ORUEaglesNest.com - ORU Receives Votes in Preseason Top 25 Poll

October 30, 2005

TULSA?Oral Roberts University men's basketball team received two votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 preseason poll released Friday morning.

Friday's poll marks the first time since Dec. 9, 2002 ORU has received votes in either of the two major Top 25 polls. Back then, the Golden Eagles received one vote in the Associated Press Top 25.

ORU, 25-8 and an NIT participant last season, enters the 2005-06 season as the consensus choice to repeat as Mid-Continent Conference regular-season champions. Seventh-year head coach Scott Sutton returns four starters, eight letterwinners and two medical red-shirts, including All-America junior forward Caleb Green (Tulsa, Okla.), the 2005 Mid-Con Player of the Year.

Also returning for the Golden Eagles are 6-1 junior guard and two-time first-team all-conference pick Ken Tutt (Garland, Texas), 5-9 senior point guard Jonathan Bluitt (Oklahoma City, Okla.), 6-11 senior center Mickey Michalec (Skiatook, Okla.), and 6-7 senior forward Larry Owens (Mesa, Ariz.), a member of the Mid-Con's All-Newcomer team last season.

The Golden Eagles are once again the preseason favorite in the Mid-Con Coaches poll. Green was tabbed as the league's preseason Player of the Year, while Tutt and Owens were named to the Mid-Con's preseason all-conference team.

ORU opens exhibition play against Central Oklahoma, 7:05 p.m., Saturday Nov. 5 at the Mabee Center.

--ORU--

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