Oral Roberts Golden Eagles 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Post Season

Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Summit League (20-13, 13-5)

Seed: #

Big Wins: 12/9 Missouri (60-59), 12/23 New Mexico (75-66), 2/13 IUPUI (61-60)

Bad Losses: 11/30 at Arkansas Little Rock (68-73), 12/31 at South Dakota State (70-72), 2/11 Western Illinois (62-64)

Coach: Scott Sutton

Why They Can Surprise:

Oral Roberts has had an up and down season, but they got hot at the right time. Even their rebounding, which is what they do best, has not been consistent. However, it is on the glass where the Golden Eagles can make a difference. Michael Craion and Kevin Ford are both superb rebounders. Craion, a 6-5 junior, is a fine scorer and can stretch out the defense by hitting the mid-range jumper. Ford is the big man under the basket. The 6-9 senior is nearly as effective of a scorer as Craion, but uses his 250 pound frame to create space for himself in the paint.

While Craion and Ford are both double-digit scorers, it is another forward, Dominique Morrison, who leads this team in points. Morrison is not as effective on the glass as his frontcourt mates, but that is because the 6-6 sophomore spends a lot of time on the perimeter knocking down three-pointers. But when he is not shooting from outside, Morrison will use his size and speed to attack the basket and finish or find one of his teammates. When Coach Scott Sutton needs to give one of the big guys a break Damen Bell-Holter will be the answer. The 6-10 freshman is still a little raw, but he can block some shots and grabs some boards.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Morrison is a decent shooter, but this is not a team that has many perimeter shooting threats. The only player in the backcourt that is much of a threat to even score is Warren Niles. Niles will hit a long ball or two every game, but he is an inconsistent freshman who can score two points one day and 39 the next. If Niles’ shot is not falling, there will be little offense coming from the perimeter. Kyron Stokes will usually come in off the bench. The 6-5 sophomore is a versatile player who will do a little bit of everything, which is very nice for a team that has no other options as far as perimeter depth, but he is not much of a scorer.

Who To Watch:

Injuries have been a problem and Coach Sutton is pretty much down to a seven man rotation. The team has done a great job coming together down the stretch and Ken Holdman has the job of trying to keep the team moving in the right direction. He is not much of a scorer and has pretty much been forced to handle the ball so Niles can work off the ball and do more scoring. Stokes and Morrison average more assists per game than Holdman, but he is the glue guy who has to set up the four double figure scorers that start for Oral Roberts.

Probable Starters:

Ken Holdman, Sophomore, Guard, 5.6 ppg, 1.7 apg

Warren Niles, Freshman, Guard, 12.7 ppg, 2.0 apg

Dominique Morrison, Sophomore, Forward, 15.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.6 apg

Michael Craion, Junior, Forward, 13.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Kevin Ford, Senior, Center, 12.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Damen Bell-Holter, Freshman, Center, 4.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg

Kyron Stokes, Sophomore, Guard, 4.4 ppg, 1.8 apg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 70.3 (138^th in nation, 6^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 66.0 (114, 2)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.4 (129, 3)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.8 (101, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.7 (297, 9)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: na

Free-Throw Percentage: 67.9 (208, 10)

Rebound Margin: 5.3 (25, 1)

Assists Per Game: 12.0 (237, 6)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.8 (174, 6)

Joel’s Bracket Says: