ORU Basketball - What Sooner Fans Need To Know

Oklahoma's men's basketball team will look to pick up their sixth win of the season tonight against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. Last year the Sooners downed ORU 73-60 behind Steven Pledger and Cam Clark who scored 19 and 17 points each. That win was Oklahoma's tenth consecutive victory over ORU but the Sooners could have their hands full tonight when they try to make it eleven in a row.

After dropping their first two games of the season to West Virginia and the University of Texas San Antonio the Golden Eagles have reeled off six consecutive wins including a 61-55 win over Southern Utah to put them at 1-0 in the Summit League.

Led by Dominique Morrison's 16.4 points per game, ORU is averaging 70.4 points while limiting their opponents to just 62 points per contest. In addition to Morrison, three other players score in double figures. Forwards Michael Craion and Steven Roundtree average 12.9 and 12.8 points per game and guard Warren Niles drops in 11.8 points per contest. Niles also leads the team in assists with an average of three per game.

If you put the eagles on the free-throw line they're most likely going to make you pay for it. Five of the nine players on their roster are shooting 70% or better from the charity stripe led by guard Mickey Manghum who is currently at 100%. The Golen Eagles manage to get to the free-throw line 28 times per game.

When it comes to taking care of the ball ORU is turning it over 15.6 times per game while collecting seven steals. Oklahoma's pressure defense will have opportunity to force turnovers and score in transition especially when Roderick Pearson has the ball. He's leading the team in turnovers with 3.2 per game.

Crashing the boards has been a strength for Oklahoma this season. The Sooners are grabbing an average of 40.5 rebounds per game which is an advantage over ORU's 33.9. The Sooners have to win the battle of the boards which means Romero Osby and Andrew Fitzgerald are going to have to bang around inside for position ORU's Craion and Roundtree who average 7.8 and 7.6 boards each.

Neither team shoot especially well. The Sooners are hitting 45% from the floor and ORU is at 46%. That means the key to this game is going to be second chance points. Oklahoma must limit ORU from getting them while scoring second chance points themselves.