darrenj Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Wow! That is a very small team!! Really hope Morton and Farrington can help out on the boards!! It is going to be a very tough 1 semester but hopefully things will be good going into March!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bballmangc Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 I kinda am feeling the same way, I think we all could be pretty bummed after the non-conference schedule. I think if we win 2 of the 6 games we should be pretty excited (The TU game plus one more). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted August 8, 2008 Author Share Posted August 8, 2008 If we have exactly 12 non conference games, with 6 of those being the 6 road games mentioned previously, we DO NOT have a 'decent shot' at winning 'more than half'. We have little to no shot at going 6-6 or better in the non-conference. As a matter of fact, 5-7 would be AMAZING, OUTSTANDING, & TERRIFIC! Let's not forget folks....we lost Liberty, King, Ehambe, Ogunye, Vealy, etc. from last year's team and are replacing those seniors with mostly guys that have NEVER played a D-1 game or played together!!! The future is BRIGHT for ORU hoops. But, this year (especially early season) is going to be TOUGH. A "decent shot" means we should have a chance for it to be a competitive game, not that we would be favored. Please tell me who, other than North Carolina, we can't at least be competitive with, if we play well? Louisiana-Lafayette? Absolutely. Wright State? Yep. South Florida? Sure. Murray State? Most definitely. Tulsa? Always a battle. New Mexico? Why not? Southern Cal? Could be an upset special. Creighton? Gonna be a tough one. Missouri? Ditto. Plus, the undetermined 2-or-3 home games against presumably mid-major or less competition. Sure, 3-9 is possible, maybe even likely. But, 6-6 is not out of the realm of possibility if our new talent comes together early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 If "ifs and buts" were candy and nuts - it would be Christmas in July.... (Not quite the same version as Dandy Don Meredith's, but I like it anyway) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 A "decent shot" means we should have a chance for it to be a competitive game, not that we would be favored. Please tell me who, other than North Carolina, we can't at least be competitive with, if we play well? Louisiana-Lafayette? Absolutely. Wright State? Yep. South Florida? Sure. Murray State? Most definitely. Tulsa? Always a battle. New Mexico? Why not? Southern Cal? Could be an upset special. Creighton? Gonna be a tough one. Missouri? Ditto. Plus, the undetermined 2-or-3 home games against presumably mid-major or less competition. Sure, 3-9 is possible, maybe even likely. But, 6-6 is not out of the realm of possibility if our new talent comes together early. You are starting to sound like TU fans. Let me answer your question, with a question....How many of the new guys have you seen play against college competition? There are 5-6 guys (who will be counted on) that none of us have EVER SEEN PLAY one second of college ball. With that in mind, and coupled with the fact that we are going on the ROAD to No. Carolina, USC, Creighton, Missouri, New Mexico, etc.....I JUST DON'T SEE HOW ANYONE CAN MAKE PREDICTIONS ABOUT OUR RECORD, with ANY amount of zeal!?!?!?!? So, before we start talking about 6-6, 3-9, 0-12, can we AT LEAST wait and see an exhibition game or a few organized practices??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted August 8, 2008 Author Share Posted August 8, 2008 Lighten up, Francis. For the record, I have seen our new guys play, albeit in pick-up games this summer. And there's some talent there - no question. And, I've seen Robert Jarvis shoot before. And, I've seen Kelvin Sango play some "D" and get out on the break before. And, I've seen a motivated Marcus Lewis simply take over games in the blocks before. And, I watched Andre Hardy come of age in March last year. Most importantly, I've seen this staff coach before - and win some games they shouldn't, with a lot less talent than this bunch. I'll save the gloom and doom for if we get off to a rocky start. But for now, just like baseball spring training, and whenever you venture out on weekends: hope springs eternal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bballmangc Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 So, before we start talking about 6-6, 3-9, 0-12, can we AT LEAST wait and see an exhibition game or a few organized practices??? I think obviously, the answer is of course not! I am dying to see some action but for now I guess it is all gonna be speculation, talk, and of course HYPE! Maybe we can get that time machine of your's working so we can speed up to the season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 The lack of knowledge about the new players is what makes this season intriguing. Could one or two of them be the next Caleb Green or Ken Tutt? As Voice said, we will need several of the young/new players to contribute - and early. The biggest issue is that our 'quaterback' (point guard) is an unseasoned (D-1) player who will have to grow up fast. Let's hope Guyton is a quick learner who can stand pressure. And not commit fouls. Our backup point guards are Jarvis and Sango..