Livin' On Tulsa Time

[Grunge84]

Below are a couple of links to previews of the 2004/2005 Tulsa Golden Hurricane. I've always felt like we got one of the better first round match-ups (compared to the other lower rated teams in the tournament) with respect to the possibility of advancing to the second round. I think we got about as good of an opportunity to advance (most likely to a game against Arizona) as we could want. Obviously, it still won't be easy to pull off because of our own team dynamics at the moment, but I think it's the best chance we could have hoped for. Let's not discount how competitive these guys were on the road last year in thinking about a possible victory against Tulsa. I dare to dream, but if it were to happen, it sure sets up the opportunity to get a potential NIT bid (if we don't win the league tournament) because of what I see to be a darn good strength of schedule (on paper anyway).


www.collegehoopsnet.com/specials/preview/126.htm

cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/teams/page/TLS


GO RAIDERS!!!

[Raiderfan]

Tulsa is similiar to us in that they lost their leading scorer but return 4 other starters. Not having a true point guard, other then the freshman, might be the slight edge we will need to pull off the upset.

[Weatherdemon]

Hey all,
I was looking over your box score from your Ohio Dominican game and came up wih the following match-ups based upon your top 7

What do you all think?
(One note, I saw the previews you were reading and one note on Parker. He was an outstanding shooting guard but not very good at point when he rotated over last year. McDade, while a RS-FR, is young, he is a better PG but probably not near the scorer Parker was.
In Exh 1, McDade had 19 pts and 3 ast, in Exh 2 he had 2 pts and 7 ast so it has been hard to judge based on stats. Regardless, most of the TU fans feel is a much better PG than Parker.

The player you all have that we are all most curious about is Williams. He looks like he will tough to slow down.

Anway, here are my match-ups.
F - 6'07, SO Burleson : Price JR, 6'07 - F
F - 6'07, SR Williams : Davis JR, 6'08 - F / Gonzalez SR, 6'09 - F
G - 5'11, SO Wood : McDade FR, 6'00 - G
G - 6'06, FR Spencer : - Glenn, SR 6'6 - F
G - 6'02, JR Taylor : - Collins, JR 6'04 - G / Wallace JR, 6'02 - G

F - 6'06, SO Severovas: Teichmann SR, 6'09 - F
F - 6'05, SO Boyd: Ramsdell SO, 6'10 - F

[total vp]

Weatherdemon, it sounds like you might go through the same thing we did last year with a Freshman point guard. Our main point guard Dashaun Wood, was a freshman last year and in the beginning of the year he was a little inconsistent, some good games, some bad games. This played out with all our freshman in some form or another, and hurt our record early. We were one of only 2 teams in the country that put 5 freshman on the floor while the game was still in doubt (not cleanup). Once Deshaun, and our other freshman learned their roles and got some playing time under their belts, we became a pretty good team. Dashaun became one of our best players and made the Horizon Newcomer team last year and is preseason 2nd team this year.

[Newbie]

Weatherdemon,

Does Tulsa have any size in the post as far as anyone over 240 lbs. that can match up with Zach Williams?

Even though you lost your leading scorer from last year do you feel like this years team will be better if not more balanced?

[weatherdemon]

Man, I have typed up two posts and this site has logged me out both times when I to post it.

Quick review of last year.
Tulsa lost 5 seniors and only had 2 players returning that averaged more than 7 minutes a game from 02-03.
The PG Parker was a converted SG that had a "get my points first" mindset. He was also not very quick and 99% of the time walked the ball up court. I believe we had 7 fastbreaks all last season. We lost 11 games by single digits and were outrebounded badly in almost every game. We had recruited the #4 JC PF, 6'9 220 Gonzalez to help inside with rebounding, defense, and shot blocking but an obscure NCAA ruling only gave him 1 year of D1 eligibliy which he is using this year.

This year, we brought in 6'8 220 JC Davis to help Gonzalez out inside with rebounding and return our top 2 rebounders from last year.

RS-FR PG McDade has a "pass first" mentality and pushes the tempo and can execute the fastbreak well.
He had 19pts and 3 ast in the first exh and 2pts 7 ast in the 2nd. He will make some FR mistakes but is already a much better PG than we had last year.


If this team has what I would call a glaring weakness at this point it would be 3 point shooting. We only have 1 proven shooter (6'4 240 Collins) that when he get's hot, he doesn't miss and when he's not hot he drives in for his points. McDade and Wallace(6'2, 185) need to step and show they can hit.

