Tonight's Game
The Golden Eagles continue their four-game, 10-day road trip when they open Summit League play at Western Illinois on Thursday ... head coach Scott Sutton will coach his 350th career game tonight ... senior forward Michael Craion rejoined the team on Wednesday after being cleared to return to basketball activities ...he is expected to be in uniform for tonight's game after missing the first six games after re-aggravating a right foot injury during an exhibition game ... junior forward Dominique Morrison is expected to start his 71st consecutive game tonight.

The Coaches
ORU's Scott Sutton is in his 12th season as the head coach of the Golden Eagles, and his 16th overall with the program. Sutton is 206-143 (.590) as head coach and needs just 10 wins to become ORU's career leader. He is the son of legendary coach Eddie Sutton, and the younger brother of former Oklahoma State head coach and current ORU Executive Adviser Sean Sutton. Scott Sutton is a two-time Summit League Coach of the Year (2002, 2008) and earned NABC District 12 co-Coach of the Year in 2005, sharing the award with his father. In 2007, Sutton was a finalist for the Clair Bee Coaching Excellence Award. Since the start of the 2001-02 season, Sutton has posted a 182-106 (.631) record, including five 20-win seasons, four consecutive Summit League regular-season titles (2005-08), and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2006-08).
Western Illinois head coach Jim Molinari is 25-39 in his third season with the Leathernecks, and 248-225 in his 17th season overall.

Texas Tech Leftovers
ORU shot better than 50 percent (50.8) for the third straight game ... freshman guard Hunter McClintock scored a season-high 19 points to lead ORU in scoring ... sophomore center Damen Bell-Holter recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds ... ORU committed 13 turnovers, the sixth straight game this season the Golden Eagles have made 15 or fewer ... senior guard Roderick Pearson scored a season-high seven points.

ORU in Summit League Play
ORU is 145-61 (.704) in regular season Summit League play all-time in 13 seasons. ORU owns the second-best winning percentage in League history, behind only former member Missouri State's .767 (79-24) clip. The Golden Eagles have captured five regular-season titles ('99, '05, '06, '07, '08) and three tournament championships ('06, '07, '08). Since the 2004-05 season, ORU is 81-19 (.810) in Summit League regular season play, and 93-22 (.809) when including Summit League Tournament games.

Domo-Arrigato
Junior forward Dominique Morrison is off to a fantastic start. With fellow Kansas Citian Michael Craion sidelined for another two weeks, Morrison has helped pick up the slack to the tune of 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists through the season's first six games. In two games last week Morrison has recorded double-doubles. Morrison scored 12 points in Tuesday's loss at Texas Tech.

Sutton Nearing Career Victories Mark
With 206 career wins, head coach Scott Sutton needs nine victories shy of becoming ORU's career coaching leader. Already the longest tenured coach in program history Sutton trails only Ken Trickey, who won 214 games during two stints (1969-74, 1987-93). Sutton is currently The Summit League's active leader in career wins, Summit League victories (121), Summit League games coached (176) and career winning percentage (.595).

Super Sub
Since being taken out of the starting line up after three games ago to give ORU some much-needed scoring punch off the bench, sophomore guard Warren Niles has significantly improved his play. Over the last three games, Niles is averaging 21.0 points while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 50 percent (11-22) from 3-point range. Niles has produced games of 25 (UALR), 20 (Utah) and 18 points (Texas Tech). But most importantly, the Golden Eagles are 2-1 in those three games. In three games as a starter (0-3), Niles averaged 11.3 points and shot 37 percent.

