ORU Notebook - Tulsa World (3-7-2006)

[ORUTerry]

ORU Notebook:

By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer

3/7/2006

Switching Places

Junior guard Ken Tutt started for the first time in 16 games. He hit a 3-pointer for ORU's first points and finished with 10 points, hitting 2-of-3 treys.

Yemi Ogunoye, who started 15 straight games in Tutt's place, played 18 minutes and scored all four of ORU's points off the bench.

Ogunoye also had four rebounds, one assist, one blocked shot and made one of the game's most artistic plays when he flew in to catch a Caleb Green shot short of the rim and laid it in.

500 Club:

With four assists, senior guard Jonathan Bluitt became the eighth player in Mid-Con history and third in ORU history to reach 500 career.

Bluitt has 501, tying him with Arnold Dugger (1974-77) for second place on ORU's career chart. Luke Spencer-Gardner (2000-05) is ORU's all-time leader with 534.

Not home yet:

ORU president Richard Roberts was beaming in the hall outside the interview room, but cautioned about getting too excited.

"It's not over yet. We've got one more to go tomorrow," he said.

Home again:

ESPN announcer Ron Franklin said he "drove around our old (Brookside) neighborhood. There are a lot of places around Tulsa that still look very familiar."

Franklin was Channel 2 sports director from 1967 through 1970.

Would he like to announce an NIT game between ORU and Oklahoma State if the teams don't make to the NCAA Tournament?

"It would be the two sons now (ORU coach Scott Sutton and OSU coach Sean Sutton). I think it would be a great matchup," Franklin said.

Back-to-back:

With Tuesday's win, ORU has successive 20-win Division I seasons for the first time since 1975-76 (20) and '76-77 (21).