Runner-up 1981

WBB - 26-1 Undefeated regular season - WNIT 3rd place - 1982/83

MBB - 18-11 Sweet 16 run 2020/21

MBB - 30-5 Undefeated Summit Champions - NCAA tourney 2022/23

BASE - 52-14 CWS top 6 nationally 2023

 

So, which ORU team had the best season ever - and/or are there any other team performances not listed above that should receive consideration as "best ever"?  I have my pick, which I will submit later this week, but would be interested in hearing from everyone else.

[Keenan Henderson]

Last year was such an exciting team.  How many times does ORU have an all american point guard and 7'5 shot blocker working together? (Never)  Yes, the last game in the tournament was a downer but still they won 30 (often blowing out Summit League teams by 20-50 points).  

I have only followed the Eagles off and on for 20 years but last season was my favorite of those teams.  Since the 70s, I would say last year's group was the best team ORU has had.  The Sweet 16 team caught fire in the last 7 games but the 22-23 group was good for 30 games.

[ORUalum]

Revis Ward's elite eight in volleyball with a team full of international girls should be on the list

[OKC Eagle]

40 minutes ago, ORUalum said:

Revis Ward's elite eight in volleyball with a team full of international girls should be on the list

1995.  Beat Loyola Marymount in the first round and Washington in the Sweet 16, both at those teams' home gyms.  Then they ran into the Stanford buzzsaw. There were also a bunch of California girls on the bench (I married one of them), a heck of a middle hitter from Nebraska, and the real glue was the setter from Colorado (I think).  But, the international girls are what made it happen, including a 6'3" 220lb middle hitter who was terrifying to play against even on an 8 foot net.

[jmg1984]

46 minutes ago, ORUalum said:

Revis Ward's elite eight in volleyball with a team full of international girls should be on the list

My thoughts exactly 

[jmg1984]

1983 Mens cross country team with a lot of great foreign runners. Top 20 team and did well in national championship race.

[jmg1984]

9 minutes ago, jmg1984 said:

1983 Mens cross country team with a lot of great foreign runners. Top 20 team and did well in national championship race.

Finished 10th in the nation. Jari Hemmila 21st in the race.Ikka Salo, Tuomo Sanio, Kim Bergall and Jari Nurmisto were the other top runners

[Dave Connor]

Bernis Duke's tennis teams included national junior champions from around the world. From 1968-1973 they went 136-19 while beating many teams from major universities. If we want to recognize a specific year, the 1978 team went 14-1, with wins against Indiana, Penn, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Tulsa. In the early 70's, I was among the small group of fans who loved watching them play home matches. 

[Old Titan]

The Forgotten Team:  Ken Hayes' first season at ORU in '79-'80, with all of former ORU coach Lake Kelly's players, included wins over Kansas, Georgetown, Marquette, Xavier, Princeton, and a home-and-home sweep of Tulsa. 

Ineligible for NCAA play due to rules violations under Kelly, the Titans ended the season sweeping through the Midwestern Collegiate Conference postseason tournament, averaging 102 points a game.

Not a candidate for "best ever", but still a team that never gets its due.

[ORob1]

2 hours ago, Old Titan said:

The Forgotten Team:  Ken Hayes' first season at ORU in '79-'80, with all of former ORU coach Lake Kelly's players, included wins over Kansas, Georgetown, Marquette, Xavier, Princeton, and a home-and-home sweep of Tulsa. 

Ineligible for NCAA play due to rules violations under Kelly, the Titans ended the season sweeping through the Midwestern Collegiate Conference postseason tournament, averaging 102 points a game.

Not a candidate for "best ever", but still a team that never gets its due.

That's when I fell in love!   Wasn't that also the year BYU/Danny Ainge went the length of the floor and made a layup at the buzzer to beat us?  That one still hurts.  

Rob

[Cletus]

35 minutes ago, ORob1 said:

That's when I fell in love!   Wasn't that also the year BYU/Danny Ainge went the length of the floor and made a layup at the buzzer to beat us?  That one still hurts.  

Rob

Yes, all those Mormon/LDS fans in the blue seats of the Mabee Center were deafening! 

[Old Titan]

1 hour ago, ORob1 said:

That's when I fell in love!   Wasn't that also the year BYU/Danny Ainge went the length of the floor and made a layup at the buzzer to beat us?  That one still hurts.  

Rob

Yep, in back-to-back games in T-Town, the Cougars scored last-second baskets to sweep ORU and TU.

[Otis 83]

On 10/3/2023 at 12:21 PM, ORob1 said:

That's when I fell in love!   Wasn't that also the year BYU/Danny Ainge went the length of the floor and made a layup at the buzzer to beat us?  That one still hurts.  

Rob

Same here @ORob1.  That was my freshman year and was my first exposure to D1 Men's Basketball.  I've been addicted ever since.  It was also the start of my "sports hate" for Danny Ainge.  I remember there was a white board in the EMR lobby where someone would write sports updates.  The last line of that BYU game summary was "at least we're going to heaven."  Yes that loss still stings.

[theeagleman5]

It may sting but not as bad as the Elite 8 OT loss to Kansas in the 1974 NCAA tournament at Mabee Center.....that was an incredibly talented ORU team that could have won the whole thing had we finished out that game to go the Final Four in Greensboro.....we had and 8 point lead with 2:50 to play and blew it with four consecutive turnovers....woulda coulda shoulda......TheEagleman still cannot bear to watch YOUTUBE Highlights.....it's been sticking in my craw for 49 years and I was sitting on press row.....ORU had beaten Syracuse and Louisville already and the Jayhawks were not nearly as strong that season.....ouch....most disappointing loss in my life which includes my first wife......

[ORUFan2009]

Those may be the greatest teams, but the greatest athlete has to be Andretti Bain who captured 1st in both the indoor and outdoor 400m NCAA championships and then went on to win a silver medal in the olympics. 

[ORob1]

1 hour ago, ORUFan2009 said:

Those may be the greatest teams, but the greatest athlete has to be Andretti Bain who captured 1st in both the indoor and outdoor 400m NCAA championships and then went on to win a silver medal in the olympics. 

I'd have to nominate ORU Hall Of Famer, Greg Davis for Best Overall Athlete.  I don't recall ORU ever having another two-sport athlete.  Anyone know?

Rob

[theeagleman5]

Greg Davis was not only a very good two sport athlete but also a VERY nice guy.....wonder what he's doing these days??? 

[jmg1984]

2 hours ago, ORUFan2009 said:

Those may be the greatest teams, but the greatest athlete has to be Andretti Bain who captured 1st in both the indoor and outdoor 400m NCAA championships and then went on to win a silver medal in the olympics. 

Great accomplishment by him!!