The Basics: St. Thomas
Game Eighteen
Oral Roberts (5-12), (0-2) vs St. Thomas (13-4), (2-0)
Date/Time: Saturday, January 10 / 7:00 p.m.
TV/Video: Summit League Network
Live Stats: ORU Athletics
Tickets: ORU Athletics
Location: Mabee Center (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
 
TULSA, Okla. – The Golden Eagles will host the Summit League preseason favorite, St. Thomas Tommies, at the Mabee Center on Saturday, January 10^th at 7 PM.
 
Fans can watch the game on Summit League Network or stay up to date on the action by following along on X @ORUMBB.

Important Links
Summit League Notebook
Game Notes

Quick Hits
• The Golden Eagles will host the preseason favorite, St. Thomas Tommies, in their Summit League home-opener on Saturday at 7 PM.
• Head Coach Kory Barnett was named the 13th head coach of the Oral Roberts men's basketball program on March 8th, 2025.
• The Golden Eagles picked up their first win of the Kory Barnett era on 11/8/25, defeating John Brown 84-50.
• ORU has welcomed 12 newcomers this offseason (four freshmen and eight transfers).
• Luke Gray averaged 3.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg in 2024-25 while Chase Martin utilized a redshirt.
• In games won, the Golden Eagles are scoring 85.6 ppg while holding their opponents to just 63.4 ppg.
• Through 17 games, ORU ranks 74th in the country in strength of schedule and 64th in non-conference strength of schedule, per KenPom.
• After two games of Summit League play, Yuto Yamanouchi-Williams is averaging 19.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg and a league-leading 3.0 bpg.
• Ty Harper ranks sixth in the Summit League in scoring, averaging 15.8 ppg.
• ORU hit the road last week for its first week of Summit League play, falling to both UND and NDSU, despite winning the turnover battle in both contests (12-14 at UND, 14-16 at NDSU).
• The Golden Eagles erased a 20-point halftime deficit (42-22) against Montana State on Dec. 6, outscoring the Bobcats 50-26 in the second half.
• ORU shot 61.9 percent from deep vs Kennesaw State, its first time shooting 61.9 percent or better since playing Western Illinois on 2/27/20 (63%, 17-27).
• ORU had two double-doubles (vs Haskell) for the first time since facing off against NDSU on March 7^th, 2023 (Abmas- 26/10 assists, Vanover-10/10 rebounds).
• The Golden Eagles grabbed 20 offensive rebounds against John Brown earlier this year, their first 20+ OREB game since facing Haskell on November 18th, 2021.
• ORU recorded 12 total blocks against Oklahoma State, falling just one block short of tying its single-game record.
• Connor Dow ranks second in the Summit League in three-point attempts (129) and fourth in 3-point field goals made, with 41. His 41 3FGM ranks 81^st nationally, while his 129 attempts rank 17^th nationally.
• The Golden Eagles are 31^st in the country in free-throw percentage and first in the Summit League, shooting 76.9 percent from the line this season.
• Defensively, the Golden Eagles rank first in the Summit League in blocks per game, averaging 3.4.

Opponent Information: St. Thomas
• ORU is 6-3 against the Tommies all-time and holds a 3-1 record at home.
• St. Thomas was picked to win the Summit League in the preseason poll.
• The Tommies rank first in the Summit League in assist/turnover ratio (1.90), assists per game (17.6), field goal percentage (50.2%) and turnovers per game (9.2).
• St. Thomas has won 27 straight games at home.
• Both Nolan Minessale and Carter Bjerke were named to the preseason All-Summit League First Team.
• Nolan Minessale leads the Summit League in scoring, averaging 21.2 ppg to go along with 4.3 rpg and 4.7 apg.
• Minessale ranks top 25 in the country in field goal attempts (232), field goals (128), free throw attempts (118), free throws (88), total points (361) and points per game (21.2). He leads the country in total points with 361.
• Head Coach Johnny Tauer is 304-111 over his fifteen years at the helm of the St. Thomas men's basketball program.

For the latest information on ORU men's basketball, follow @ORUMBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics App in the Google Play or App Store.