tmh8286 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 TULSA—Oral Roberts men’s basketball team has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2011 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The Golden Eagles will open tournament play at a yet-to-be-determined opponent on Tuesday, March 15. The entire 24-team field will be announced Sunday evening. The CIT is a 24-team tournament featuring 12 first-round games. Four of the teams that win first-round games will advance to the quarterfinals, while the other eight teams will play for the right to advance to the quarterfinals. “I’m excited that we have the opportunity to continue our season,†said ORU head coach Scott Sutton. “The guys have played at a high level for the last half of the year and deserve to play in a post-season tournament. “The CIT does a great job of selecting deserving teams. We certainly appreciate being selected and we look forward to being a part of an excellent tournament.†ORU is currently 19-15 overall and recently finished as runner-up in the Summit League Tournament. The Golden Eagles went 13-5 in Summit League play, finishing second in the 10-team league. Missouri State won the 2010 CIT championship, while Old Dominion took home the crown during the inaugural tournament in 2009. Press Release Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 Twenty-win season still possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUalum Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 gotta admit i'm shocked. didn't think ORU had a chance for any post season play. i guess coach sutton's hunch was right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 gotta admit i'm shocked. didn't think ORU had a chance for any post season play. i guess coach sutton's hunch was right. Have to agree, alum. I think I posted somewhere - maybe in the chat room - that I thought that was wishful thinking on the part of a coach that didn't want the season to end. Maybe he had already been contacted about it before that press conference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTex Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Sweet! Does this mean we don't have to schedule all those D-2 patsies OT wanted to play next year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManiacAlum Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Awesome! Congrats to the guy's on earning ORU's 13th postseason appearance... The CIT is a 16-team tournament I think? From cruising the internet, so far I got: Portland (20-11) (WCC) RPI: 109 Northern Iowa (18-13) (MVC) RPI: 111 Oral Roberts (19-15) (SUM) RPI: 129 Quinnipiac (22-9) (NEC) RPI: 143 Hawaii (17-12) (WAC) RPI: 158 Santa Clara (17-14) (WCC) RPI: 160 I guess most everyone else is tentative until they know if they got an NIT invite. And apparently Hawaii is already slated to host Portland. I'm not sure how that works if the field isn't even completed yet? Or is it and the public just hasn't been informed yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTex Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 It's expanded to 24 teams this year. They are obviously trying to get more slots filled in advance, to lessen the mad scramble Sunday night. The World has a story up already, with an additional quote from Coach Sutton that suggests he did have some earlier contact with the selection committee: It’s how we played down the stretch,†ORU coach Scott Sutton said. “Some of the selection committee watched us (in a 92-74 win over IUPUI) two weeks ago and I think they saw that we were really playing well.†ORU accepts invite to CollegeInsider Tournament (TW) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Did I heap any abuse on Tulsa a few years ago when they were involved in the alternate tournament? If so, I better start off with an apology. If not, I better apologize anyways because I know I was thinking it. My response to this invitation is totally different. We have a good team. We can potentially make some noise yet. We had no chance against Oakland this year because they were clearly the better team. I expect Oakland to win a game or two at the dance. Our only chance to give our team some more practice and exposure is this tournament. I'm going to embrace it and hope for a win or two. The other teams in the tournament are playing at something close to our level right now and the competition should be excellent. Go Golden Eagles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Awesome! Congrats to the guy's on earning ORU's 13th postseason appearance... The CIT is a 16-team tournament I think? From cruising the internet, so far I got: Portland (20-11) (WCC) RPI: 109 Northern Iowa (18-13) (MVC) RPI: 111 Oral Roberts (19-15) (SUM) RPI: 129 Quinnipiac (22-9) (NEC) RPI: 143 Hawaii (17-12) (WAC) RPI: 158 Santa Clara (17-14) (WCC) RPI: 160 I guess most everyone else is tentative until they know if they got an NIT invite. And apparently Hawaii is already slated to host Portland. I'm not sure how that works if the field isn't even completed yet? Or is it and the public just hasn't been informed yet? Add Idaho (WAC) and San Francisco (WCC) to the list - they will play against each other at USF. I've also heard that the following schools have been invited, but not yet accepted: East Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Furman, Marshall, Air Force, and Davidson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FargoBison Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 ORU-UNI would be an interesting match up and one I think you could definitely win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bballmangc Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Pumped for more ORU hoops this season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Sweet! Does this mean we don't have to schedule all those D-2 patsies OT wanted to play next year? I LOVE IT WHEN I'M WRONG!!! This is GREAT news - and we got in the good tournament and not the sketchy one! Can't wait to learn where we're going - and just hopeful the girls don't play in the WNIT on the same night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 ORU-UNI would be an interesting match up and one I think you could definitely win. I think UNI is a very strong possibility for a match-up, just because of geography - but this could change as other teams accept invitations. If we continue to play at the high level of the past few weeks, we could make a statement in this tourney. Of course, it is probable that all of our games would be played on the road, which makes a deep run significantly more difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I think UNI is a very strong possibility for a match-up, just because of geography - but this could change as other teams accept invitations. If we continue to play at the high level of the past few weeks, we could make a statement in this tourney. Of course, it is probable that all of our games would be played on the road, which makes a deep run significantly more difficult. Wonder if there is any way it could be a TU rematch, if they don't get an NIT bid? For that matter, do Conference USA teams play in this event, or are they too proud to be considered "mid majors"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTex Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Wonder if there is any way it could be a TU rematch, if they don't get an NIT bid? For that matter, do Conference USA teams play in this event, or are they too proud to be considered "mid majors"? A TU rematch would be awesome. Marshall and Southern Miss played in the CIT last year, so the CUSA is definitely in play. And NITology.com (I love that site) has TU just out of the NIT. I wonder if TU could veto a rematch if they accept a CIT bid. I'd love to see North Texas host a game and us get sent there. They also finished strong (lost a heartbreaker to UALR), and are 22-11 (2 non-D1 wins) with an RPI of 136. Denton would be an easy 4-hour drive from Tulsa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 SWEET!....TheEagleman loves it that we are in a post season tournament even if it's this one....Bring on Quinnipiac!.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FargoBison Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 SWEET!....TheEagleman loves it that we are in a post season tournament even if it's this one....Bring on Quinnipiac!.... Maybe a few more upsets can happen in conference tournaments and we can get ORU vs Valpo... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 A TU rematch would be awesome. Marshall and Southern Miss played in the CIT last year, so the CUSA is definitely in play. And NITology.com (I love that site) has TU just out of the NIT. I wonder if TU could veto a rematch if they accept a CIT bid. I'd love to see North Texas host a game and us get sent there. They also finished strong (lost a heartbreaker to UALR), and are 22-11 (2 non-D1 wins) with an RPI of 136. Denton would be an easy 4-hour drive from Tulsa. I'd love to see either UNI or North Texas - both mid-majors with solid reputations. I could take or leave a re-match with Tulsa, personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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