Old Titan Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 As MM reported a few months back, ORU is scheduled to play in the 2009 Cancun Challenge over the Thanksgiving weekend. With the swine flu panic finally showing some signs of dying down a little, I did some internet research on the status of the event, and all indications are that it's still a "go", with Kentucky still at this time among those scheduled to participate, according to fan websites quoting John Calipari. Which would be cool, since ORU and Kentucky have never played each other before. Also found out that the inaugural format of this event featured four games for each participant: two games played at campus sites in the States earlier in November, with two more per team at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun over Thanksgiving weekend. Of course, commitments to holiday tournaments can change in a heartbeat this time of year; we may not end up playing in this thing after all (especially if health issues continue to be a factor) but I'm as curious about the two games played on American soil as the one's in Mexico: wonder where they'll be? Wonder if we might get to host one of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I have been to the Moon Palace before and it is a great all-inclusive resort with excellent service, great food, and the largest pool in Cancun. You cannot go wrong with this place. Apparently SDSU played at this tournament last year, as well as Drake and New Mexico. I have attached a link to last year's SDSU brochure which explains that you have to buy their travel package in order to be guaranteed tickets to the game, because seating is very limited. http://www.gojacks.com/pdf7/122280.pdf?ATCLID=1436686&SPSID=64552&SPID=7144&DB_OEM_ID=15000 I guess they must play in the Galactic ballroom which is huge and has 30' ceilings. The Galactic Ballroom is the largest ballroom inside the "Universal Ballroom" building. There is no arena on the resort, but it is a great place with a nice 18-hole golf course on site as well. Check out the resort as well... http://www.palaceresorts.com/Resorts/MoonPalace/Index.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldeneagles09 Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 "Louisville, Wake Forest, Missouri, Standford, Kentucky n maybe Duke on our schedule next year!" That was DBH's facebook status today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bballmangc Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Is he still coming to ORU? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 After starting this thread, I received a PM from someone on the inside saying there's a very good chance ORU is NOT participating in the Cancun Challenge, for a variety of factors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 Is he still coming to ORU? Oh, yeah - he signed in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 After starting this thread, I received a PM from someone on the inside saying there's a very good chance ORU is NOT participating in the Cancun Challenge, for a variety of factors. Further clarification: I'm now told that we are, in fact, still in the Cancun Challenge, but that we won't know who we're playing for quite awhile, and that the chance of either of the two pre-Cancun games being held in Tulsa is very slim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold* Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 I hope you guys get to go. Cancun is an easy trip to make (through Houston) and I had a blast when I visited. I thought it would be all beer bongs and Senor Frog's, but the place we stayed at was really nice. There certainly is a lot of the beer bong type entertainment if you want it, but also some pretty fun things to see and do other than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 nm (but it was pretty stinkin' funny). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold* Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 As funny as aggie facepalm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 TheEagleman is having a tough time picturing Scott Sutton with a beer bong..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Our schedule this year could be very interesting if we hook up with some the schools listed above in the Cacun tournament. We are still really young and untested. As other have mentioned, I would have liked to see us involved in some sort of pre-season (Canada/Mexico) tournament that would allow early practice time. This team is going to need time to jell and find itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 7, 2009 Author Share Posted May 7, 2009 Our schedule this year could be very interesting if we hook up with some the schools listed above in the Cacun tournament. We are still really young and untested. As other have mentioned, I would have liked to see us involved in some sort of pre-season (Canada/Mexico) tournament that would allow early practice time. This team is going to need time to jell and find itself. If I remember the rules correctly, schools can only do the international pre-season thing once every four years, and they're now limited to something like a 3-day weekend. Didn't we do a Toronto trip over Labor Day weekend just two seasons ago when Marcus and Robert were new to the team? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsSmith Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I believe Coach Sutton said today that we play at Stanford and at Virginia the week before Cancun. I'd really like to go to Cancun - sounds fun. Are we putting together any kind of fan package like SDSU did last year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Sounds like we are going to have a very impressive non-conference schedule this year...Wake Forest, Stanford, Virginia, Indiana State, Missouri, New Mexico, Tulsa, and more to come.....I guess no John Brown this year, huh?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Now that's what I'm talking about! And there will be some big bucks to be gained in playing those teams as well as exposure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 I believe Coach Sutton said today that we play at Stanford and at Virginia the week before Cancun. I'd really like to go to Cancun - sounds fun. Are we putting together any kind of fan package like SDSU did last year? The outfit that puts this event on, Triple Crown College Sports, is the defacto tour guide; here's a link to the packages they had for last year's tournament: Cancun Challenge 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OKC Eagle Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 The flyer for last year said that the 4 home teams play each other and the four visiting teams play each other in Cancun. I imagine that means that we will not have top tier opponents in Cancun. The good side of that is that we have a chance to win down there. What a great trip for a bunch of college guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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