Old Titan Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Yeah, ORU has beaten TU 6-of-11 the past 12 years, two of which were at the Reynolds Center, should have won another with an 18-point 2nd-half lead in the Mabee Center two years ago, and EVERY SINGLE TIME that ORU won it was the referees fault? Don't hold you're breath waiting for the typical TU fan to give ORU any credit for winning this game - ain't gonna happen.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I am back from my travels, but still have not watched the game. Hopefully I can do that tonight. I have looked at the box score/statistics and have these observations: 1. Neither team shot the ball well (ORU - 39.6% and TU - 33.9%) - which is not unusual for an early season game. 2. I like the fact that we only had 8 turnovers for the game. It shows that we played under control and with discipline. 3. Our free throw percentage was good (not great) and we shot fairly well from the three point line (38.9%). 4. TU is taller than we are across the board - which accounts for the rebounding disparity. 5. Key players for ORU were Emegano (scoring) and Billbury (rebounds). We need to make sure that their minutes (38 and 37 respectively) do not continue - or else they will burn out. 6. Three of our four big guys fouled out - which indicates a physical game. Conley played 15 minutes with one point and zero(!) rebounds. Need more production (and discipline) from Brandon. Wilson played 14 minutes with zero points and 2 rebounds. Henderson grabbed 7 rebounds in 20 minutes with 2 points. Owens was the only post player not to foul out; he ended the game with 2 fouls. He grabbed 2 rebounds in 11 minutes with 4 points. I suspect that playing a zone defense affected our rebounding a bit. Our four post players scored a total of six points. And they combined to commit only one turnover. Does that mean that we did not get them the ball down low? 7. Don't know who played point guard, but it appears Singleton played 24 minutes - scoring 2 points (1 of 2) and grabbing 2 rebounds, with 2 assists and 2 turnovers. He had zero fouls. We need more assist production from the position. Obi ended the game with 4 assists and 2 turnovers; Korey had zero assists and one turnover. 8. Word had a pretty efficient night from a scoring perspective (5 of 6 with 14 points) in only 15 minutes of playing time - before he fouled out. He has to be more disciplined on defense and stay on the court. I realize that this analysis is based strictly on the statistics and not on viewing the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcboy2000 Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Pretty good analysis for just looking at the stats, Terry. You're spot on. One thing you will notice when watching the game is the few phantom fouls called on both sides due to the refs anticipating contact that never really happened. I imagine that if we played that game with the same crew next week there wouldn't be the same number of fouls called. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Terry, I think once you watch the game you will have a totally different outlook on the following: • Wilson and Henderson had a dramatic impact with their interior defense and shot blocking. Doesn't show in the stat line, but they were a presence in the paint. • The rebounding disparity was in part due to TU interior players rebounding their own missed shots. They missed several point-blank attempts, but the ORU bigs had a lot to do with that, altering their shots. • Three of the turnovers were offensive fouls (one charge, two moving picks). Ball control was exceptional until late in the game. • Singleton handled the ball a lot down the stretch, with mixed results. Did not do a good job of getting into Obi's hands, where it belonged. But, he only threw it away twice, so credit where credit is due. Still, it was a bit unnerving watching him advance the ball against pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 There is praise to go around everywhere. Obi, Korey, Bobby, Jabbar, Drew, & Denell. But, mid-way thru the second half, in a tight game...Brandon, Drew, & Denell were all in foul trouble. Albert (battling an illness) came in, got a HUGE bucket, blocked a shot, played solid post defense and got a couple of tough rebounds. His play carried us thru for several key minutes when the game was still in the balance. For a freshman, on that stage, under those circumstances, his contribution can not be over-stated. Also, a big shout out to Drew Wilson. His defensive presence was MUCH needed. I don't want to get too excited just yet, but we have a chance to be pretty darn good this year. There isn't a team in the Summit league better than TU... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 There is praise to go around everywhere. Obi, Korey, Bobby, Jabbar, Drew, & Denell. But, mid-way thru the second half, in a tight game...Brandon, Drew, & Denell were all in foul trouble. Albert (battling an illness) came in, got a HUGE bucket, blocked a shot, played solid post defense and got a couple of tough rebounds. His play carried us thru for several key minutes when the game was still in the balance. For a freshman, on that stage, under those circumstances, his contribution can not be over-stated. Also, a big shout out to Drew Wilson. His defensive presence was MUCH needed. I don't want to get too excited just yet, but we have a chance to be pretty darn good this year. There isn't a team in the Summit league better than TU... Albert's contributions had already been mentioned, and his rebound stick-back stood out in the box store as "the beginning of the end" for TU. I was just trying to point out Denell and Drew's contributions that did not translate to the stat sheet. Denver will be MUCH better shooters and MUCH better coached than Tulsa, although overall not as big or athletic. IPFW will have more talented scorers inside than TU, and the XDSU's should each get better as the season progresses. But, your point is well-taken: if ORU can hang with the likes of TU from a talent standpoint, they should pose a threat to win every single Summit League game they play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOLO_Gold Posted November 17, 2014 Author Share Posted November 17, 2014 I second the Drew Wilson comments. He looked stronger and more comfortable on the court. Really excited about his defense this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 A couple of additional "kudos" where due... Coach Sutton has received a lot of criticism in past years regarding game line-up management, the failure to call momentum-shifting time-outs, and stubbornly sticking with a man-to-man defense even when it was ineffective. He totally out-coached Haith on Saturday night - and was brilliant in all of the aspects mentioned above. While the players deserve the praise for gutting out a hard-earned victory, this game could have easily been lost if not for Coach Sutton's excellence in game management. The ORU Athletic Department (Stillwater East U.) has been readily (and rightfully) criticized for "not getting ORU's culture and history". But Saturday night, they "nailed it" by debuting the throwback Titans shooting shirts for Homecoming. It was a VERY nice touch that resonated well with alumni from the 70's and 80's, and did not go unnoticed! