Tonight's Game
The Golden Eagles open a two-game weekend home stand on Thursday when they host Summit League foe North Dakota State ... ORU has never swept the season series from the Bison, but can with a victory tonight ... the Golden Eagles defeated NDSU 65-59 on Jan. 2 in Fargo ... following tonight's game ORU has just four more home games remaining this season ... sophomore forward Dominique Morrison will start his 52nd consecutive game tonight.

The Coaches
ORU's Scott Sutton is in his 11th season as the head coach of the Golden Eagles, and his 15th overall with the program. Sutton is 195-136 (.589) as head coach and ranks second in school history in career wins. He is the son of legendary coach Eddie Sutton, and the younger brother of former Oklahoma State head coach Sean Sutton. Scott Sutton is a two-time Summit League Coach of the Year (2002, 2008) and earned NABC District 12 co-Coach of the Year in 2005, sharing the award with his father. In 2007, Sutton was a finalist for the Clair Bee Coaching Excellence Award. Since the start of the 2001-02 season, Sutton has posted a 172-99 (.634) record, including four 20-win seasons, four consecutive Summit League regular-season titles (2005-08) and three straight NCAA Tournament berths (2006-08).
North Dakota State's Saul Phillips is 49-33 in his third season with the Bison.

Centenary Leftovers
The Golden Eagles shot a season-high 55.8 percent from the field in their rout of Centenary, including a 66.7 percent (18-27) effort in the first half ... ORU also made a season-high 15 three-pointers (on 24 attempts), its most in a game in four years ... the 31-point margin of victory is ORU's largest against a Summit League opponent since a 93-62 win at UMKC on Feb. 21, 2009 ... junior forward Javier Nasarre scored a season-high 13 points in his most extensive playing time (17 min.) of the season ... he also added six rebounds and two blocks ... freshman walk-on Mikey Manghum scored nine points with five assists and four rebounds in 25 minutes ... sophomore forward Dominique Morrison extended his double-digit scoring streak to 17 games by scoring 10 points ... sophomore guard Kyron Stokes tied a season-high with 13 points ... ORU's 20 assists were its most since dishing 22 earlier this season against Northwestern Oklahoma State on Nov. 16.

The Magnificent Seven Becomes the Elite Eight
Now that junior forward Javier Nasarre has returned to action after missing six games with a fractured right wrist, the Golden Eagles are finally back at full strength -- eight scholarship players.
It's been a tumultuous year already for ORU with Hunter McClintock, Tim Morton and Roderick Pearson out for the year with ACL injuries. Sophomore guard Beloved Rogers also quit over Thanksgiving weekend. Nasarre has missed a total of nine games due to various injuries, and Stokes (2 games) an Niles (1 game) have each missed time for various injury-related reasons. Only five players (Dominique Morrison, Michael Craion, Kevin Ford, Ken Holdman and Damen Bell-Holter) have played in all 20 games.
All told, ORU basketball players have missed a combined total of 71 games due to injuries entering Thursday's game with North Dakota State.

Youthful Ambitions
While ORU's injury situation has gotten plenty of attention over the past month, one angle that hasn't been discussed much is the Golden Eagles' youth. Six of ORU's top eight players are either freshmen or sophomores, with the lone upperclassmen being Kevin Ford and Michael Craion. Sophomores Dominique Morrison and Ken Holdman, and freshman Warren Niles join Ford and Craion in the starting lineup while sophomore Kyron Stokes and freshmen Damen Bell-Holter and Mikey Manghum (a walk-on) comprise ORU's bench most nights.
ORU's loss to Oakland on Jan. 7 illustrated the Golden Eagles' lack of experience. The Golden Grizzlies started five players who had a total of 467 games of Division I experience, while ORU's quintet had just 215 career games between them.

Giant Killers
Every season since 2002-03, ORU has pulled off at least one upset of a power conference or Top 25-ranked team. This season, the Golden Eagles earned the trifecta, defeating Stanford, Missouri and No. 13/12 New Mexico, all in the course of a month.
Date Opponent Score Notes
11/26/02 Arkansas (H) 76-64 First win over Arkansas since '96
11/30/02 Wichita State (H) 76-71 Part of 6-0 start to season
12/20/03 Wichita State (A) 76-73 First game in WSU's renovated Koch Arena
12/20/04 Georgetown (N)* 81-63 Eagles defeated Hoyas squad with Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert
2/19/05 Missouri State (A) 86-76 Sutton defeats the man he replaced as ORU head coach
11/23/05 Southern Cal (N)^ 68-48 First win over a Pac-10 team in 23 years
11/15/06 No. 3 Kansas (A) 78-71 Highest-ranked opponent ever defeated
12/28/06 Seton Hall (N)% 76-74 Second win over Big East team in three years
12/20/07 Oklahoma State (N)& 74-59 First Sutton vs. Sutton battle goes to little bro
12/22/08 South Florida (N)* 86-63 Third win over Big East foe in five years
11/18/09 Stanford (A)# 83-81 Roderick Pearson's buzzer beater the difference
12/9/09 Missouri (H) 60-59 ORU rallies from 11 points down to win on Michael Craion's layup at :0.9
12/23/09 No. 13 New Mexico (H) 75-66 Michael Craion gets 18-13-7 as Golden Eagles roll Lobos
*-Rainbow Classic; ^-Great Alaska Shootout; %-BYU Holiday Classic; &-All-College Classic; *-San Juan Shootout; #-Cancun Challenge