Giant Killers
Every season since 2002-03, ORU has pulled off at least one upset of a power conference or Top 25-ranked team, and they've done it again this year. On Nov. 27 ORU handed Utah a 78-70 defeat in Salt Lake City, adding to its growing hit list. The Golden Eagles get three more chances to add another notch to their belt when they visit Oklahoma (Dec. 11), Missouri (Dec. 16) and face Miami, Fla. (Dec. 21) at the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic.
Date Opponent Score Notes
11/26/02 Arkansas (H) 76-64 First win over Arkansas since '96
11/30/02 Wichita State (H) 76-71 Part of 6-0 start to season
12/20/03 Wichita State (A) 76-73 First game in WSU's renovated Koch Arena
12/20/04 Georgetown (N)* 81-63 Eagles defeated Hoyas squad with Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert
2/19/05 Missouri State (A) 86-76 Sutton defeats the man he replaced as ORU head coach
11/23/05 Southern Cal (N)^ 68-48 First win over a Pac-10 team in 23 years
11/15/06 No. 3 Kansas (A) 78-71 Highest-ranked opponent ever defeated
12/28/06 Seton Hall (N)% 76-74 Second win over Big East team in three years
12/20/07 Oklahoma State (N)& 74-59 First Sutton vs. Sutton battle goes to little bro
12/22/08 South Florida (N)* 86-63 Third win over Big East foe in five years
11/18/09 Stanford (A)# 83-81 Roderick Pearson's buzzer beater the difference
12/9/09 Missouri (H) 60-59 ORU rallies from 11 points down to win on Michael Craion's layup at :0.9
12/23/09 No. 13 New Mexico (H) 75-66 Michael Craion gets 18-13-7 as Golden Eagles roll Lobos
11/27/10 Utah (A) 78-70 Damen Bell-Holter goes for 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks
*-Rainbow Classic; ^-Great Alaska Shootout; %-BYU Holiday Classic; &-All-College Classic; *-San Juan Shootout; #-Cancun Challenge
Craion Rejoins Team; Status Uncertain
After being sidelined for a month, senior forward Michael Craion was cleared to resume basketball activities on Nov. 30. He joined the team on Wednesday and may be available for this weekend's games against Western Illinois and IUPUI.
Craion, who in mid-August had a screw placed in the fifth metatarsal to help heal a fracture, re-agrravated the injury during an exhibition game against Drury on Nov. 2.
The 2010 Summit League Newcomer of the Year, Craion averaged 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds as a junior.

Freshman Roundtree Gets Opening-Day Nod
Freshman forward Steven Roundtree became just the fourth freshman in head coach Scott Sutton's 12 years to start a season opener when he joined the starting lineup at Missouri State on Nov. 12. He more than held his own, scoring 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while also grabbing six rebounds in 33 minutes. How did his performance stack up against the others?
Player Pos. Opponent Date Result Stats
Luke Spencer-Gardner G Nebraska Nov. 18, 2000 W, 87-83 19 pts, 6 assts, 2 stl, 38 min.
Ken Tutt G South Carolina St. Nov. 21, 2003 W, 63-60 24 pts, 6-14 FG, 4-8 3FG, 32 min.
Dominique Morrison F Tulsa Nov. 15, 2008 L, 50-43 9 pts, 3 blks, 2 rebs, 35 min.

Morrison on the Road to 1,000 Points
Following a 12-point outing on Tuesday at Texas Tech, junior forward Dominique Morrison needs 107 points to become the 28th player in ORU history to reach 1,000 for his career. Morrison, who has started 70 consecutive games, owns a career average of 12.9 points per game.

At Home in Mabee Center
ORU has experienced a basketball rebirth over the last eight seasons, and nowhere has that been more evident than in games played at Mabee Center. Since the start of the 2002-03 season, ORU is 85-16 (.842) at home and an amazing 58-7 (.892) in conference play in that time.

Sean Sutton Joins ORU Staff
Former Oklahoma State men's basketball head coach Sean Sutton has been added to the coaching staff at ORU. President Dr. Mark Rutland and men's basketball head coach Scott Sutton made the announcement at an Oct. 7 press conference on the Mabee Center arena floor.
Sean Sutton will serve as ORU's Executive Adviser to the basketball staff. In his new role Sutton will be allowed to interact with coaches during games and practices but will not be permitted to provide direct instruction to players. He is serving in an unpaid capacity.
Sean Sutton coached Oklahoma State from 2006-08 and posted a 39-29 record in his two seasons in Stillwater. He previously spent 13 seasons as an assistant to his father Eddie, who coached the Cowboys for 16 seasons. Sean Sutton also served as an assistant coach at Mississippi during the 1992-93 campaign.
With a combined 1,049 wins the Sutton's are the most successful father-son basketball coaching combination in NCAA history.
Sean Sutton is a 1992 graduate of Oklahoma State where he helped guide the Cowboys to the Sweet 16 in 1991 and 1992. He played two seasons (1987-89) at Kentucky where he was also coached by his father.
As a player and coach, Sean Sutton has been a part of 13 NCAA Tournaments, four NITs and two Final Fours.
Hankins Named Summit's Top Assistant
Longtime ORU assistant coach Tom Hankins has been named as the top assistant in the Summit League by noted basketball reporter/blogger Jeff Goodman, who conducted voting among league head coaches. Hankins is beginning his 14th season at ORU. His recruiting efforts have led to ORU signing such players as current stars Michael Craion and Dominique Morrison.

ORU Picked Second in Summit League Preseason Poll
ORU was picked second in the annual Summit League preseason poll of head coaches, media members and Sports Information Directors. Defending regular-season and tournament champ Oakland received 29 of 34 first-place votes.
The Golden Eagles received three first-place votes and finished second in the poll followed by IUPUI, who received the remaining two first-place votes, in third. North Dakota State held down fourth, South Dakota State came in fifth, IPFW sixth and Western Illinois seventh. UMKC edged Southern Utah for the final spot among the top eight while Centenary rounded out the poll in tenth.

