OU's Marshall gets a shot at starting for Mavs--The Oakland Press
OU doesn’t fear the Buckeyes--The Oakland Press
By PAULA PASCHE Of The Oakland Press
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ohio State may be on a 19-game winning streak, but the Oakland University women’s basketball team does not concern itself with such a statistic.
The Golden Grizzlies are brimming with confidence as they prepare to play the Buckeyes in the first round of the NCAA tournament tonight at Purdue’s Mackey Arena.
It was less than two weeks ago that Oakland, a No. 6 seed, beat the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 seeds to win the Mid-Continent championship and gain a ticket to the Big Dance.
It does not matter much to the Grizzlies that they are a No. 16 seed tonight, facing No. 1 seed Ohio State.
“Obviously, we’re coming in with no pressure, we’re not the favored team by any means. I don’t think we look at our seed at all,’’ forward Nicole Piggott said Saturday. “We don’t look at it as we’re not as good as them because we’re seeded 16th and they’re No. 1. We all play the same game. It’s just who’s playing better on that day.’’
Along with the top seed and the win streak, Ohio State will have a size advantage, and it starts with 6-foot-5 All-America center Jessica Davenport.
Piggott, who is 5-11, is the tallest starter for the Grizzlies.
Again, they do not seem intimidated by the prospect of shutting down Davenport, who averages 18.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
The Grizzlies won the conference title over Western Illinois and 6-foot-7 Zane Teilane.
“We’ve gone against 6-4, 6-5 centers all year. We’re just going to do what we do and not change anything,’’ Oakland coach Beckie Francis said.
“We worry about what we’re going to do and let them adjust to us. Maybe (Ohio State coach Jim Foster) will yank out one of his taller players and go smaller because he can’t match up. We’re not going to change anything we do.”
The Grizzlies pride themselves on defense. If a team features a tall center, they don’t concede the game.
“We do have a lot of experience playing against taller girls. We help each other out a lot,’’ Piggott said. “I think we have good, solid defense. As far as changing anything, we’re going to come in and do what we’ve done all year. It seems to be working fine.”
Foster has done his homework on the Grizzlies.
“They play very well together. I think they’re a very patient team on offense,’’ Foster said. “They beat some very, very good basketball teams down the stretch to win their league. Obviously, they’re playing their best basketball at the right time of the year.”
He has his team in the right frame of mind, too.
“Just make sure you keep your focus, because it’s one (loss) and done,’’ Davenport said.
The Oakland women have been working with a sports psychologist since the holidays. Before they left campus, the psychologist had a talk with the team. His message was that they must believe they can win on any given day.
Apparently, he got his message across.
“It doesn’t matter who it is. Obviously, they’re a great team. Any team we play would be a great team,’’ senior guard Jayme Wilson said. “So we’re going to look at it as another game and do what we need to do to win.’’
The Oakland Press/JOSE JUAREZ
Francis cheered on by old coach--The Oakland Press
By PAULA PASCHE Of The Oakland Press
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Beckie Francis had quite a cheering section during Saturday’s light practice at Purdue’s Mackey Arena.
Sitting between her mom and her husband (Oakland University president Dr. Gary D. Russi) was Francis’ high school basketball coach, Joyce Rockefeller, from Germantown, N.Y.
Francis is 6-0 with Rockefeller in attendance at two previous Mid-Continent tournaments.
This is Francis’ second NCAA tournament appearance as OU’s coach, but a first for Rockefeller, affectionately called “Rocky” by Francis.
Nerves will not be an issue tonight for Rockefeller.
“No, I’m not nervous. They’ve worked hard to get here, and I know they’re going to make a good showing,’’ Rockefeller said.
She said when she told her grandson about the early round upsets in the men’s NCAA tournament Friday, he had something to say about that.
“Nan, there’s going to be a much bigger upset on Sunday night,’’ he told her.
A No. 16 seed has never topped a No. 1 seed in either tournament.
They meet again
Ohio State coach Jim Foster and Francis are big fans of each other.
This is not their first meeting. When Francis took the 2002 Oakland women’s team to the NCAA tournament for the first time, the Grizzlies played Vanderbilt — which was coached Foster.
“I think Beckie is a terrific coach. I think her team is playing very, very hard, they play unselfish,’’ Foster said.
Francis shared similar words.
“(The Buckeyes are) very patient, they’re very well coached. I think they’re going to run the same stuff, but he might throw us a curveball,’’ she said.
