Jump to content

2012-13 Top 144 Team Previews (with updates)


Old Titan

Recommended Posts

With 144 days until college basketball starts, Joel Welser of CollegeSportsMadness.com has launched his 2012-13 preview of the top 144 teams in men's basketball.

Last year, Joel had ORU at No. 74, which considering we were one of the last teams out of the NCAA Field of 68, proved very accurate.

Of course, he also had Oklahoma State at No. 44 and Tulsa at No. 48, which I guess proves you can't pick 'em all.

Still, this is a nice diversion in the dog days of summer, and a good way to get acquainted with some of ORU's better opponents this year.

CollegeSportsMadness.com Men's Basketball Top 144 Previews

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Full Article

Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

2012-2013 Overall Rank: #125

Conference Rank: #2 Southland

...

Who’s In:

The new point guard will have to come from this list and having a newcomer running the show is always a little worrisome. D.J. Jackson, a 5-11 freshman, is well suited to run the point and will be thrown right into the fire. Korey Billbury is another freshman who could find himself running the point. Caleb Tannehill, Corbin Byford and Brandon Conley will add more depth on the perimeter, but Coach Scott Sutton will be content to find a couple players who can contribute and let the rest of the youngsters gain their experience on the sidelines instead of on the floor. The frontcourt will add even more freshmen to what is a very young team. Kris Obaseki is a 6-9 Texan and Jordan Kaufman, at 6-11, will likely need some time to add strength, but Coach Sutton may need one of them, likely Obaseki, to play a role this season. The freshmen will make an impact, but Shawn Glover is who Oral Roberts fans are waiting for. The last time they saw the transfer from Utah, he was dropping 30 points in a scrimmage. Glover is a big, versatile wing who will make a huge impact right away. His versatility will also be a huge benefit for the rest of the newcomers, since now Coach Sutton can move Glover to the four if he finds more depth on the perimeter or keep Glover on the wing if the frontcourt freshmen are ready for significant playing time.

Who to Watch:

While three of ORU’s big six from last year are gone, this is a team that can quickly rebuild around the three returnees. Warren Niles should emerge as the team’s new top scorer. He is a great three-point shooter, but has also developed a game around the basket. Niles’ leadership and ability to score in a variety of ways will make life much easier for the new point guard. So will having Damen Bell-Holter and Steven Roundtree under the basket. Bell-Holter is not a great scorer, but he can stretch out the defense a bit and he is the best rebounder on the team. A fellow junior, Roundtree is a slightly better post scorer than Bell-Holter after averaging 9.8 points per game last season. Roundtree has the potential to develop into a relatively dominant post scorer, but he does need to stay out of foul trouble now that he will likely be a full-time starter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No mention of our Junior College PG signee, T. White. Can't be a good sign.

i thought the same thing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure what to make of Trammel White not being mentioned. I think he is still on campus, but that underscores the fact that he was ommitted from this story.

Also interesting that our walk-on, Caleb Tannehill, was mentioned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

125???.....that's quite a come down from last year.....oh well...maybe we will sneak up on a few opponents this season........... :nerd:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

125???.....that's quite a come down from last year.....oh well...maybe we will sneak up on a few opponents this season........... :nerd:

My thoughts exactly......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually glad we aren't favored to win the conference....would make the Southland veterans feel a little disrespected. But, once we prove it on the court, that will be just fine.... :clap:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

#124 - University of Tulsa (non-conference, December 22nd, Mabee Center)

The TU preview makes no mention of Kodi Maduka's heart condition, which is a HUGE factor for any success Danny Manning might enjoy his rookie season.

Also, former Summit opponent South Dakota State checked in just below ORU at #126. I'm surprised they weren't ranked higher, with four starters back and Nate Wolters drawing preseason All-America buzz. This preview also doesn't have many nice things to say about the new-look Summit League - says SDSU is clearly the best team in a watered-down league.

Just wonder how long it will take Greg Kampe to pin that little morsel on the bulletin board in the Oakland locker room...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TU ranked higher than ORU? This year I don't think so. ORU has a lot to build around with Roundtree, Niles, DBH, Glover, and insert point guard here. We will be young but still very competitive.

IMHO TU is in rebuilding mode and having better than a .500 record would be a significant accomplishment. Maybe some of their new guys will make a big impact but that is certainly not a given.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TU ranked higher than ORU..... :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: .......the guy who makes this list must be smoking some really good stuff....... :nerd:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hopefully Maduka gets back to 100% health! I would never wish bad health, even on a rival.

That said, IF Maduka can't go this year, TU won't be top 200, much less 124. With graduation and defections, they lost almost everything from a very mediocre team last year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree about Maduka; hope he is okay. Not sure I would let my son play again with an apparent heart condition.

The game in December will help determine the accuracy of this forecasted ranking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

#114 Stephen F. Austin (Southland opponent, home-and-home)

I'm a little surprised at this one: I thought McNeese State might get the nod as the #1 team in the conference, but I guess they (as did Lamar) lost too many guys from last year's team.

I bet tmh8286 is thrilled with this one! :rofl:

P.S. I get a kick out of how Joel Welser at CMS (among others nationwide) consistently says the Southland will be a tougher conference now with the addition of ORU, totally dismissing the loss of Texas-San Antonio, Texas-Arlington, and Texas State to the league.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SFA #1 ?.....hummm.....TheEagleman can't wait to see our ORU guys whip them twice..... :nerd:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...