If nothing else, this year's installment of the Mayor's Cup was entertaining.
Tulsa's big comeback win Saturday over Oral Roberts provided plenty of drama -- and perhaps a springboard for the Hurricane.
In the moments leading to tipoff, the lines for tickets and to get into the Mabee Center were pretty long.
So it was quite the disappointment to get into the building and see the relatively small crowd. I sat in a different part of the arena this time, but I would guess there were fewer actual fans in attendance Saturday then there were for Oral Roberts' game against Texas Tech last December.
(Read John Hoover's column on Saturday's attendance woes
here).
Those in attendance saw quite the comeback for Tulsa. Although it might not seem like much, it could turn into a pretty important win for the Hurricane.
Everybody figured this would be a tough season for Tulsa and first-year coach Danny Manning. Manning needs all the wins he can get. And that's even more true now that his biggest supporter -- athletic director Ross Parmley -- is no longer on campus.
It's a safe bet Manning won't get the same kind of honeymoon with a new athletic director as he would have with Parmley, who's administrative career was tied to Manning's success.
That makes goodwill wins like the one Saturday important, even during an obvious rebuilding season.
As for Oral Roberts, the type of loss it endured Saturday can linger a while. That will make it important for the Golden Eagles to learn from the blown lead without letting it keep beating them throughout the rest of the season.
For those following along, it seems likely ORU will be chasing Stephen F. Austin for the Southland Conference championship. SFA already has road wins over Oklahoma and Tulsa -- two teams which defeated ORU at home.
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