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Coach Sutton said on the coaches show tonight that the main reason he played zone in the TU game was due to foul trouble with the big men. He also said that they don't normally play much zone because they don't normally practice it very much. Of course he could choose to practice it more and maybe after the success against TU they will practice it more. For not having practiced it much, they certainly executed the zone well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUalum Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 watching the TU / La-La game and can't get over the small crowd. thought it would be much larger with a new coach and coming off the NCAA berth. i guess the city's casual college basketball fan is still in football mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Based on the current success of TU football, it would be a stretch to say that TU fans are really in football mode. Most likely they were really looking forward to basketball season and moving on beyond football season until they got beat by ORU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUJason Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Also, Al Jerkens discussed the ORU-TU game on his sports radio show today, including the comments by De Andre Wright about not being as excited about this game as ORU players were. The comments also claimed that ORU players circle this game on the schedule every year while TU players treat it just like any other non-conference game. Included in this discussion was the feeling from some at TU that the ORU-TU game isn't that important to TU and should be discontinued. Al said that in the past Wojcik clearly felt that way too, along with many in the TU fan base and apparently the apathy about the game had even trickled down to the players. He also said (paraphrased) "Where do TU fans come off thinking they are better than ORU. Simply because they went to the NCAA tournament last year? If you look over the last 10 years, ORU has been to the NCAA tournament more times than TU has." The discussion clearly led to the belief that Frank Haith would deal with the attitude behind De Andre Wright's comments. Pat Jones added that (paraphrased) "You shouldn't think that in the first place, but you definitely shouldn't say it, even if you feel that way." I actually don't believe any of the comments that this game isn't important to TU fans. Instead, beating ORU is very important to TU fans and that is why the coaches don't enjoy playing the game; because they know they will lose to ORU sometimes and then take a beating from the fan base with unrealistic expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 watching the TU / La-La game and can't get over the small crowd. thought it would be much larger with a new coach and coming off the NCAA berth. i guess the city's casual college basketball fan is still in football mode. TU does some dumb stuff. Scheduling their home opener at 8:30pm on a school night is a prime example. Should have opened up on a Saturday or Sunday to hang their NCAA banner before a much larger crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUalum Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 well, i want those 2 hrs back. TU hangs on to win an ugly one. the two teams combine to commit 44 turnovers. i was not impressed w/the La La coach. he never used a zone against Tulsa and his team was very undisciplined. they do have a couple pretty good big men though. i'm sure they will play better in Vegas against ORU, because i don't think they could play much worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 well, i want those 2 hrs back. TU hangs on to win an ugly one. the two teams combine to commit 44 turnovers. i was not impressed w/the La La coach. he never used a zone against Tulsa and his team was very undisciplined. they do have a couple pretty good big men though. i'm sure they will play better in Vegas against ORU, because i don't think they could play much worse. Agreed. Terrible guards on both teams. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Watched the game last night; more observations: 1. TU is long and athletic, but cannot shoot the ball. The reason our post players did not grab more rebounds is that a lot of their shots clanged off the rim for long rebounds. 2. TU's length on the perimeter prevented our guards from getting the ball down low. I also think our post players need to work harder to get open - although we seemed to be setting up away from the basket (on purpose?). Singleton played better than his stats showed. 3. It was a very physical game. ORU did not back down and stood toe-to-toe with a longer/taller opponent. Liked what I saw. The refs called it close at times, but that is understandable given that it was a rivalry game and the first game of the year. 4. The team played tough defense that was helped by TU's poor shot selection/shooting. I hope we see that effort for the rest of the season. 5. Obi Emegano is a key part of this team. He is a savvy, skilled player on both sides of the court. 6. Sutton coached a great game. Our game plan was sound and he made the right in-game moves (subsitutions, timeouts, switch to zone(!), etc.). Best game he has had in a while. 7. Kudos to the Athletic Department for the throw back Titan warm ups. That was a nice touch and appreciated nod to our history. Well done. Wonder if I can get one of those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Yes. I want a Titans throwback shirt, too!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOLO_Gold Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 Yes. I want a Titans throwback shirt, too!!! If they were available online I would be making a purchase today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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