ORU- Texas AM

[ORU40]

21 hours ago, Keenan Henderson said:

Texas AM is a very sound team that plays tough hard nosed defense.  They have good guard play and really their only weakness is sometimes they struggle with shooting.  This should be the best team ORU plays all season and the Aggies could be a Final Four team.   ORU may lose by 25 plus.

Aggies already beat Ohio State and SMU on the road, so early on they have been battle tested.

Good analysis Keenan, A&M has one of the best backcourts in the country, Taylor was 1st team SEC last year and pre-season SEC POY this year, he loves to get to the basket off the dribble and gets to the line a lot and shoots almost 90% fts, he is an outstanding player. The other guard Radford is tough as nails, averaged almost 6 rebs per game last year in the SEC from the guard position, very impressive and had 21 pts & 7 rebs in their last game a road win at SMU. The Eagles have to keep these 2 out of the paint and can't allow them to get to the rim or it will be a very long night, probably see some zone against them, better to force them into jumpers then getting to the basket for easy buckets.  A&M overall plays very aggressive D and pounds the glass. Could very easily be an elite 8 or final 4 team.

The Golden Eagles have to play with intensity, a win is probably unlikely, but I hope we play hard. We can't let them push our offense out from where we want to run it and can be effective. We have to get a body on all 5 players on the floor and box out when a shot goes up, they will all be coming aggressively. Our bigs have to play hard without fouling- particularly Jones, we need his big body tonight on the glass not on the bench with foul trouble. Our 2 new guards have good size and we will need them helping on the glass.

Tonight is a good opportunity for us against a top team in the country! A&M will have more talent, but hopefully the Eagles will match their intensity, play hard and show some fight!!  Go Eagles!!   

 

[ORUTerry]

I want to see the guys exhibit intensity and effort on the court tonight. We will be outmatched but that doesn't mean we should be outworked. I really think we should diminish the minutes that McBride (39.3), Thompson (34.3) and Weaver (36.) are playing - or we are going to wear them out. I think it also affects us late in the game because they look tired - resulting in missed shots and slower defensive reactions. It will give the other players court time to gain experience. Hopefully, Williams will be available tonight. 

We need to focus on the things we can control: intensity, concentration, effort, free throws, defense... and eventually the shots will begin to fall.

[#1ORUFAN]

If not for a couple of mental mistake late in the first half ORU could be leading at the half. 

[Keenan Henderson]

ORU played really well and led 26-22 but Texas AM went on a big run to end the half.  The Aggies are just having the Eagles for lunch on the boards.  Rebounding still continues to be a problem for ORU, yes peat and repeat.  Not sure what the answer is but if they can ever figure it out then this team can be pretty good.

[Sterns78]

Sincere condolences, Eagleman. Thank you for sharing about your mom.

[#1ORUFAN]

Eagleman, you and your family have our sincere condolences. 

[Keenan Henderson]

ORU really played the Aggies tough tonight but got outrebounded 28 to 6 on the offensive boards.  McBride had one of his best games at ORU with 27 points and 7 assists.  Somewhat similar to the UTA game, if the Eagles could keep them off the offensive boards then most likely they would upset the 13th best team in the nation.  DJ with 6 blocks and 8 versus UTA.  He really comes to play when ORU is in Texas.

On a side note Texas AM could not hit the backside of the barn and that is when they are beatable.

[Roll Eags New Era]

Overall tonight I thought we took some good steps forward. Each game so far there’s been growth. This team has potential. 20+ offensive boards kills but we knew they were good at it. We moved the ball well and got out in transition. A&M definitely didn’t want to get out and run against us, which was evident early by how slow they were trying to keep the game. Our shot selection in transition wasn’t the best but we converted a few times. So much to look forward to as we continue to build towards conference play. 

[eagle88]

If there is such a thing as a moral victory we got one tonight. We hung with the 13th ranked team in the nation and I completely agree with Keenan that in large part due to the Aggies lack of outside shooting. However we played with much more intensity and hustle. We made a lot of good passes and even gave an extra pass or two to the open shooter. McBride, Kareem, Weaver played well and Josh Jones and Bedford are showing potential. 
If we play like we did tonight the Eagles should get W at home against Texas Southern. 