As far as matchign up with Williams, I would guess Gonzalez and Davis will get the call. We won't stop him, but I hope we can slow him down.

[ggwsu]

Weatherdemon,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your team. It is appreciated. Do you see Gonzalez and Davis on the floor at the same time? This could be and interesting matchup with one of them having to guard Drew Burleson who can score in a variety of ways.

To me the key will be your freshman point guard and if he is on. Don't get me wrong, Tulsa has to be the favorite but I think it could be a very competitive game if our defense shows up.

Go Raiders!!

[weatherdemon]

So far, I think Davis will get the start on Williams. He has looked the best offensively while still playing very good "D". Both he and Gonzalez have attitude, and is something that only Glenn had last year. I expect them to spilt time maybe 25/15 at worst. Maybe even 20/20.

Burleson will have to duty to stop our best inside scorer in 6'7, 225 Anthony Price. He is a lefty that is almost automatic inside. He averaged 19pts, 7rbs in 25 minutes in the 2 Exh games and hit 9-9 FT.

Defensively, he is not real strong so these two may score tons of points.

[weatherdemon]

Guest-Newbie said:

Weatherdemon,
Even though you lost your leading scorer from last year do you feel like this years team will be better if not more balanced?

Sorry, forgot to answer this. Yes, we should be more balance. Parker took 25% of the shots last year and only hit 38.9% of them.

Right now I would expect Glenn (51.4% FG), Price (53.9%), and Collins(40.8%) to average double figures to help balance the scoring. McDade may be the 4th to average double figures but it is hard to tell that right now.

[Dayton Daily News]

Youthful Raiders open at tough-at-home Tulsa
By Marc Katz

Dayton Daily News

TULSA, Okla. | Wright State basketball coach Paul Biancardi doesn't see it this way, of course, but there could hardly be a better time for his youthful Raiders to be invading Tulsa's circular Reynolds Center, where the Golden Hurricane have posted a 71-18 (.798) record in the last six years.

Tulsa has been so good at home, the Hurricane have never lost more than three home games a season in their first five seasons at Reynolds.

Last season was a little different. A senior-dominated class left in 2003 and the leftovers went 9-20 with a 7-7 home record.

"They still present the same problems," said Biancardi, whose team opens the season with a Preseason NIT game against Tulsa tonight. "All they were last year was inexperienced. They played hard. They happen to have the luxury of playing at home."

Of course, it's always easier to play at home when the home team has better players. Wright State was 14-14 during Biancardi's first season, just 8-6 at home. He knows, though, home teams have the advantage.

"It's the environment," Biancardi said. "It's the feeling you get that everything is against you and for them. When you start to play poorly, or well, there's a momentum swing."

It is a swing, Biancardi points out, that comes in front of a hostile crowd, and often young teams — WSU has only one junior and one senior, both playing for the Raiders for the first time — have never faced that before.

"Young people don't know what it's like," Biancardi said. "We talk about it, but we can not simulate life on the road. We don't know how the players are going to respond. We don't know if they'll pass or fail. And if they pass, that doesn't mean they'll pass the next test."

While WSU has only two returning starters in point guard DaShaun Wood and forward Drew Burleson, two of the other starters have had extensive college playing experience. Senior 6-foot-7 forward Zach Williams was a three-year starter at Ohio State before transferring to WSU, and junior guard Jaron Taylor played two seasons at Catonsville Community College in Baltimore.

At first glance, it would appear Tulsa has a veteran lineup with four starters — two seniors and two juniors — returning. However, only one of those starters — 6-6 forward Jarius Glenn — is a two-year starter. Brian Cardwell, a 6-10 forward expected to play a lot, is as sophomore, and 6-0 guard Brett McDade is a red-shirt freshman.

Tulsa is coached by John Phillips and, again, if history is to be repeated, he might have a very bright future. Former Tulsa coaches include Clarence Iba, Nolan Richardson, Tubby Smith, Bill Self and — before he became Ohio State's football coach from 1934-40 — Francis Schmidt.

Tonight's winner gets to play a second-round NIT game at either Arizona or San Diego — a pair of teams that also play tonight — on Thursday.

•WRIGHTINGS: Sophomore reserve guard Zakee Boyd has been sanctioned a game by the NCAA for participating in an unauthorized summer game near his home in New Jersey. He is on the trip and will be able to play the next NIT game if Wright State advances.

Should the Raiders lose, their next game would be home Sunday at the Nutter Center when Brown visits at 1 p.m.

Contact Marc Katz at 225-2157.

Find this article at:
www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/wsu/daily/1116wsubb.html