ORU in Summit League Play
ORU is 138-59 (.701) in regular season Summit League play all-time in 13 seasons. ORU owns the second-best winning percentage in League history, behind only former member Missouri State's .767 (79-24) clip. The Golden Eagles have captured five regular-season titles ('99, '05, '06, '07, '08) and three tournament championships ('06, '07, '08). Since the 2004-05 season, ORU is 74-17 (.813) in Summit League regular season play, and 85-19 (.817) when including Summit League Tournament games.

Niles' Big Night
Warren Niles set a school freshman single-game scoring record when he poured in 39 points in ORU's 90-87 overtime loss at IUPUI on Jan. 14. Niles was 13-of-23 from the field, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range, and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. His 13 field goals against the Jaguars were the most by any ORU player since Caleb Green converted 14 at Southern Utah on Jan. 4, 2006.

Domo-Arrigato
Throughout all the adversity the Golden Eagles have suffered through this season, the one constant has been the play of sophomore forward Dominique Morrison. Through 21 games Morrison leads ORU and ranks among Summit League leaders in scoring (15.0) and assists (2.9), while also ranking among the league top 10 in free throw percentage (.840). Morrison has also saved his best efforts for the toughest foes. He scored a career-high 31 points in ORU's win at Stanford on Nov. 18; had a game-high 21 points in a home win over Missouri on Dec. 9, and pumped in 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in ORU's upset of No. 13/12 New Mexico. In those three games, Morrison averaged 23.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

Ford Tough
Over the last seven games, senior forward Kevin Ford has raised his level of play. Since a 65-59 win at North Dakota State on Jan. 2, Ford is averaging 15.3 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting better than 57 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line. He has three double-doubles during the seven-game stretch, and has scored at least 11 points six of the seven contests.

Color Him Productive
He may not be the most colorful guy on the court, but his game makes the ORU coaches smile. Junior forward Michael Craion is perhaps ORU's most complete player, and his efforts in the early going are making a mark. In back-to-back victories over UMKC and Southern Utah earlier this month Craion scored season high's of 21 and 22 points, then followed those efforts up with the game-winning shot against Missouri on Dec. 9. He saved his best for New Mexico, when his 18-point, 13-rebound, 7-assist effort earned Summit League player of the week honors. Arguably the Summit League's top newcomer, Craion enters play Thursday averaging 12.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game overall while averaging 14.9 points and 7.8 boards in Summit play.

Kenny Ho-Ho
To say that sophomore guard Ken Holdman is ORU's most improved player from a season ago is kind of like saying the wind blows in Oklahoma. It just doesn't do the truth any real justice. A little-used utility player as a freshman, Holdman was thrust into the starting lineup at point guard after Roderick Pearson and Hunter McClintock each suffered season-ending knee injuries. And while Holdman is still a bit of a work in progress, he is becoming one of ORU's more reliable performers. In 17 games as a starter, Holdman is averaging 5.8 points and 3.4 rebounds. In ORU's latest upset win, Holdman scored a career-high 13 points against No. 13/12 New Mexico, including three 3-pointers. After going 0-for-7 from beyond the arc as a freshman, Holdman is 12-for-27 (.444) so far this season. He also leads the Golden Eagles and ranks among Summit League leaders with 28 steals.

At Home in Mabee Center
ORU has experienced a basketball rebirth over the last seven seasons, and nowhere has that been more evident than in games played at Mabee Center. Since the start of the 2002-03 season, ORU is 80-14 (.860) at home and an amazing 54-6 (.900) in conference play in that time.

Kansas City Kings
The 2009-10 Golden Eagles roster contains a rarity for any program: three players from the same out-of- state city. Juniors Michael Craion (Ruskin HS) and Rod Pearson (Raytown South HS), and sophomore Dominique Morrison (Raytown HS) all live in Kansas City, Mo. The last time ORU had three or more players on the roster from the same out-of-state city was in 1987-88 when four players hailed from Charlotte, N.C.: Rodney Davis (Myers Park HS), Anthony Houston (Harding HS), Jules Springs (West HS) and Haywoode Workman (Myers Park HS).

Angsomwine Inks NLI During Early Signing Period
Chris Angsomwine has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play at ORU during the fall early signing period.
A 6-9, 215-pound forward at Kilgore (Texas) College, Angsomwine is ORU's first 2010 signee. He will have two years of eligibility when he enrolls next fall.
Angsomwine is in his first year with Rangers after spending last season at Harcum College in suburban Philadelphia. Kilgore is 2-0 with Angsomwine averaging 6.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Fox College Sports, KGEB to Broadcast All Home Games
For the second straight season ORU Athletics has partnered with University-owned Golden Eagle Broadcasting and Fox College Sports to televise all men's basketball regular-season home games. Both outlets will also carry the weekly ORU Sports Report.
Golden Eagle Broadcasting affiliate KGEB will televise all home games locally, with weekend games showing live and weekday contests tape-delayed at 10 p.m. Fox College Sports will televise all games live nationally on cable and satellite systems across the country. Mabee Center Productions will handle production duties for all broadcasts.
Fox College Sports is available in over 40 million households across the country on most major cable systems including Time Warner, Comcast and Charter Communications, as well as DirecTV (Ch. 617). FCS
consists of three channels: FCS Atlantic, FCS Central and FCS Pacific.
Rob Loeber will again serve as the play-by-play announcer for all broadcasts. Color duties will be split between former ORU standout Mickey Michalec and longtime analyst Bryndon Manzer.

ORU Picked Second in Summit League Preseason Poll
ORU was picked second in the annual Summit League preseason poll of head coaches, media members and Sports Information Directors. Oakland was the overwhelming preseason favorite, garnering 34 of 35 first place votes while third place IUPUI received the other. After Oakland, ORU and IUPUI, the others are South Dakota State, North Dakota State, IPFW, Southern Utah, Western Illinois, UMKC, and Centenary.

Ford, Morrison Named Preseason All-Summit League
Forwards Kevin Ford and Dominique Morrison were named to the Summit League's preseason second team. Ford, a senior, averaged 9.4 points and 7.4 rebounds while Morrison, a sophomore, averaged 9.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in starting all 31 games. Both players were named to the 2009 All-Newcomer team.

Outstanding Home Schedule
The Golden Eagles boast one of their most exciting home schedules in recent memory this season. ORU hosts Missouri (Dec. 9), New Mexico (Dec. 23) and Tulsa (Jan. 20) in addition to 10 other home conference and non-conference games. Missouri is the first Big 12 squad to visit Mabee Center since Texas Tech in 2001, and the TU game will be the first played after December since 1997.

ORU Chosen for 2010 BracketBusters
For the fifth time in six years, ORU has been selected to participate in the ESPN BracketBusters. The eighth annual BracketBusters event, a two-day men's college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other Feb. 19-20, will feature 11 nationally televised games - on either ESPN2 or ESPNU -- selected from a pool of 98 teams. ORU is 1-3 in Bracket Busters-related games. The Golden Eagles hosted nationally televised games against Utah State (2007) and Creighton (2008).

ORU Basketball on the Radio
All ORU games can be heard in northeastern Oklahoma on "The Sports Animal", 97.1 FM and 1550 AM. Geoff Haxton begins his third full season as the play-by-play voice of the Golden Eagles. Fans can also listen on-line at www.orugoldeneagles.com.

The ORU Coaches Hour
Join ORU coaches and athletes every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. for the ORU Coaches Hour, broadcast live from Pepper's Grill at 91st & Delaware and carried on FM 97.1 "The Sports Animal". Tulsa radio personality Geoff Haxton hosts the one-hour call-in show. Men's head coach Scott Sutton and women's head coach Jerry Finkbeiner are regular guests.

About ORU
Founded in 1963 by evangelist Oral Roberts, ORU is a 400-acre campus located in South Tulsa. ORU boasts a total enrollment of over 5,000 students from all 50 states and more than 30 foreign countries. Some famous ORU alums include entertainer Kathy Lee Gifford, Pulitzer-prize nominated author Clifton Taulbert and two-time NCAA track & field national champion and 2008 Olympic silver medalist Andretti Bain. "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening briefly attended ORU, and subsequently, many of the characters on the show are modeled after former ORU students and staff members. In fact, if you look closely over Ned Flanders' fireplace, his college diploma reads "Oral Roberts University".

Up Next
The Golden Eagles host Summit League foe South Dakota State, 7:05 p.m., Saturday at Mabee Center. Hall of Fame ceremonies for six former Golden Eagles will take place at halftime.