Craion, Morrison Named Preseason All-Summit League
Forwards Michael Craion and Dominique Morrison were named to the Summit League's preseason second team. Craion, the 2010 Summit League Newcomer of the Year and a second-team all-league pick a year ago, averaged 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds as a junior. Morrison was a first-team all-league pick as a sophomore after averaging a team-best 15.3 points and 5.1 rebounds.

Kansas City Kings
The 2010-11 Golden Eagles roster contains a rarity for any program: three players from the same out-of-state city. Seniors Michael Craion (Ruskin HS) and Roderick Pearson (Raytown South HS), and junior Dominique Morrison (Raytown HS) all live in Kansas City, Mo. The last time ORU had three or more players on the roster from the same out-of-state city was in 1987-88 when four players hailed from Charlotte, N.C.: Rodney Davis (Myers Park HS), Anthony Houston (Harding HS), Jules Springs (West HS) and Haywoode Workman (Myers Park HS).

Fox College Sports, KGEB to Broadcast All Home Games
For the third straight year Fox College Sports, along with Golden Eagle Broadcasting, will televise nearly every ORU men's basketball home games. A total of 11 games will be shown on the national sports network, including all nine Summit League contests.
Fox College Sports will televise all games live nationally on cable and satellite systems across the country. ORU will once again partner with Golden Eagle Broadcasting and Tulsa affiliate KGEB to televise all home games locally on a tape-delayed basis at 10:30 p.m. each game night. Golden Eagle Broadcasting will televise all games live through DirecTV channel 363. University Media Productions will handle production duties for all broadcasts.
KOTV sports anchor Chad McKee will handle the majority of play-by-play duties, with Cox Communications sports personality Mike Wolfe serving as fill-in. Former Golden Eagle standout Mickey Michalec and veteran analyst Bryndon Manzer return for their third seasons as color commentators.

ORU Chosen for 2011 BracketBusters
For the sixth time in seven years, ORU has been selected to participate in the ESPN BracketBusters. The ninth annual BracketBusters event, a three-day men's college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other Feb. 18-20, will feature 11 nationally televised games - on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU -- selected from a pool of 114 teams. ORU is 2-3 in Bracket Busters-related games. The Golden Eagles hosted nationally televised games against Utah State (2007) and Creighton (2008). Match ups will be announced on Jan. 31.

ORU Basketball on the Radio
All ORU games can be heard in northeastern Oklahoma on "The Sports Animal", 97.1 FM and 1550 AM. Geoff Haxton begins his fourth full season as the play-by-play voice of the Golden Eagles. Fans can also listen on-line at www.orugoldeneagles.com. The pregame show begins 15 minutes prior to tip-off.

The ORU Coaches Hour
Join ORU coaches and athletes every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. for the ORU Coaches Hour, broadcast live from Rib Crib at 81st & Yale and carried on FM 97.1 "The Sports Animal". Tulsa radio personality Geoff Haxton hosts the one-hour call-in show. Men's head coach Scott Sutton and women's head coach Jerry Finkbeiner are regular guests.

About ORU
Founded in 1963 by evangelist Oral Roberts, ORU is a 400-acre campus located in South Tulsa. ORU boasts a total enrollment of over 5,000 students from all 50 states and more than 30 foreign countries. Some famous ORU alums include entertainer Kathy Lee Gifford, Pulitzer-prize nominated author Clifton Taulbert and two-time NCAA track & field national champion and 2008 Olympic silver medalist Andretti Bain. "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening briefly attended ORU, and subsequently, many of the characters on the show are modeled after former ORU students and staff members. In fact, if you look closely over Ned Flanders' fireplace, his college diploma reads "Oral Roberts University".

About The Summit League
Now in its 29th year as an NCAA Division I athletics conference, The Summit League is in its fourth year under that name. In May 2007, the Presidents Council embraced the Summit Plan, a strategic plan that places a renewed emphasis on improving the academic and athletic performances of all its student-athletes. Included in the plan was the creation of a new image of the conference and the unveiling of a new name. The Summit League is the third name the conference has held as an NCAA sanctioned league.
The Summit League's 10 member schools are Centenary College of Louisiana, IPFW, IUPUI, UMKC, North Dakota State University, Oakland University, ORU, South Dakota State University, Southern Utah University and Western Illinois University. The member schools pride themselves on providing quality athletic, academic and social experiences for their student-athletes.
The Summit League sponsors 19 championship sports, which include: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's indoor track & field, men's and women's outdoor track & field, men's and women's tennis, and volleyball. The League offices are located in suburban Chicago.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles conclude their 10-day road trip, 7 p.m., Thursday at IUPUI.