Oral Roberts defied a lot of odds this year, but couldn't get past the one that has been the team's downfall ever since the Golden Eagles' dominant run in the Summit League began in 2005. Once again, ORU captured the conference tournament and subsequent NCAA berth, but also once again, the Golden Eagles were unable to pull off a first-round victory, as they were defeated soundly by Pittsburgh.

Still, of the three consecutive league championship teams, this one should arguably be admired more than the other two, especially because of the chances Oral Roberts was given heading into this season. The Golden Eagles were facing life without stars Ken Tutt and Caleb Green, who helped put ORU on the map in previous years.

This was supposed to be the year the Golden Eagles relinquished their crown, as Oral Roberts was picked to finish second to IUPUI in the preseason Summit poll. However, instead of reflecting on who was gone, coach Scott Sutton simply pulled the best out of his current players and got a big lift from one of his newcomers, guard Robert Jarvis, a junior-college transfer.

Jarvis, who mostly came off the bench for ORU, led the team with 16.0 points per game. The idea of him being a reserve was to kickstart the squad early on, and then keep that momentum going throughout the contest. Jarvis did just that, making all-conference while also leading all Division I reserve players in scoring.

This wasn't the same ORU squad of years past, either. Two seasons ago, the Golden Eagles led the league in scoring at 71.8 points per game. Oral Roberts dropped to fifth in that category this season, but went 16-2 in the conference via the defensive route. The team's 61.4 points allowed per contest was tops in the league, and also was a new program mark. Jarvis led the team in steals, while center Shawn King was a shot-blocker extraordinaire. And although ORU had just two players average in double figures (Jarvis and swingman Moses Ehambe), King and point guard Adam Liberty both were close at 9.6 and 9.5 points per game, respectively.

After a convincing run through the Summit League tournament (where they defeated IUPUI in the championship contest), the Golden Eagles were awarded a 13th seed in the NCAA Tournament, which was a school best. However, as had been the case in previous years, Oral Roberts' success in the regular season couldn't translate to the postseason, as the team lost 82-63 to Pitt in a game that was pretty much over by halftime.

"I think you continue to get back here, and you're going to continue to build, and maybe that's what it takes," Sutton told the Tulsa World. "We've gotten our program to the point where we're known nationally, we can recruit at a higher level, maybe, and just try to get back here next year, and get a better seed and get a better matchup and play a little better."

With four starters graduating, it will certainly be tough for Oral Roberts to make it four straight years in the Big Dance. Of course, the same was being said for the Golden Eagles after they finished last season with the losses of Green and Tutt. As long as Sutton is leading this squad, ORU should be in the hunt for the Summit title year after year, and may just stick around for the second day of NCAA play with a little luck.

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