ORU vs. UMKC Observations (Late)

[ORUTerry]

I was out of town Monday evening, but watched the game last night on TIVO. Here are some of my observations:

1. UMKC could not keep up with ORU?s athleticism, height and depth. I thought ORU played good defense and did not allow the Roos many open looks. Playing Yemi (6?8?) and Larry Owens (6?7?) on Day was a good move as he struggled to find any clear looks at the basket. Day is a great shooter and made some really difficult shots. He was 8 out of 26 shooting. Does he play point guard or shooting guard ? or both? He seemed to be handling the ball a lot. Day would drive to the basket and force shots or create space on the perimeter for a shot. The team did not have many (5) assists.

2. ORU did a nice job of moving the ball against the UMKC zone. It helped that Riouse and Bluitt shot well from the perimeter. The scoring was distributed among several players and our bench contributed quality minutes. The outside shooting slumped a bit in the 2nd half ? the shots were hitting short which tells me we were tired. We shot 47.4% FG% and 41.2% from the 3-point line.

3. We blocked a lot of shots (UMKC was ill-advised to go into the middle so much) and had several steals. This resulted in some transition points but also in turnovers as we were sometimes out of control?. Especially Larry Owens.

4. We had way too many turnovers (19)?. Larry Owens had 8!!! He was trying to force things too much.

5. Bluitt had a good game ? six assists and only one turnover. He also did a good job defensively on Blackwell who had at least 3-4 inches on him.

6. Our rebounding was good ? especially Larry Owens and Mickey Michalec. Green cannot dominate the boards like he has in the past because his teammates are also aggressively attacking the basket. Vealy was flatfooted several times under the basket, waiting for the ball to come to him instead of leaping to get it. ORU out rebounded UMKC 50 to 29 ? grabbing more defensive rebounds (35) than the Roos had for total rebounds. Part of that was a function of UMKC?s weak shooting performance.

7. I would like to see Eric Fowlkes get more playing time. He logged 8 minutes and collected 2 rebounds, 8 points and played good defense. He also had one turnover and no assists. His dribble penetration skills really helps open the defense up ? especially against a zone.

8. The refs let the game go for most of the night. Green was called for a couple of fouls that were non-existent ? especially the double-foul. I watched it several times on slow-motion and could not see anything. Also noticed that after one hard foul on Green, the ref spent an extended time talking with Caleb. It almost looked like he was scolding Green ? and he was the one fouled. I reviewed the play several times and could not see where Green did or said anything after the foul. I am concerned that Green is being marked by the refs.

[tmh8286]

6. Our rebounding was good ? especially Larry Owens and Mickey Michalec. Green cannot dominate the boards like he has in the past because his teammates are also aggressively attacking the basket.

This is a good observation, Terry, although I would add that in the past a lot of Caleb's rebounds have been offensive, and he got those by picking up the garbage on his own missed shots. Since he's not getting the opportunity to take it inside quite as much, it's cut down on his rebounding as well as his scoring.

Also noticed that after one hard foul on Green, the ref spent an extended time talking with Caleb. . . I am concerned that Green is being marked by the refs.

I think I know the exact play you're talking about. The ref was my buddy, J.D. Collins. I've observed him talking to Caleb during games on a number of occasions, most notably in last season's SMS game. Caleb was visibly frustrated, and it appeared to me that Collins was trying to settle him down in that situation.

I wondered if, rather than scolding him, Collins wasn't trying to diffuse some frustration that Caleb might have been having with the guy that fouled him or something. He's also the one that called the double foul. Maybe there was a bunch of rough stuff going on between Caleb and the guy defending him, and Collins was trying to get it under control. I KNOW J.D. Collins would never call a cheap foul, or get in the grill of our guy Caleb!

But I HAVE wondered the same thing about Caleb becoming "marked", given how quickly and easily he's gotten in foul trouble the past several games. I don't know why that would happen, and I certainly hope that it isn't the case, but I've seriously wondered the same thing myself.

[Guest EagleBackr]

...Caleb seems to be taking more issue lately with what he deems as rough play, and he has started responding in kind. I've noticed him throwing a lot more elbows (usually with the ball after a rebound), and throwing his hips/butt into guys (again, usually with the ball after a steal or rebound, or when trying to get offensive position). He's also doing a lot more Greco-Roman wrestling in the lane trying to get open, rather than just avoiding the contact. He needs to quit worrying about "getting over" on the other guy, because as the focal point of BOTH teams he IS being watched more closely by the refs than any other player on the floor. That attention pays off when he's fouled and can go to the free throw line, but it also means he gets caught in the spotlight when he tries anything too rough...

[tmh8286]

. . . as the focal point of BOTH teams he IS being watched more closely by the refs than any other player on the floor. That attention pays off when he's fouled and can go to the free throw line, but it also means he gets caught in the spotlight when he tries anything too rough...

EXCELLENT point, EB. I hadn't thought of that. In most games, Caleb IS the focal point.

[tmh8286]

The ref was my buddy, J.D. Collins.

Did anybody see J.D. Collins reffing the nail-biter between UVW and Notre Dame earlier this week on ESPN? I'm telling ya, he's big time.

[orustatboy]

Didn't he do the Final Four a couple years back???