Eagles morph into tournament mode - Tulsa World (3-6-2007)

[ORUTerry]

Eagles morph into tournament mode

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by JOHN KLEIN World Sports Columnist

3/6/2007

Oral Roberts, a slow starter in its first game, had no such problem in game two of the Mid-Continent Conference tournament on Monday night.

It took ORU nearly six minutes to score three points in its Saturday night tournament opener against Centenary.

In the same amount of time against Indiana-Purdue, the Golden Eagles erected an 11-0 lead.

"That first game is always the toughest," said ORU's Ken Tutt. "Once we got that game behind us we were much more comfortable."

Oral Roberts, the top seed, inched ever closer to its second straight NCAA Tournament with a 75-54 victory over IUPUI at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center.

It was the second straight lopsided victory for the Golden Eagles in the tournament.

It gives ORU a shot to win an NCAA bid in front of the home folks on Tuesday.

"It was great for our guys to get to the NCAA last year," said ORU coach Scott Sutton. "They now understand better what they are playing for in this tournament.

"Last year was huge for our guys."

What they are playing for on Tuesday is a chance to get back on the big stage of the NCAA Tournament.

"I don't think you can tell someone what the NCAA Tournament is like," said Sutton. "It is really a special thing and they want to get back."

So far, so good for Oral Roberts in the Mid-Con.

The Eagles have played with confidence and effort in the first two games of the tournament.

Their defense was especially stifling against IUPUI. The Jags shot just 29 percent for the game, including a dismal 19 per cent in the first half when the tempo was set.

"We are really playing some defense," said ORU's Caleb Green. "Defense wins championships and we've been doing a pretty good job.

"Hopefully this will carry over for another game."

ORU's program has two shots at the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday. ORU's women play for the Mid-Con title at 12:30 p.m. before the men get their shot at 6 p.m.

There was no secret to ORU's 22nd victory.

Push the ball in to Green, who dominated the interior, and then find open slots for jumpers on the perimeter.

Green was his usual self with 25 points.

"I think our guys have a sense of urgency," said Sutton. "They played with a lot of effort.

"We got this team down and then did not let them get back in it. The guys are doing a good job and understanding what we're playing for."

Green, a Tulsa native, is a three-time Mid-Con player-of-the-year and plays his final collegiate game in Tulsa on Tuesday. Tutt, a three-time all-conference player, will also make his final Tulsa appearance on Tuesday.

That should be enough to get folks out to see one of the best combos in Tulsa college basketball history.

"I just think we are pretty focused right now," said Tutt. "We've got one more game to go to get where we want.

"If we play hard and play smart we have a good chance to win the championship."

A repeat performance from their first two games in this tournament should get the job done.

When Green dominates as he did in the paint, and the Eagles get help on the perimeter, they are pretty tough to beat.

"I just think we've been pretty focused in these games," said Sutton. "And, we should be in these kind of games."

The Golden Eagles, who won the regular season title for a third straight year, appear to have the kind of intensity it takes to win this tournament.

They had it a year ago. They didn't two years ago, when they were upset at the finals by an Oakland buzzer beater.

There would be no upset in the semis by IUPUI.

ORU swept IUPUI, winning by 10 and 11 points in the regular season, and the Jags didn't help themselves with such a slow start in the tournament game.

IUPUI scored just seven points and found itself in a 19-point hole 14 minutes into the game.

The Jags could not get back into this game because ORU was playing some wicked defense.

The Golden Eagles limited IUPUI's chances, making the Jags take some awfully difficult shots.

As a result, ORU was steady and maintained a comfortable lead for most of the second half.

The Jags did get the lead down to 15 early in the second half but ORU had pushed it back to 21 with just 10 minutes to go.

"When we get the ball inside to Caleb like we did in this game, and our guards play that well, we're pretty good," said Sutton.