Old Titan Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Anybody attend the TU-OBU game last night at the Reynolds Center? Impressions of what you saw? Anyone else a little surprised TU trailed several times in the first half, was tied at halftime, only won by 9, and gave up 74 points doing so? BTW, who is supposed to be a better NAIA team this year: OBU or Rogers State? I think OBU, but I really don't know. Regardless, these NAIA exhibition games are proving to be a far cry from the old days when preseason contests were laughers against the likes of Marathon Oil and club teams from Poland. TU under Doug Wojcik has gotten off to some slow starts in seasons past. And while this is by far his best team to date on paper, lets hope that trend continues - at least through next Saturday... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 The article mentioned that Ray Reese has a lower-leg injury and did not play in the OBU game. I wonder if he will be playing against ORU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 The article mentioned that Ray Reese has a lower-leg injury and did not play in the OBU game. I wonder if he will be playing against ORU. Yeah, they're apparently a little dinged up: juco point guard Hernandez has shin splints and isn't practicing much, and 7-footer Jerome Jordan has a stomach bug that limited his minutes last night. Also appears that, while they may get some solid contributions from them along the way, none of their newcomers are immediate impact players of the Ben Uzoh variety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 They also still have the turnover bug it appears. Probably a reflection of lots of substitutions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 They also still have the turnover bug it appears. Probably a reflection of lots of substitutions. If we average less than 20 turnovers per contest for these first two exhibition games, I'll be surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 BTW, who is supposed to be a better NAIA team this year: OBU or Rogers State? I think OBU, but I really don't know. Answering my own question: "Two-time defending champion Oklahoma City University is ranked No. 1 for the third year in a row in the Sooner Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll." "The OCU Stars grabbed 10 of the 12 first-place votes and finished with 120 points. Oklahoma Baptist had the other two first-place votes and finished second in the poll at 109. Rogers State was picked third with 99 points, followed by Oklahoma Christian at 81, Northwestern Oklahoma State at 80, Lubbock Christian at 66, Southern Nazarene at 60, USAO at 57, Wayland Baptist at 54, John Brown at 31, Mid-America Christian at 20 and St. Gregory’s at 15." Which may explain why no one around here is playing any exhibition games against OCU! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold* Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 It was a weird game. OBU had the lead most of the first half, but it just seemed like TU and the crowd wouldn't get going. There wasn't much rhythm with all the new guys playing. The officials didn't call much either way. Andrews, Hurtt, and Uzoh played really well. I was most concerned about the 3 point line tonight and it didn't seem to matter much. The freshmen aren't ready for prime time and had some bad turnovers. I really like Richard, he reminds me of Calvin Walls. Jordan wasn't playing very hard, but it sounds like he had nothing in his stomach. I'm not sold on Uzoh at the point yet. Even if Hernandez wasn't hurt, I don't think you'll have to worry about him very much. Reese is a really important player and I hope he is back for the Mayor's Cup. I'm sure some you will disagree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenj Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I can't imagine they like playing Uzoh at the point that much. He is an all-conference type of 2 guard. ORU would not like Jarvis at the point for 30 min. a game. That is why Guyton is very important as the season progresses. Lewis has got to stay out of foul trouble against Tulsa. I think that is the biggest key to the game. Sometimes he is just going to have to let Jordan have a dunk or a layup. Until Ford is eligible he is the lone true big guy on the team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 I can't imagine they like playing Uzoh at the point that much. He is an all-conference type of 2 guard. ORU would not like Jarvis at the point for 30 min. a game. That is why Guyton is very important as the season progresses. I heard an interesting discussion about this on the radio last night, including the observations of an NBA coach. It basically revolved around a growing trend, due to the shot clock and pressure defenses, of putting the ball in the hands of your best player as much as possible early in the offensive possession, even it that means having that guy bring the ball up, ala Kobe Bryant with LA and LeBron James in Cleveland. There's no question Uzoh for TU and Jarvis for ORU are their team's best players, especially when it comes to creating their own shots. Perhaps having them start the offense and looking for their opportunities early in the shot clock makes more sense than entrusting those possessions to other unproven guards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold* Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I think it allows us to start one of two potentially very good players in Andrews or Hurtt. Reese has to start at the three, but Hurtt is supposed to have a big year and Andrews is really pushing him. When we played Memphis at home last year, Hurtt and Jordan were the only players capable of keeping it remotely close for a little bit. More than anything, Woj just hasn't done well recruiting a prototype point guard for his system. I think he wants a distributor type, but due to recruiting mistakes and misses, he hasn't landed that guy. Uzoh wants a shot at the NBA -- and even I admit that's a big reach -- and the only chance he has is at the point. When Uzoh originally signed, he was hyped as a point guard by the recruiting services. I recall two games where Uzoh played point last year. The first was the win over UTEP in the C-USA semis and the second was the loss at Bradley in the CBI semis. He was OK against UTEP, but looked really slow with the ball against Bradley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenj Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I just hope Guyton can come in and not turn the ball over and hit open shots. Sounds easy huh!! I think Morrison will also start the offense some in the half court. He was just a great find for the staff last fall! There a couple of schools in Missouri kicking themselves for not showing interest early enough. I just like Jarvis doing what he does best which is shooting and scoring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Minyard Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 A couple people told me last night that there were about 1,200 people at the TU game, but they announced around 4,400. I'm curious as to how many people will show up for our game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 A couple people told me last night that there were about 1,200 people at the TU game, but they announced around 4,400. I'm curious as to how many people will show up for our game. Can't they claim "season tickets sold" as "attendance", like we do? If we have 1500 warm bodies in the building at tip-off, I'll be impressed, considering the time change and OU-Texas A&M on TV at 2:30. That just means more ice cream bars for the big fella!! Best promotion ever: the night they threw piping hot Chick-Filet sandwiches out to the crowd - having missed dinner, a couple of those were heaven-sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOLO_Gold Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 and the rumor mill starts.... "Hey I heard they are throwing out free Chick-fil-a sandwiches at the men's basketball game tomorrow!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 I just like Jarvis doing what he does best which is shooting and scoring. He sure has looked good passing the ball this fall, though, and his defense has been frenetic - he's just really becoming a well-rounded player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Minyard Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Can't they claim "season tickets sold" as "attendance", like we do? Hey, I agree all the way. Oklahoma State did the same thing. They announced over 10,000, but had more like 3,500 at their exhibition game. I think we will get a little bit better of a crowd with the time change. Just because we got a little buzz with the local media yesterday. Usually our game would probably get ZERO mention during football season. The key is just making sure our season ticket holders show up. That alone will give us a decent crowd for early November. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 The final score from the TU game probably isn't an indicator of anything. Wojcik usually subs A LOT during the pre-season. If I were them I would be more concerned about replacing Walls at the 4 than sweating Uzoh at the PG position. Walls did a more than adequate job taking pressure off of Jordan last year... not so sure if any Jordan can shine on his own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcboy2000 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I agree. I wouldn't put too much stock in this game. Woj probably wasn't that interested in showing his cards early as well. Coach Sutton does the same thing right before conference play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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