This is already one of the craziest NCAA Tournaments in history, and no team summarizes that more than Oral Roberts. The No. 15 seed Golden Eagles already pulled off a stunning upset by taking down No. 2 Ohio State in the first round of the tournament, and now they’ve added another upset with a victory over No. 7 Florida.
Oral Roberts — 9-point underdog — took down Florida 81-78 on Sunday in Indianapolis.
ORAL ROBERTS DOES IT AGAIN!!! #MarchMadness #ThisIsMarch pic.twitter.com/j6p3zOj2UF
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 22, 2021
Most viewers likely figured Oral Roberts was finally out of gas when they trailed by 11 points with just over 10 minutes remaining. But the Golden Eagles finished on a 27-13 run, and really clamped down on defense down the stretch.
The Golden Eagles got two remarkable offensive performances, with Kevin Obanor (28) and Max Abmas (26) combining for 54 of the team’s 81 points.
Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor are the 3rd pair of teammates in NCAA Tournament history to each score 25 points in consecutive games.
They join Bryant Stith and Richard Morgan in 1989 for Virginia and Gail Goodrich and Keith Erickson in 1965 for UCLA. pic.twitter.com/10e3zIJ0rL
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 22, 2021
Oral Roberts becomes just the second 15-seed to reach the Sweet 16. The 2013 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles are the only other 15-seed to do so.
In order to make the Elite Eight, the Golden Eagles will need to beat No. 3 Arkansas. It will be another extremely difficult challenge, but it’s at the point where we shouldn’t be shocked if they can pull off another upset. The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles are showing the beauty of March.