Mackey experience
Playing at Purdue’s Mackey Arena is nothing new for the Buckeyes, but it has not always been a positive experience.
Ohio State’s last loss — by two points to the Boilermakers — came here on Jan. 1. Since then, the Buckeyes have won 19 straight. They beat Purdue to win the Big Ten tournament championship in Indianapolis.
Oakland does not play in Big Ten-size arenas often, but the Golden Grizzlies don’t seem intimidated by the thought.
“It just adds to the excitement of the experience,” Oakland senior guard Jayme Wilson said. “We know it’s going to be a challenge. We’re just going to try to stick to what we do and give them a game.’’
Kampe makes the trip
Greg Kampe, Oakland’s interim athletic director and men’s basketball coach, made the trip here with the women’s team.
He spent Thursday and Friday at The Palace, where Oakland is the host of the NCAA regional. He said he’s gotten a lot of positive feedback on the new floor that was installed at The Palace for the weekend. At center court, “Oakland University” is painted so large that it’s hard to miss.
With two upset games at The Palace on Friday, the floor got plenty of television time.
OAKLAND NOTES
Drew rebuilding Baylor's program--The NWI Times
Wins could have helped--The Tulsa World
By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
3/19/2006
More victories may have meant a higher seed for the Eagles.
One way the Oral Roberts basketball team might have dealt with top-seeded Memphis is not to play the Tigers.
The Golden Eagles played well in their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 22 years, but the Tigers played better Friday and rolled to a 94-78 first-round win.
Afterward, head coach Scott Sutton gently reminded his players what an extra regular-season win or two might have meant.
"Those games in November and December, and even when you get into the conference season, mean more than trying to win a conference title. When you get to this point, it can really help your seeding," Sutton said Saturday by cell phone as the Eagles traveled home from Dallas.
"Take away one of our losses, or probably any of them, and give us a win, I almost assure you we wouldn't have been a 16 seed. There's a chance we could have been a 13 or a 14, and as we saw (Friday), it would have been a lot easier to beat a third- or fourth-seed than one of the nation's top teams."
ORU had chances to win both Utah State games and had one of its worst outings in a loss at Western Illinois, the Mid-Continent Conference's eighth-place team.
"Hopefully we'll get back in this same position next year and we'll have a better seed," Sutton said.
He expects the Eagles to be good again, even though they played their last game with seniors Larry Owens, Jonathan Bluitt, Mickey Michalec, Chris Riouse, Eric Fowlkes and Andrew Meloy.
ORU has a solid returning nucleus with Caleb Green and Ken Tutt back for another year, and Sutton is encouraged by the team's recruiting. The Eagles signed three players in November and will probably add two more this spring.
Perhaps the most promising newcomer is already on campus. Adam Liberty sat out the 2005-06 season after transferring from Wichita State. The 6-foot-2 junior will take over at point guard for Bluitt, who finished as the second-leading assist man in school history.
"I think (Liberty) will be a different kind of point guard. He's a kid who could have really helped us in that (Memphis) game because he is similar to the type of athlete Memphis throws out there. I like the way he plays." Sutton said.
"With Caleb and Ken, you have a chance to win a bunch of games right there. I think Moses Ehambe is going to elevate his game in the offseason and Yemi Ogunoye is going to continue to improve. I was really pleased with how (Marchello Vealy) played for being a freshman. I thought he really battled (in Friday's game). I think Marchello would have to play a big role for us next year."
Owens will probably be the hardest senior to replace because he is 6-7, athletic and versatile. Much of what he did for the Eagles couldn't be measured statistically, although Owens ranked among the Mid-Con leaders in several categories.
"It's like when we lost (Luke Spencer-Gardner) from last year's team. We couldn't replace the toughness he brought to the team, but we got better in other areas. Larry stepped up his game and our bench got better. Larry will be hard to replace, so we'll have to get better in other areas."
Shawn King, a 6-10 shot-blocking center, arrives from Carl Albert State College to replace the 6-10 Michalec. Sutton said 6-4 freshman Jeremy Hazell, from the Bronx, N.Y., has athletic ability similar to Owens, although he is not as big, and is probably a better offensive threat. The Eagles also signed high-scoring Muskogee High guard Dominic Gaines. All three could contribute next season.
The Eagles will have the same advantage next March that they had the last two, with the Mid-Con Tournament being played in Tulsa the next two years.
Sutton wants his players to remember the experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament. "I think it will motivate them to work harder because once you get a taste of it, you want to get back every year."
Mike Brown 581-8390
mike.brown@tulsaworld.com
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