UMKC To Face Conference-Leading Oral Roberts On Thursday Night At Kemper Arena
1/22/2008 5:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will face off against conference-leading Oral Roberts on Thursday night at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. The Kangaroos and Golden Eagles will tip-off the contest at 7:05 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on Metro Sports.
On The Tube
Thursday's game will be broadcast live on Metro Sports. Neil Harwell will handle the play-by-play, while Doug Elstun will serve as the color commentator.
On The Air
All UMKC men's basketball games can be heard on Sports Radio 810 WHB AM. Fans can also hear the games online at www.810whb.com. “The Voice of the Kangaroos” Danny Clinkscale will call the play-by-play action for UMKC for the seventh straight season.
On The Web
Fans can watch all UMKC home games and all league contests live on SummitTV. Fans can access SummitTV through www.umkckangaroos.com or www.thesummitleague.org. More than 275 men's and women's games will be featured as part of the $49.95 annual subscription package.
Live Stats
Fans can follow the action as it happens via live stats at www.umkckangaroos.com.
A Look At Oral Roberts
ORU enters Thursday night's game with a 12-5 overall record and a perfect 7-0 mark in Summit League play. The Golden Eagles have won five straight games including a pair of contests over IUPUI (64-63) and Western Illinois (76-55) last weekend.
Three Oral Roberts players are averaging in double figures with reserve guard Robert Jarvis pacing the squad with 16.2 points per game. Jarvis is shooting .432 from the floor and .448 from long range on the season. Forward Marcus Lewis, a transfer from the University of Portland, is averaging 10.6 points, and center Shawn King adds 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.
The Golden Eagles are averaging 68.2 points on .451 shooting from the floor and .394 from long range. The squad is -1.6 on the glass (33.2-34.8), and it has eight more turnovers than assists on the year.
ORU Game Facts
- Since starting the season 1-2, Oral Roberts has posted an 11-3 record, which includes a win over Oklahoma State. The team's three losses have come at Arkansas (51-62), at Texas (56-66) and at Utah State (55-76).
- Oral Roberts has won 28 of its last 30 games against conference teams, including tournament play.
- It is the second straight season that the Golden Eagles have started out conference play 7-0.
- ORU is ranked 25th in the latest Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top-25. Fellow Summit League team IUPUI is also listed among the poll. The Jaguars sit in 23rd place, falling from a No. 17 ranking on Jan. 14.
ORU vs. UMKC - The Series
Thursday's game is the 25th meeting in the all-time series between UMKC and Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles are leading the series over the Kangaroos, 14-10, which includes victories in each of the past four games. Last season, ORU won in Kansas City (75-68) on Jan. 13 and in Tulsa (74-68) on Feb. 8.
Last Contest
The Kangaroos dropped a 90-82 decision at North Dakota State on Saturday in Fargo. The Bison led wire-to-wire in the contest, and they stretched their advantage to 22 points early in the second half. UMKC wouldn't quit fighting, however, as the team used a 13-0 run to cut the margin to eight points with 7:08 left. NDSU answered with a 9-2 spurt of its own to push its advantage to 16 points with 3:46 remaining, but the Kangaroos cut the deficit to six points twice in the closing minutes before ultimately falling by the eight-point decision.
Notes From The NDSU Game
- UMKC committed 17 turnovers (11 in the first half), which led to a 20-15 advantage in points off of turnovers for NDSU.
- The Kangaroos scored 53 points in the second half. It was the team's fourth 50-point half of the season, all of which have come in the second 20 minutes of play.
UMKC In The National Rankings
The Kangaroos rank 14th in the nation with 9.3 three point field goals per game. The squad also is 34th in the country in free throw percentage (.739).
Individually, junior Dane Brumagin ranks 23rd in three-point field goal percentage (.457), 37th in free throw percentage (.857) and 48th in three point field goals per game (2.9).
The Move To Kemper
The Kangaroos will play their next four home games at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. UMKC has posted a 13-11 overall record in 24 games at the venue, which includes a 3-1 mark last season. Three of the four games at Kemper Arena a year ago required overtime.
Interesting Tidbit
The Kangaroos are known for being a good three-point shooting team this season. In fact, in 10 games, UMKC has finished with a higher three-point field goal percentage than overall field goal percentage.
Double-Double Dane
It took 18 games, but junior Dane Brumagin recorded UMKC's first double-double of the season on Jan. 12 against Southern Utah. The forward finished with 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go along with a career-high 10 rebounds. The double-double is also the first of Brumagin's career, and it is UMKC's first double-double since Brian Gettinger's 18-point and 10-rebound performance against Oakland on Feb. 15, 2007.
Double Digit Dane
Junior Dane Brumagin notched his third straight and ninth 20-point game of the season on Saturday night at NDSU. The forward finished with 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, and he finished a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. The performance came on the heels of a 21-point showing against Southern Utah on Jan. 12 and a 20-point performance at South Dakota State on Jan. 17.
The Montgomery City, Mo., native has now scored in double figures in 17-of-20 games on the season, and he has been the high scorer for the Kangaroos in 12 games. For his career, Brumagin has 31 games in double figures and 13 games with 20 or more points, which is tied for eighth in the school recordbooks.
