ORUTerry Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 ORU Breakdown by MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer 1/8/2007 Looking back ORU opened conference play with home wins over Western Illinois 65-46 and Valparaiso 75-60. The Eagles played two of their most complete games to date, building on their 2-1 finish at the BYU Holiday Classic. They had a season-low six turnovers against Valpo. The week ahead Thursday: at Southern Utah, 8 p.m. Saturday: at Missouri-Kansas City, 7:05 p.m. It's hard for visiting teams to win at Southern Utah's high elevation (5,857 feet) even when the Thunderbirds don't have a potential all-league point guard (Steve Barnes) and the Mid-Con's best nonconference record (10-5). And UMKC is ORU's closest rival. The Eagles swept the Kangaroos last year, but lost six of seven to them before that. The big picture With the Eagles starting to play better and weak Mid-Con opposition ahead, shouldn't it be smooth sailing from here? If the Eagles play every game like they did the last two, they won't lose many more. The key is staying consistent in the conference tournament. The league has teams capable of going the distance with the Eagles in a one-game scenario -- especially when ORU doesn't play well. What are the most serious concerns? Depth, depth and depth. The Eagles have 11 men, but two are redshirt freshmen and the third is a walk-on. Sylvester Spicer showed promise with his jump hook against Valpo, but until he and Darren Jordan develop more, the Eagles are an eight-man team. Where can Shawn King go from here? Head coach Scott Sutton believes the sky's the limit for his still-devoloping, 6-foot-10 shot-blocker. King didn't start playing until a few years ago. But for most games, Sutton would probably be content with what King did vs. Valpo: 13 points, six rebounds, two blocked shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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