2017–18 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles men's basketball team represented Oral Roberts University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Eagles were led by first-year head coach Paul Mills and played their home games at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma as members of The Summit League. They finished the season 11–21, 5–9 in Summit League play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Summit League tournament to Denver.

2017–18 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles men's basketball
ConferenceSummit League
Record11–21 (5–9 Summit)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMabee Center
Seasons
2017–18 Summit League men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
South Dakota State  13 1   .929 28 7   .800
South Dakota 11 3   .786 26 9   .743
Denver 8 6   .571 15 15   .500
Fort Wayne 7 7   .500 18 15   .545
North Dakota State 5 9   .357 15 17   .469
Oral Roberts 5 9   .357 11 21   .344
Omaha 4 10   .286 9 22   .290
Western Illinois 3 11   .214 12 16   .429
2018 Summit League Tournament winner

Previous season

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The Golden Eagles finished the season 8–22, 4–12 in Summit League play to finish in last place. As a result, they failed to qualify for The Summit League tournament.

On April 10, 2017, the school fired all-time winningest coach Scott Sutton after 18 years.[1] He finished with an overall record of 328–247.[2] On April 28, the school hired Baylor assistant Paul Mills as the new head coach.[3]

Preseason

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In a poll of league coaches, media, and sports information directors, the Golden Eagles were picked to finish in seventh place.[4] Senior center Albert Owens was named to the preseason All-Summit First Team and sophomore forward Emmanuel Nzekwesi was named to the Second Team.[4]

Roster

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2017–18 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 1 James Conley 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Derby, Kansas
G 2 Austin Ruder 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Nixa, Missouri
G 3 Jontray Harris 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 188 lb (85 kg) RS Jr Austin, Texas
G 10 Sam Kearns 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So San Antonio, Texas
G 12 Josiah Showman 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Tulsa, Oklahoma
G 20 Spencer Sutton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Fr Tulsa, Oklahoma
F 23 Emmanuel Nzekwesi 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Trophy Club, Texas
G 24 R.J. Fuqua 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Tulsa, Oklahoma
F 25 Javan White 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS So Ames, Iowa
F 32 Kellen Manek 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 227 lb (103 kg) RS Fr Harrah, Oklahoma
F 33 Emir Ahmedic 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Fr Kladanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina
C 44 Albert Owens 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Sr Cedar Hill, Texas
F 52 Chris Miller 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 255 lb (116 kg) So Tulsa, Oklahoma
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

[5] Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm
Avila W 86–72  1–0
Mabee Center (2,521)
Tulsa, OK
Nov 13, 2017*
7:00 pm
at Tulsa
Mayor's Cup
L 71–90  1–1
Reynolds Center (4,437)
Tulsa, OK
Nov 16, 2017*
7:00 pm, FSOK+
at Oklahoma State
Legends Classic
L 48–91  1–2
Gallagher-Iba Arena (4,268)
Stillwater, OK
Nov 20, 2017*
7:00 pm
vs. Montana
Legends Classic
L 64–69  1–3
Firestone Fieldhouse (1,682)
Malibu, CA
Nov 21, 2017*
9:30 pm
vs. Pepperdine
Legends Classic
L 76–80  1–4
Firestone Fieldhouse (1,239)
Malibu, CA
Nov 24, 2017*
2:00 pm, BTN+
at Penn State
Legends Classic
L 48–86  1–5
Bryce Jordan Center (4,463)
University Park, PA
Nov 27, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Oakland L 86–93 OT 1–6
Mabee Center (1,754)
Tulsa, OK
Nov 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, FSKC
at Kansas State L 68–77  1–7
Bramlage Coliseum (7,273)
Manhattan, KS
Dec 2, 2017*
3:00 pm
at Little Rock W 74–66 2OT 2–7
Jack Stephens Center (2,111)
Little Rock, AR
Dec 5, 2017*
9:00 pm
at UNLV L 66–92  2–8
MGM Grand Garden Arena (6,713)
Paradise, NV
Dec 8, 2017*
7:00 pm
Southern Nazarene L 60–68  2–9
Mabee Center (2,152)
Tulsa, OK
Dec 10, 2017*
3:00 pm
Missouri State W 73–66  3–9
Mabee Center (2,331)
Tulsa, OK
Dec 16, 2017*
7:15 pm, ESPN3
at Florida Gulf Coast W 83–64  4–9
Alico Arena (3,316)
Fort Myers, FL
Dec 19, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at Arkansas L 69–104  4–10
Bud Walton Arena (13,945)
Fayetteville, AR
Dec 21, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN+
at Minnesota L 63–77  4–11
Williams Arena (11,234)
Minneapolis, MN
Dec 30, 2017
7:00 pm
Omaha W 93–74  5–11
(1–0)
Mabee Center (2,167)
Tulsa, OK
Jan 4, 2018
7:00 pm
Fort Wayne W 76–60  6–11
(2–0)
Mabee Center (2,219)
Tulsa, OK
Jan 6, 2018
7:00 pm
Western Illinois W 81–66  7–11
(3–0)
Mabee Center (2,146)
Tulsa, OK
Jan 11, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at South Dakota State L 75–78  7–12
(3–1)
Frost Arena (2,221)
Brookings, SD
Jan 13, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3
at North Dakota State L 64–82  7–13
(3–2)
Scheels Center (3,625)
Fargo, ND
Jan 17, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at South Dakota L 70–82  7–14
(3–3)
Sanford Coyote Sports Center (2,351)
Vermillion, SD
Jan 20, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Denver L 64–73  7–15
(3–4)
Mabee Center (5,023)
Tulsa, OK
Jan 23, 2018*
7:00 pm
East Texas Baptist W 93–66  8–15
Mabee Center (2,036)
Tulsa, OK
Jan 27, 2018*
4:00 pm
Nebraska Christian W 105–74  9–15
Mabee Center (2,442)
Tulsa, OK
Feb 1, 2018
6:00 pm
at Fort Wayne L 75–85  9–16
(3–5)
Memorial Coliseum (1,481)
Fort Wayne, IN
Feb 3, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3
at Western Illinois L 56–82  9–17
(3–6)
Western Hall (712)
Macomb, IL
Feb 8, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
North Dakota State W 67–66 OT 10–17
(4–6)
Mabee Center (2,366)
Tulsa, OK
Feb 10, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
South Dakota State L 75–85  10–18
(4–7)
Mabee Center (2,568)
Tulsa, OK
Feb 14, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3
South Dakota L 67–85  10–19
(4–8)
Mabee Center (2,027)
Tulsa, OK
Feb 18, 2018
2:00 pm, ALT2
at Denver L 65–66  10–20
(4–9)
Magness Arena (1,247)
Denver, CO
Feb 22, 2018
7:00 pm
at Omaha W 83–75  11–20
(5–9)
Baxter Arena (1,899)
Omaha, NE
Summit League tournament
Mar 4, 2018
8:30 pm, ESPN3
(6) vs. (3) Denver
Quarterfinals
L 88–90 2OT 11–21
Premier Center (5,692)
Sioux Falls, SD
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time Source[6].

References

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  1. ^ "Oral Roberts fires coach Sutton after 18 years". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  2. ^ "Oral Roberts Fires Scott Sutton". KDLT. April 10, 2017. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  3. ^ Haisten, Bill (April 28, 2017). "ORU confirms hiring of Baylor assistant Paul Mills as Golden Eagle basketball coach". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "South Dakota State Tabbed #SummitMBB Preseason Favorite". The Summit League. October 5, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  5. ^ |accessdate=November 1, 2017
  6. ^ "ORU Men's Basketball Schedule/Results". Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.