Today's links (as seen in the Tulsa World on Wednesday): ...................
- ORU Insider: bit.ly/1J9fBD0
- ORU women's Insider: bit.ly/1J9gyLI
- Summit League Insider: http://bit.ly/1J9hhwf
Didn't get a chance to post a blog immediately following the IPFW game, so here are a couple of thoughts/observations:
- ORU's role players bailed out Obi Emegano and Korey Billbury.
The Golden Eagles' two stars couldn't get anything to fall throughout most of the game against IPFW. Billbury was void of the shooting stroke he had when he hung 34 points on Omaha a few nights before. Emegano, as is becoming customary, looked hobbled and beat up against IPFW, but he gritted it out and made some key shots late.
Until then, though, Aaron Young, Adrion Webber, Jabbar Singleton and Darian Harris saved the day. IPFW led by as many as seven early in the second half, but the quartet of ORU role players all hit at least one key 3-pointer to either, a) get ORU back in the game, or b) give ORU the lead and help increase its lead.
Harris played only six minutes, but they were highly-effective minutes. His confidence level has been visibly shaky this season, but his lone 3-pointer against the Mastodons appeared to lift the anvil off his shoulders.
"Guys stepped up and made big shots," a relived Scott Sutton said after beating IPFW, 62-58. "Aaron Young was great, Jabbar was good [and] Darian came in and gave us great minutes off the bench."
- Steve Forbes is a solid player IPFW, but he should send a gift basket to the game officials, Gerald Williams, Kyle Ingram and Frank Spencer.
With 8:13 left in the second half, Forbes grabbed a defensive rebound tried to protect his own area, but he started swinging his elbows around — the type of action the NCAA frowns upon now with so many blow-to-the-head concerns. Sure enough, Forbes' left elbow crushed Emegano's face and Emegano crumbled to the ground, leaving the officials no choice but to call a foul on Forbes.
Then the officials went to check the monitor to see if it was any type of flagrant foul. It sure appeared like it was.
Yet, the ruling was a "common foul," resulting in nothing more than a personal foul and a slap on the wrist.
Very, very surprising, I'd say.
(Tried to re-watch Forbes' elbow exhibition, and there appeared to be technical difficulties during the few seconds that Forbes had the ball. Perhaps that's why there wasn't a flagrant tacked on.)
- Emegano, despite being beaten and battered, hit a huge 3-pointer down the stretch. After Denell Henderson gave ORU a 55-53 lead, Emegano followed with a dagger — a trey from the right wing in which he was left wide open.
"That's what you expect out of a guy like him or Korey," Sutton said. "Step up and make a big shot. I have all the confidence in the world in Obi, that he'll take that shot and make it."
Emegano's final shooting line was gruesome: 15 points on 4 of 16 shooting. But he was 5 of 5 at the foul line, and he had four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
- Obviously, a big win for ORU. Golden Eagles eked out wins over IUPUI and IPFW, with a blowout of Omaha sandwiched in between. Not many ORU games will end up like the Omaha track meet; most will be "grinders" as Sutton referred to the IPFW game afterward on Saturday.
Emegano and Billbury are two of the best players in the league, but unless those two combine for 60 a game and the Golden Eagles get a lot of other help, most games will be knock-down-drag-out affairs.
Just buckle up, ORU fans.
Keys to beating Denver tonight...
- Win the rebound battle. Denver has been abysmal when it comes to rebounding the ball in Summit League play. The Pioneers have grabbed 23.2 boards a game.
Should be noted: the Pioneers' two worst rebounding efforts — 10 (Ten!!) against IPFW and 18 versus IUPUI — were both on the road. In three Summit League games at home, Denver is averaging 29.3 rebounds a game.
Still, though, ORU has to let Denell Henderson, Albert Owens and Brandon Conley go to work on the glass. This could be a game where Conley figures out a way to really get going.
- Weather the endurance storm. It's always a topic of discussion for any athletic team that does it, but ORU has to fend off the notion of getting tired quicker at the higher elevation. Denver may be more used to it, but all the same players will be subjected to the same oxygen supply during the game.
Have to find a way to deal with it.
- Get Emegano and Billbury involved quickly. South Dakota State, South Dakota and Western Illinois have ventured into Denver and played a league game. All three were gifted the opportunity to let their best players have good games...
*Denver 76, SDSU 69: The Jackrabbits may have lost, but Jake Bittle (Bixby product), Cody Larson and George Marshall all had at least 13 points. Problem was SDSU's bench was virtually nonexistent.
*South Dakota 74, Denver 69: Tyler Larson had 22 points and Casey Kasperbauer had 15. Like SDSU, though, South Dakota's bench didn't do much.
*Denver 68, Western Illinois 54: Garret Covington had 18 points for the Leathernecks. He didn't receive much help from his teammates, however.
Basically, the point is this: Denver hasn't exactly shut down the opposition's best scoring options, so find a way to get Emegano and Billbury going early on the offensive end.
And the road team has had woeful bench minutes at Denver in league play. ORU will have to get quality playing time from guys like Webber, Owens, Bobby Word and Singleton.
ORU signee updates
- Chris Crawford, Victory Christian
The Conqueror guard had 22 points in VC's 66-54 win over Booker T. Washington on Saturday. The Conquerors will wrap up the week at the Port City Classic in Catoosa.
Victory Christian plays Claremore-Sequoyah in the first round on Thursday.
- Chris Miller, Booker T. Washington
In the Hornets' loss to Victory Christian, Miller had eight points. It's been an up-and-down season so far for the BTW big man.
The Hornets will play in the Union/Jenks Invitational on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
- Javan White, Ames High School (Iowa)
White and the Little Cyclones posted wins over Johnston and Southeast Polk on Friday and Saturday, respectively. White had 10 points and five rebounds against Johnston, and he followed that with nine points and eight rebounds against Southeast Polk.
On Tuesday night, White had 12 points but Ames lost 49-37 to Indianola.
Ames will play at Marshalltown on Friday.
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