[Eaglefan 21]

The guys played tough and didn’t quit when A&M came out swinging in the 2nd half. 
- McBride seems to be figuring it out. 54 points in the last two games against stiff competition.

- Vanover who? Weaver was blocking shots left and right. Must be averaging 4+ per game on the young season.

- we caught them on an off shooting night, makes me wonder if we could have grabbed a few more boards if we walk out with a signature win for the Springman era.

- speaking of rebounds, someone is going to have to step up. Our bigs are young and learning on the fly , hopefully once they get some more reps they will get that figured out. It’s been said on here before, it’s just effort and we need more of it. We also need more scoring from our posts, the ball isn’t getting to them much…

- hopefully Jalen Miller is ok, that fall looked nasty.

- this team has potential and I think we saw some progress tonight.

- Paul Mills about to get his first loss to familiar foe Liberty at the Myrtle Beach invitational. Liberty looks tough!

[Roll Eags New Era]

11 minutes ago, Roll Eags New Era said:

Overall tonight I thought we took some good steps forward. Each game so far there’s been growth. This team has potential. 20+ offensive boards kills but we knew they were good at it. We moved the ball well and got out in transition. A&M definitely didn’t want to get out and run against us, which was evident early by how slow they were trying to keep the game. Our shot selection in transition wasn’t the best but we converted a few times. So much to look forward to as we continue to build towards conference play. 

Can’t believe I forgot to mention the gray Jerseys tonight! They looked pretty slick. Almost felt like an inverse of the home uniforms they they posted on social media a few weeks ago. Loving the jerseys this year! 

[theeagleman5]

Sounds like the Good Guys played more aggressively tonight and showed character even in defeat vs. a top 15 team.....Bring on Texas Southern....and Go Liberty!!! 

[Idig32]

I think the guys are going to be good at rebounding by the time we get to conference play. They’re getting a lot of experience in boxing out bigger bodies. I thought the rebounding improved even through the course of the game.
 

Also, I think I underestimated how long it takes to build chemistry with the new guys. 2 new starters, plus the new supporting guys coming off the bench means that it will take time to develop. However, I do think there’s growth happening and that there’s good potential. Honestly, I think if they compete like they did tonight in conference play, they will win a lot of games. 

[Keenan Henderson]

It is a small sample size but through four games ORU has been very up and down.  They played well in the two Texas road games and struggled in the other two games.  So maybe the guys like playing in Texas because a good portion of them grew up there.  Just a thought.

I think that the theme for most of the year will be: sometimes ORU looks pretty good and sometimes they really struggle.  Hopefully they can build consistency as the year progresses.  The bench is still a work in progress: one point from Sir Isaac (Texas AM had 20) and that was it.  The lack of depth is forcing the starters/seniors to have to put in so many minutes on court.  

[theeagleman5]

TheEagleman is grateful to all of you for your kind words...we had an incredible home going service for my mom yesterday and people were saved. I am humbled and overwhelmed by the life she lived...and blessed to have been a part of it....also very proud of the effort put forth by this ORU team last night... they will improve  I am certain of it. 

[Keenan Henderson]

After the Texas AM game, some of the seniors have impressive numbers: DJ is 3rd in the nation in blocks, McBride is 30th in scoring and Thompson leads the Summit League in assists.  The Eagles just need the others to grow and continue to improve.  Which I agree with you Eagleman that they will in due time.

[TrueBlue82]

I am much more encouraged after Friday night's effort.  Yes, ORU got KILLED on the boards, but we knew that this was a weakness for ORU and a strength for A&M, so it wasn't terribly surprising.  Most other aspects of the game for ORU were on a positive trend from previous games.  I was especially pleased to see Issac letting the game come to him, and DJ not backing down when defending a much taller (and heavier) opponent.  Josh Jones also showed some flashes of talent, which gave me hope that he could be a real difference-maker in the Summit. 

[Idig32]

I thought Sir Issac played really good defense as well. Sometimes he over-helped on a drive and allowed his man to get the offensive rebound, but for the most part he was really solid. 
 

Really, the defense as a whole for this team looks like something they can build on. They did a good job of defending without fouling. If they can figure out the rebounding, they can be an incredible defensive group.