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcboy2000 Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 I know LSG wasn't our most athletic point guard, but one thing I liked about him was his toughness and stability. Guyton seems like a pretty steady guy, but we'll have to wait until the heat is turned up in the kitchen before we'll know if he can stand the heat. One thing I do know is that Darren J said he's pretty good, and that guy knows his stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 TheEagleman agrees that it's very hard to project a record in those first dozen games without seeing how this new team comes together in practice and exhibition games...it's not like we have 4 or 5 returning starters....who knows how these young lads will mesh together...and then playing against a bunch of Top 50 teams like that..well, it won't be easy...we certainly will have a shot against those teams in Puerto Rico and LA-Lafayette, TU and maybe USC....but UNC, MO., UNM and Creighton are gonna be L's....we can hope to be competitive and get some experience playing in tough buildings with big hostile crowds....this is not a bad thing and was typical of the Temple U. teams that John Chaney coached here in Philly....Chaney was a basketball genius and his philosophy was to play ridiculous non conference schedules to build up the experience and RPI of his teams....he often went into the A-10 portion of his shedule at 3-9 or 4-8 only to win the league and make the NCAA tournament with an 18-12 record and an 8 or 9 seed....nobody wanted a piece of Temple in the tournament....ORU can take some lessons from that.....the only concern is that our boys don't get beaten down and humiliated in some of these games and lose confidence....it will be the job of Scott Sutton and his staff not to allow that to happen....our guys can learn a lot even if we are 4-8 at the turn of the new year...playing at SUU, WIU and other road games won't look so hard after you have played at North Carolina, New Mexico, etc......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Minyard Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 The great thing about new players is that they sometimes don't understand that they aren't suppose to win on the road so they can come in fearless. Often things are going a million miles an hour for new students (even non-student-athletes) the first semester. So that could play to our advantage at some point. I think that happened with Ken Tutt his freshman year. He didn't know he wasn't suppose to make all those game winning shots. He just went out and played hard. I'm really excited about this upcoming year even if we aren't racking up the W's early on. I just want to see improvement as the season goes on. Some games we will see our guys take a step back, but the next game they may take two steps forward. So it will be fun to watch this team improve heading into the conference race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 We know that Coach Sutton tells his team they are capable of beating any team they play - they may be underdogs, but the possibility is there. Being realistic has it's place, but where is the BELIEVING at? To hear some comments, we might as well just throw in the towel before we start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 very true, LL.....but i want some of what you're smokin'...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 As they say, whether you believe you can, or you believe you can't, you're probably right. Should we change the Mabee Center floor to say, "Expect A Miracle . . . except when you're playing UNC, Misouri, New Mexico, USC . . ." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Since the KU game in 2006....yes, I always believe....Expect A Miracle, Baby!!!.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 That KU game did show us that anything is possible. I think we will be in each of these pre-conference games, and, who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU Big Brother Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 That KU game did show us that anything is possible. I think we will be in each of these pre-conference games, and, who knows? We'll be in all of them until the opening tip... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU_Ed Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 If we have exactly 12 non conference games, with 6 of those being the 6 road games mentioned previously, we DO NOT have a 'decent shot' at winning 'more than half'. We have little to no shot at going 6-6 or better in the non-conference. As a matter of fact, 5-7 would be AMAZING, OUTSTANDING, & TERRIFIC! Let's not forget folks....we lost Liberty, King, Ehambe, Ogunye, Vealy, etc. from last year's team and are replacing those seniors with mostly guys that have NEVER played a D-1 game or played together!!! The future is BRIGHT for ORU hoops. But, this year (especially early season) is going to be TOUGH. Voice, you sound like a broken record brother...Here's your prediction from last year Re: Official W-L Prediction Thread « Reply #1 on: November 07, 2007, 06:51:01 PM » Quote -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "17-12 at the end of the regular season. 3 wins in the conference tourney, taking us to 20-12. Honestly though, I think this prediction is a bit bold and optimistic. 15-14 is more likely if I were being COMPLETELY objective. But, would still have a chance to win the conference tourney. Next year....different story." AND This later in the tread Re: Official W-L Prediction Thread « Reply #9 on: November 08, 2007, 08:20:51 AM » Quote -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't want to get off track on this thread tmh and I am focused on THIS season, but if things play out over the next week or so the way I think they will and with the emergence of the three freshman this year (Hardy, Dunn, & Stokes), with what we'll have coming in.......next year (and the next several) could be AWESOME!!!" Too many times I think we want to be cautious in our optimism because there are so many unknowns like Terry said. Lets believe the best since all of us were proven to be a little too pessimistic last year. I choose to think that SS and staff can build this team into a very good team THIS year and quickly. There weren't many who thought a 24-9 record would be possible last year after who we lost the year before. Stay upbeat until we know what we have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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