📝 Larry Lewis Game recap -- Tulsa holds off UTSA, 80-76

[Chris Harmon]

Tulsa built a big first-half lead against UTSA and then held off the Roadrunners in the second half for an 80-76 win.

https://tulsa.rivals.com/news/tulsa-holds-off-utsa-80-76

 

[Chris Harmon]

 

[Larry Lewis_]

It is nice to see TU finally playing some good basketball. Wish I could've seen more of Dwon Odom. Think how good he would be surrounded by a NCAA tourney caliber team?

 

[I.I.]

It is nice to see TU finally playing some good basketball. Wish I could've seen more of Dwon Odom. Think how good he would be surrounded by a NCAA tourney caliber team?

We seem to get one impact player each year ( Haggerty and Odom) but it takes at least three to be really competitive.

 

[dougheffking]

It is nice to see TU finally playing some good basketball. Wish I could've seen more of Dwon Odom. Think how good he would be surrounded by a NCAA tourney caliber team?

But are we REALLY playing good basketball? Our wins are the product of beating terrible teams...and playing not to lose at the end which is just pathetic.

 

[Larry Lewis_]

But are we REALLY playing good basketball? Our wins are the product of beating terrible teams...and playing not to lose at the end which is just pathetic.

The win at Temple was completely unexpected. Temple hadn't lost at home all year. True about most of Tulsa's wins. TU is playing better. But, obviously, not where the program should be.

 

[dougheffking]

The win at Temple was completely unexpected. Temple hadn't lost at home all year. True about most of Tulsa's wins. TU is playing better. But, obviously, not where the program should be.

We are in purgatory. A change must be made...if we don't make a change after the season it's very concerning.

 

[chito_and_leon]

The win at Temple was completely unexpected. Temple hadn't lost at home all year. True about most of Tulsa's wins. TU is playing better. But, obviously, not where the program should be.

I hear you, Larry. Sometimes you have to meet life where you find it. Like your sweet but dumb friend gets promoted to assistant manager at Starbucks. You're happy for them, not bagging on them for not being a VP. That's this team. Short term, it's nice to see the team do a little better. Long term, we're 11-15. Sneaking a few unexpected wins will be fun and won't have any impact on what happens after the season. Either the admin is going to make a move everyone knows needs to be made or they're not. Not like they'll say "we got to 14-16, guess Konkol is a keeper!".

 

[I.I.]

I have never seen media pushing for a firing like the Tulsa World is for firing Moser. It actually looks like all four D-1 Oklahoma coaches are on thin ice, even Lutz at OSU has been a big disappointment and no one waits long to change anymore. There is no such thing as "building a program" and your entire season is now based on accurate portal recruiting ,pinpoint NIL placement, and X and O perfection during games. Long gone are the excuses "We are a young team" or we were "saddled with injuries". You recruit knowing what you might need in every situation. As far as TU goes, there is a late forming spark in effort and enthusiasm. Still a long shot to get where we expected but at least some interest has developed.

 

[Bill Lowery_1]

I think Bill Self is getting fed up with coaching and the NIL. He’s middle of the pack in the conference. A player he paid over a mil to isn’t playing well at all. He said that before NIL a top team could sign 3 top 20-50 players and have a great team. Now it’s hard to get more than 1. Many teams that weren’t any good, can with deep pockets, buy a top player and it doesn’t take many to have a good team. He said that’s why you’re seeing so many so-called upsets. Not upsets anymore just fielding much better teams with the NIL.

I agree I.I. That teams like Tulsa that signed “project” type players or players that needed a year to develop, are lured away once it’s known they are, or are going to be, a good player.
Unless we come up with big NIL dollars, we’re never going to have teams like Nolan, Tubby and Self had here at Tulsa. One good year and our top player(s) are bought away.

Under NIL, we’re never going to have good teams, at least a good team 2 or more years in a row.

 

[nevadanatural]

If Bill’s complaining it’s because everyone can now do it and not just a few top programs like Kansas.

 

[I.I.]

If Bill’s complaining it’s because everyone can now do it and not just a few top programs like Kansas.

Yes, It has changed from kids going to blue blood schools (Kansas) to whatever school has the largest donor NIL pool. The kids take the bigger money and know that the NBA will take kids from any school now unlike olden days when smaller schools had no television exposure. Teams like SMU, Memphis, and UAB can now compete with Kansas for players.

