Section A Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 IMO the home schedule is a joke. 11 home games versus 19 away. Only 2 home games before Conference begins with one of these games against an NAIA team. ORU releases men's basketball schedule By Associated Press 8/25/2008 11:28 AM Last Modified: 8/25/2008 12:04 PM Oral Roberts will have road games at North Carolina, Southern California and Missouri on its basketball schedule for the coming season. The schedule released Monday by coach Scott Sutton shows a Nov. 15 season opener with ORU playing at Tulsa followed two days later by the home opener against John Brown. The nonconference schedule includes games at Creighton Nov. 22, at Missouri Nov. 30 and at North Carolina on Dec. 13. ORU opens Summit League play Dec. 4th at North Dakota State. The Golden Eagles will be trying for the school's fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Date, Opponent, Location, Time Sat. Nov. 8: SW Oklahoma St.# Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Tue. Nov. 11: Rogers State# Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Nov. 15: at Tulsa Reynolds Center, TBA Mon. Nov. 17: John Brown Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Nov. 22: Creighton Omaha, Neb. TBA Tue. Nov. 25: Louisiana-Lafayette Lafayette, La. TBA Sun. Nov. 30: Missouri Columbia, Mo. TBA Thu. Dec. 4: North Dakota State* Fargo, N.D. TBA Sat. Dec. 6: South Dakota State* Brookings, S.D. 7:30 p.m. Mon. Dec. 8: UALR Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Dec. 13: North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C. TBA Wed. Dec. 17: New Mexico Albuquerque, N.M. TBA San Juan Shootout Sat. Dec. 20: Wright State San Juan, Puerto Rico 6:30 p.m. Sun. Dec. 21: Murray State San Juan, Puerto Rico 4 p.m. Mon. Dec. 22: South Florida San Juan, Puerto Rico 6:30 p.m. Regular season Sun. Dec. 28: Southern California Los Angeles, Calif. TBA Fri. Jan. 2 Centenary* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Thu. Jan. 8 IPFW* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Jan. 10 Oakland* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Thu. Jan. 15 IUPUI* Indianapolis, Ind. TBA Sat. Jan. 17 Western Illinois* Macomb, Ill. TBA Thu. Jan. 22 UMKC* Mabee Center 7:05 Sat. Jan. 24 Southern Utah* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Jan. 31 Centenary* Shreveport, La. 2:30 p.m. Thu. Feb. 5 Oakland* Rochester, Mich. TBA Sat. Feb. 7 IPFW* Ft. Wayne, Ind. 3 p.m. Thu. Feb. 12 Western Illinois* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Feb. 14 IUPUI* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Thu. Feb. 19 Southern Utah* Cedar City, Utah 7 p.m. Sat. Feb. 21 UMKC* Kansas City, Mo. TBA Thu. Feb. 26 South Dakota State* Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat. Feb. 28 North Dakota State Mabee Center 7:05 p.m. Sat.-T Mar. 7-10 Summit League Tournament% Sioux Falls, S.D. TBA # - Exhibition Game *- Summit League Game % - at Sioux Falls Arena Home Games in Bold Times listed are Central and subject to change Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 IMO the home schedule is a joke. 11 home games versus 19 away. Only 2 home games before Conference begins with one of these games against an NAIA team. It's a disappointment, yes - but I can tell you that the coaches worked very hard to get more home games without success. Some teams that agreed to come in pulled out; others refused outright to come here. We were able to set up some deals that will make future home schedules much better, but this year it is what it is. The reason the schedule is so late in being released was that we were waiting on some agreements to come through. They didn't. At this point it's harder for us to get teams in here than you might think - but we've discussed all that before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU Eli Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 I look at this year as a year of paying dues. I think if you look at a 7 year window...2005-2011, this year's sqad will definitely be the youngest, least experienced, and most likely the team with the least win potential of the 7 teams. This will be a year to toughen up, pay some schedule dues, jel, and in return I think we'll have an older, more experienced team with good chemistry in the next couple years with a few more schedule opportunities at the Mabee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Just think about next year's home schedule... Tulsa Missouri New Mexico ...and maybe more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Just think about next year's home schedule... Tulsa Missouri New Mexico ...and maybe more! Yeah, the November and December non-conference home games will look even better next season with two Summit League games in the Mabee Center the first week of December. This season simply happens to be ground zero for a "perfect storm" that's been brewing for years: we have to return road games this season to Tulsa, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Creighton; we have to play the two December conference roadies in the Dakotas; PLUS we have to play road games at New Mexico and Missouri in order to get them in here next year (or at all). North Carolina and USC are the only "self-inflicted misery" games, and ORU has to play a couple of those "guarantee games" each year for the money, pure and simple. It just sucks that all these IOU's came due at the same time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 And, even though we can still be justifiably disappointed in the Summit League for keeping us out of the Bracketbuster this year, that would've created another road game this year, so our home schedule could've been even worse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU Eli Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 At this point, I would have taken another road game this year late in the season for a home game against a respectable opponent next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmg1984 Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 only home game missing is the little sisters of the poor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 Why isn't John Brown U listed as an exhibition game - they're stinkin' NAIA? (detect a little disappointment?