Oral Roberts reached the culmination of the NCAA Tournament history on Saturday night, before third-placed Arkansas stole a 72-70 victory in the final seconds. The Razorbacks prevented the Eagles from making history, as they would have been the first number 15 to reach Elite Eight. However, Max Abmas’s last 3-point second hit the edge and ricocheted off, and the Razorbacks escaped.
Davonte Davis hit a jump with 3.1 seconds to give Arkansas the lead forever and lead him to victory. Arkansas will advance to face No. 1 in the Baylor Championship on Monday, with a Final Four seat at stake.
Jalen Tate led Arkansas with 22 points, as the Razorbacks performed very well in the second half in a game that was similar to the first time that Arkansas and Oral Roberts played this season. The Eagles led 40-30 in the December 20 interval, before the Razorbacks returned with a 87-76 victory.
This time, ORU led 35-28 at the break, and the Eagles actually increased that advantage to 46-34 at the start of the second half. But the Razorbacks returned on Saturday, just as they did during the previous meeting between the teams. Abmas led Oral Roberts with 25 points. The country’s top scorer took a good look at the final seconds. But when the iron hit, the Eagles’ run to Cinderella came to an end.
For an Arkansas team that hasn’t been on a Sweet 16 since 1996, this marks a remarkable turnaround. In just his second season as a coach, Eric Musselman totally reformed the squad and programmed a group that consisted mainly of transfers and freshmen in one of the best teams in the country.
Oral Roberts, for his part, will return home with a set of memories that should last for the rest of his life. Here are some lessons from the end of the Eagle race.
A race to remember
This will hurt by Oral Roberts, no doubt. The program was so close to advancing to Elite Eight that it dropped to just a few inches in the last second. But when the dust settles, the Eagles’ two wins in Big Dance will go down in history.
They joined the 2013 Florida Gulf Coast team as the only first 15 to reach Sweet 16. An overtime victory over Ohio State runners-up was an all-time turnaround in the NCAA tournament and a dramatic victory. on seventh place Florida in the second round was also an unforgettable game and could be the basis for putting this program on the map.
Max Abmas is a star
As if graduating in biomedical chemistry was not stressful enough, try also to lead the country in goals at the same time. This is the life of Max Abmas, and he certainly does it well. The second year of 1.80m was already well known in the Summit League. Now he is known throughout college basketball.
Abmas and fellow star Kevin Obanor recorded their names in the tradition of the NCAA Tournament with heroic individual performances that spurred the ORU race. Obanor recorded three consecutive doubles, averaging 23.3 points at the NCAA Tournament. Abmas averaged 26.7 points during the race.
Paul Mills is on the map
Abmas and Obanor were not the only personalities at Oral Roberts to make their name. Coach Paul Mills is now also on national radar. He inherited a team of 8 victories after the 2016-17 season and took him to Sweet 16 in four years.
Since he spent 14 years on the Baylor team as an assistant, Mills has the right combination of success on his resume now to ensure a high-profile job appearance. Or, if Abmas and Obanor plan to stay, he can continue to be Oral Roberts and turn him into a medium-large power. Anyway, this tournament did wonders for his career.