ORUTerry Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Sutton seeks the hungry By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer 12/11/2005 ORU coach may fiddle with lineup to solve shooting woes. Scott Sutton said he might shake up his lineup to shake up his Oral Roberts University basketball team. He might also shake it up because of injury. Senior point guard Jonathan Bluitt hasn't practiced since Wednesday's 88-76 loss to Missouri State because of a bruised heel, and may not be able to play Sunday's game at Northern Colorado. If Bluitt doesn't play, Sutton said senior guard Andrew Meloy will start in Bluitt's place. It would be the first time Sutton has changed his starting lineup in eight games this season. Senior guard Chris Riouse is also expected to miss with an injured foot. Northern Colorado is winless in nine games, and ORU (4-3) is favored to win its first of seven straight road games over the next 24 days. But Sutton said the Eagles need to play with more "effort and intensity" than they did in the lopsided loss to Missouri State. "I hope our guys will come out hungry. They had better. This is our first true road game of the season, and I realize (Northern Colorado) is going through a difficult stretch, but they'll be playing at home and they have good shooters. If we're not ready to play, anything could happen," Sutton said. Sutton is perplexed that a multi-talented team, hungry for recognition, has been unable to sustain effort for an entire game. The Eagles had sluggish halves in blowout wins over St. Gregory's and Tulsa, and fell apart in the second half against Missouri State. ORU shot a season-low 39.1 percent, got whipped on the boards and had no answer defensively when Missouri State caught fire in the second half. "We've been through these shooting slumps before. You've got to find other ways to help your team when your shot isn't falling, and we've got a few guys right now that if they're not making shots, they're not doing much else to help this team," Sutton said. Starters Caleb Green, Ken Tutt, Bluitt and Mickey Michalec were a combined 11-of-44 (25 percent). Larry Owens scored 22 points, but only two in the second half when the Eagles got outscored 51-35. "We've proven we can be a good team when we play together and play hard, but we're not going to be able to just show up and beat good teams, and we've got several good teams on this schedule," Sutton said. The Eagles have road games coming up with Utah State, Oklahoma and Minnesota. Sutton said altering the amount of playing time is one way to get his players' attentions. "Our guys have to decide what kind of team we're going to have. If they're not doing the job, they aren't going to be playing as much . . . I told them after the game that this is a chance for some of our other players to prove they deserve more playing time," Sutton said. Northern Colorado, coached by Craig Rasmuson, is in its third year of Division I competition. ORU won 78-57 in Tulsa last year as Green and Bluitt scored 13 and 12 points to pace four Golden Eagles in double figures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 That answers the question about Chris Riouse.... his foot is injured and he evidently did not make the trip. Sutton is obviously trying to send a statement. Who do you think his comments are aimed at? I guess we will find out with the starting lineup. Meloy in for Bluitt? Surely he is not going to play point guard. Will Tutt take over the point or Fowlkes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 There's always next year. This team is looking to finish behind Oakland, UMKC, IUPUI, and Valpo in the Mid-Con. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orumom Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 I'm totally stunned!!!!! Come on Dr. C...... We haven't even played our first conference game & you're giving up. I'm glad the players don't read the board because they would think they should just stay at the hotel. We've all talked about how lousey JB has been shooting, so let's see if Eric & Drew can step up today. (It will also give JB a chance to get healthy before the tougher games on the road trip, plus the bench may prove to be a great motivator) Sorry Chris couldn't make the trip, but wouldn't we rather have him get stronger than run him in the ground like we did Luke? Chello will have a chance to step up today! Let's get some game time experience for the guys on the bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 A season, like a game, has its up and downs..... Sutton is trying to send a message - let's hope they get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orumom Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 16-4 at the 16:30 mark. Hate to see Caleb pull 2 fouls so fast, but it looks like whatever Coach Sutton said or did this week has lit a fire under the Eagles!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 My impression is that these refs are calling a foul on any attempted steal, other than stepping into the passing lane, against either team. Neely makes it sound like some of them are clean, but are still called. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 A solid effort by the Golden Eagles. This was a game that would have been disastrous to lose, and the Eagles handled it pretty well. Shot 52% from the field, 82% from the FT line, and the game really never was in question. I kind of wondered about defense - seemed like NCU were getting quite a few easy buckets after we had just scored, but it's hard to tell from radio. Also, they shot a very high percentage for the game, which makes me think our defense might have been sloppy. Otherwise I think that the Good Guys got the job done. The did what they needed to do to win. Final score of 79-66 is decent for a game on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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