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 Last year we played SW Oklahoma as a regular season game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 Good grief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 Why isn't John Brown U listed as an exhibition game - they're stinkin' NAIA? (detect a little disappointment?) Coach Sutton was trying to find us a D-I team to play in the stretch between the Nov. 11 exhibition game and the game against UALR on Dec. 8, without success, from what I've heard, so he elected to play John Brown to give us one additional home game in that long stretch. Personally, I'd rather see my team at home than have an additional game for the guys on the road. Guys, the schedule was a struggle from day one this year - please realize Coach Sutton did all he could to give us the best schedule he could. Let's focus on the strong parts of the schedule - Carolina, USC, Missouri, Creighton and New Mexico - not on those parts of the schedule that are a little weaker. Next season's home schedule should be great! It all evens out over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 As others have mentioned, the dynamics of scheduling for a school like ORU is multi-faceted. The coaches, by necessity, have to schedule some games that generate money (North Carolina, Missouri, etc) and then work to get other mid-majors to visit the Mabee Center. The problem is that the other mid-majors can go to schools and get paid. I'm not sure ORU wants to pay (at least very much) to have teams visit Tulsa. That makes it hard to schedule. The key is to set up home and home contests with teams in our same situation. The obstacle we face is that some regional teams (Wichita State, Missouri State - especially now - and others) won't play us for recruiting reasons. Or they just don't want to explain to their alumni/athletic department why they lost to an "Oral Roberts University". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 Yeah, this is just gonna be a tough season...we are inexperienced and will just have to deal with the road heavy schedule...hopefully, the boys will not get too beaten up prior to 1/1 and will be ready for the meat of the Summit season....John Brown is a disappointment....i would have much preferred to see Hickory or Terhune..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 As others have mentioned, the dynamics of scheduling for a school like ORU is multi-faceted. The coaches, by necessity, have to schedule some games that generate money (North Carolina, Missouri, etc) and then work to get other mid-majors to visit the Mabee Center. The problem is that the other mid-majors can go to schools and get paid. I'm not sure ORU wants to pay (at least very much) to have teams visit Tulsa. That makes it hard to schedule. The key is to set up home and home contests with teams in our same situation. The obstacle we face is that some regional teams (Wichita State, Missouri State - especially now - and others) won't play us for recruiting reasons. Or they just don't want to explain to their alumni/athletic department why they lost to an "Oral Roberts University". Excellent explanation, Terry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 Looks like the Gents have Baylor coming in on Nov. 18. . . Just doing a little recruiting in Shreeveport, I suppose. Okay, they are returning the favor from last year, but at least they are returning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 Yeah - as I posted elsewhere, that game is their only home game between Nov. 18 and January 8. Keep in mind that Centenary has a new coach, and it's not at all unusual for new coaches to use past relationships to haul in games they might not get otherwise. Remember that in Scott's first year as head coach at ORU Eddie Sutton arranged a round robin tournament at Ghallager-Iba, the America's Youth Classic, in which we played Appalachian State, coached by up-and-comer Buzz Peterson, and Idaho. Eddie made arrangements for ORU to play at OSU, but not against OSU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 Just take a look at ALL of the conference teams' non-conference schedules: no one has many home games vs. D-1 opponents, the glaring exceptions being Oakland and IPFW. But before everyone starts throwing dirt on this season's grave, consider this: true, we may be 1-9 or 2-8 after the first ten games of the season. But then, beginning with the San Juan tournament, we enter a stretch of six games of which we could likely win 5, or even 6. That puts us back at just under .500 for the year, above .500 in conference, with a fighting chance in every game we play the rest of the way as our young guys and transfers continue to adapt and grow. The key for our coaches and players - and for us as fans - is to focus at the big picture, keep our eyes on the prize, and not let any early season struggles drag us down for the entire year. Personally, I consider the first 10 games of this season as an initiation rite, and the remaining games as the true test of our mettle - and I'm not just talking about the guys on the floor/bench! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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