Kangaroos always tough game for Golden Eagles - TW (1-30-06)

[ORUTerry]

Kangaroos always tough game for Golden Eagles

By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer

1/30/2006

Oral Roberts has not won against Missouri-Kansas City since early January 2004.

Many of the names are changed, but it's still Missouri-Kansas City, which usually means trouble for the Oral Roberts basketball team.

"We haven't beaten them since my sophomore year," said senior guard Jonathan Bluitt.

Not since Jan. 3, 2004, to be exact -- almost 25 months.

ORU's nearest Mid-Continent Conference rival has won four straight meetings and six out of the past seven over the past three years.

ORU will try to reverse the trend in Monday's televised contest at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. Metro Sports of Kansas City will broadcast the 7 p.m. game, which will air locally on Cox cable 78.

"They beat us the last four times, so I think everybody can get himself ready for that kind of motivation," said junior forward Caleb Green.

ORU (11-9, 6-2) must win to avoid falling two games behind league-leading Indiana-Purdue Indianapolis, which rallied from a 22-point deficit to win at Valparaiso on Saturday night.

A loss would also drop the Eagles past UMKC (9-10, 6-3) into third place.

The Kangaroos haven't just beaten the Eagles, they've added insult to injury. Two years ago, Michael Watson celebrated a Mabee Center win by dancing on the Golden Eagle emblem at center court. He and Mike English also taunted the ORU student section.

With English and 6-foot-9, 300-pound Carlton Aaron leading the way, UMKC was the only team to beat ORU twice last year when the Eagles won the regular-season Mid-Con title.

English and Aaron are gone, but guards Quinton Day and Tim Blackwell seem more than capable of extending ORU's misery. The pair combined for 51 points in last year's wins.

Blackwell is a 42-percent 3-point shooter (he made 6-of-10 treys in Saturday's win at Centenary) and the long-armed Day is one of the best all-around players in the Mid-Con -- third in scoring (20.2 ppg) and first in assists (100) and steals (60).

"I don't know if there's a better guard in the conference. He's the total package," said ORU coach Scott Sutton.

"He's a lot like (ORU senior Larry Owens). He does so much for his team. When Larry's playing well for us, he's getting all kinds of (blocked shots), assists, steals and rebounds."

Sutton said UMKC games have been among ORU's most intense of the past several years.

Last year's games drew 10,331 to the Mabee Center -- ORU's largest home crowd in seven years -- and 7,132 to Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium -- the sixth-largest home crowd in UMKC history.

"It's the closet Mid-Con school, and probably the only school that we ever go head-to-head (against) in recruiting, so we know them pretty well," Sutton said.

Three Oklahomans are regular contributors for the Kangaroos.

Dee Ayuba (13.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg) of Edmond and Seminole State College is one of the Mid-Con's top newcomers.

Sophomore center Jeremiah Hartsock (1.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg) of Bartlesville and sophomore forward Brent Stephens (5.5 rpg, 2.1 rpg) of Jay are usually the first players off the bench for coach Rich Zvosec.

Hartsock left UMKC after his freshman year to start his two-year Mormon mission in Russia, but cut it short after a month and rejoined the team. He made his first start of the season Saturday at Centenary.

[ORUTerry]

So, which tean do you think shows up tonight? Let's hope that ORU comes out focused and with a good level of intensity. UMKC has struggled lately but will playing at home (sorta - Kemper). The key is to contain their guards (Blackwell and Day) and not let them take over the game or get on a shooting run. Wonder if we will put Owens out on Day or Blackwell?

I will be on a business trip and unable to listen/watch.... hope the guys pull out a W on the road.