On the year, Brumagin is leading the team with an 18.6 scoring average, which is fifth in the league. In conference games only, the forward is leading The Summit League with 23.7 points per contest.
Brumagin's most prolific games of the season, and his career, came during a two-game stretch in early December when he scored 75 points in two games. The forward netted 40 points at Oakland on Dec. 6 on 12-of-17 shooting, and he followed it up with 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting at IPFW on Dec. 8. As a result, he was named the Mid-Majority Baller of the Week on Dec. 10.
More Than Just A Scorer
Junior Dane Brumagin has not only been UMKC's most consistent scorer this season, but the forward has also been one of the team's top rebounders. The Montgomery City, Mo., native has led the team on the boards in eight of the last 11 games and in a team-best 10 contests on the season. His 5.5 rebounds per game are also tops on the team. Brumagin has finished with eight or more rebounds in five games this season, and he grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds against Southern Utah on Jan. 12.
Blackwell Continues To Score
Senior Tim Blackwell scored in double figures for the third straight game, as he finished with 18 points on 6-of-16 shooting at North Dakota State.
Over the past three games, the guard is averaging 17 points on .421 (16-38) shooting, and he's made 7-of-18 attempts from long range. Against SUU, Blackwell recorded his third 20-point game of the season, as he finished with 20 points in the three-point victory.
The Cameron, Mo., native has scored in double figures in nine games this season and in 39 games in his career. Blackwell also has seven 20-point games in his Kangaroo career.
Blackwell Climbs Career Scoring Chart
Senior Tim Blackwell moved into eighth place in UMKC history with his 18-point performance at North Dakota State on Jan. 19. The Cameron, Mo., native currently has 906 career points in Blue and Gold. Blackwell now needs just 94 points to become the ninth player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau.
Triple Me Up
The Kangaroos have made 10 or more three pointers in eight games on the season. The squad made a season-high 16 long balls on Dec. 6 at Oakland and 14 treys on Jan. 8 at Missouri.
UMKC is averaging 24.0 three point attempts per game this season. The team is connecting on 9.3 of those chances, while shooting .388 from behind the three-point arch.
The team's 186 three point makes and 480 three point attempts are both tops in The Summit League.
Gettinger “On” In Conference Play
Junior Brian Gettinger has been a big three-point threat for the Kangaroos since the beginning of conference play. The forward has made 15-of-29 attempts for a .517 three-point field goal percentage. The mark is third best in the league.
Bench Production
The Kangaroos have been getting solid bench play over the past two contests, as the team has outscored the opposition, 59-25. Freshman Nathan Balch played a career-high 21 minutes in place of an injured Reggie Hamilton, and the guard capitalized on the opportunity with with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting.
Simms Provides Low Post Presence
Junior Kenny Simms had his best game in a Kangaroo uniform against NDSU last Saturday night. The center scored in double figures for the first time, as he finished with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He also grabbed six rebounds, which was tied for the team-high.
Kangaroos Strong From The Charity Stripe
UMKC is shooting over 80 percent from the charity stripe in the past two games, as the squad has made 44-of-54 attempts. The Kangaroos are leading the Summit League in conference games with a .807 free throw percentage. Overall, UMKC is second in the league and 34th in the nation with a .739 mark.
A Second Half Team
The Kangaroos are making it a habit of falling behind early and rallying late. UMKC is being outscored by 122 points in the first half of games this season (714-592). The squad, however, is outscoring its opposition in the final 20 minutes by 32 points (782-750). The Kangaroos are averaging 29.6 points in first halves of games compared to 35.7 points per contest in the second half.
UMKC has scored 50 or more points in a half this season on four occasions and all four outbursts have come in the final 20 minutes. The team scored 61 points in the second half at Oakland on Dec. 6 and 54 points in games against Arkansas Tech and Loyola Chicago. The Kangaroos also finished with 53 points in the second half at North Dakota State.
Steal City
The Kangaroos matched a season-high with 11 steals against Missouri on Jan. 8. Freshman Nathan Balch had a career-high four swipes in the contest, which is tied for the team-high in a game this season. Junior Dane Brumagin also finished with four steals for the Kangaroos against WIU on Jan. 5.
Balance Is Key
The Kangaroos had four players score in double figures in the victory over Loyola Chicago on Dec. 22. It was the fifth game this season for the team to have at least four players with 10 or more points. On Nov. 24, UMKC had a season-high five players score in double figures in the 90-82 victory over Arkansas Tech.
UMKC now has four players on the year that are averaging 10 points or more per game. Dane Brumagin (18.6), Tim Blackwell (10.9), Brent Stephens (10.8) and Reggie Hamilton (10.7) are all averaging in double figures.
Stephens Third On Squad In Scoring
Senior Brent Stephens is third on the team with a 10.8 scoring average, and he has finished in double digits in 11-of-20 games on the year and in 34 contests in his Kangaroo career. The Jay, Okla., native has notched a pair of 20-point games on the season with his high of 28 points coming against Washburn on Nov. 13.
Getting After It Defensively
The Kangaroos have forced 161 (16.1 p/game) turnovers over the past 10 games. The squad has also been contesting the three-point shot, as their opponents have made just 53-of-163 of their attempts for a .325 percentage.