 

[Gmoney4WW]

I have never seen media pushing for a firing like the Tulsa World is for firing Moser. It actually looks like all four D-1 Oklahoma coaches are on thin ice, even Lutz at OSU has been a big disappointment and no one waits long to change anymore. There is no such thing as "building a program" and your entire season is now based on accurate portal recruiting ,pinpoint NIL placement, and X and O perfection during games. Long gone are the excuses "We are a young team" or we were "saddled with injuries". You recruit knowing what you might need in every situation. As far as TU goes, there is a late forming spark in effort and enthusiasm. Still a long shot to get where we expected but at least some interest has developed.

Konkol will be gone this year or next. If they give Konkol another year it will be some combination of the following:

He may get more nil.

He didn't get Garcia until late in the season & it took freshman Smikle about as long as Garcia was out, for Smikle to develop. Those two were our frontcourt.

Another year off his buyout.

Time to raise his buyout after just firing Wilson.

 

[chito_and_leon]

Yes, It has changed from kids going to blue blood schools (Kansas) to whatever school has the largest donor NIL pool. The kids take the bigger money and know that the NBA will take kids from any school now unlike olden days when smaller schools had no television exposure. Teams like SMU, Memphis, and UAB can now compete with Kansas for players.

But i'm not sure facts support this. Look at the 33 teams that got more than 1 vote in the top 25 this week. I don't know really, but do we think that Iowa St., St. John's, Marquette, Louisville, New Mexico, St. Mary's, Creighton, and George Mason are in the top 33 largest NIL budgets? I think NIL has dislodged prior powers but I'm not sure it's replaced them only with giant NIL teams. The correlation between NIL budget and ranking seems not to be as strong as we give it credit for.

 

[Gmoney4WW]

Is there any notice out on whether tomorrow night will be delayed? The worst day of cold and snow of the year. I have to think North Texas will be delayed. The only real break in both our schedules to reschedule is the 25th. That's right in the middle of their road trip to USF, and then FAU.

 

[I.I.]

But i'm not sure facts support this. Look at the 33 teams that got more than 1 vote in the top 25 this week. I don't know really, but do we think that Iowa St., St. John's, Marquette, Louisville, New Mexico, St. Mary's, Creighton, and George Mason are in the top 33 largest NIL budgets? I think NIL has dislodged prior powers but I'm not sure it's replaced them only with giant NIL teams. The correlation between NIL budget and ranking seems not to be as strong as we give it credit for.

You list a lot of smaller schools. But few know if they have huge alumni donors who are filling NIL buckets. It is not a recordable category at most schools. There is no way to tell except when you see kids sign with those schools instead of Kansas and North Carolina. Even then the power schools can soon use their own money 20 million a year toward NIL instead of the collectives so the large schools from the SEC and Big 10 still have an advantage.

 

[chito_and_leon]

You list a lot of smaller schools. But few know if they have huge alumni donors who are filling NIL buckets. It is not a recordable category at most schools. There is no way to tell except when you see kids sign with those schools instead of Kansas and North Carolina. Even then the power schools can soon use their own money 20 million a year toward NIL instead of the collectives so the large schools from the SEC and Big 10 still have an advantage.

The Googles have some info on NIL budgets but totally agree that it's hard to know. On the other hand, I'm not sure it's true to say the only reason someone would sign at some place like St. John's is bc they got paid a lot more. We have no more info on that than on the overall NIL budgets. I'm sure Marquette and St. John's have good NIL budgets but I'd be surprised if they're top 10 in the country. You probably need to be in the ballpark but some players seem willing to take less from a school they really like. Maybe I'm wrong but that just seems to support the results that we actually see.

 

[I.I.]

The Googles have some info on NIL budgets but totally agree that it's hard to know. On the other hand, I'm not sure it's true to say the only reason someone would sign at some place like St. John's is bc they got paid a lot more. We have no more info on that than on the overall NIL budgets. I'm sure Marquette and St. John's have good NIL budgets but I'd be surprised if they're top 10 in the country. You probably need to be in the ballpark but some players seem willing to take less from a school they really like. Maybe I'm wrong but that just seems to support the results that we actually see.

I agree C&L..... I do know that if we don't sign about 3 starting impact players out of the portal, we are toast again next year in the AAC. You have to keep signing All-Conference players from lower conferences who are Seniors or Graduates in the portal. Odom was a perfect example. But it takes at least three each year in basketball who can be instant starters if you are to compete for the top spots.

For example Memphis this year got these impact players from the portal

Hunter- Texas
Cisse-OSU
Dainja-Illinois
Carter- UTSA
Harris-Virginia
Haggerty- Tulsa
Rogers- Wichita

No telling how much NIL went for this but FedEx puts up about 5mil a year I understand.