The first Cinderella of the 2021 NCAA Tournament stamped her slipper.
Oral Roberts, with his modest record of 16-10 and 15th seed in the Southern Region, surprised the runner-up in Ohio by 75-72 in Friday’s overtime in West Lafayette, Indiana.
It was Oral Roberts’ first victory in the NCAA Tournament since 1974 and the sixth consecutive victory this season. They are the ninth seed No. 15 to beat a seed No. 2.
The Golden Eagles’ shock sends them into Sunday’s second round against Florida, which defeated Virginia Tech earlier in the day.
Oral Roberts was led by Kevin Obanor’s 30 points, 20 of which occurred in the second half, and 11 rebounds. Max Abmas scored 29 points for the Golden Eagles.
Ohio State was led by EJ Liddell’s 23 points and 12 rebounds. Liddell sent the game into overtime with a 3-point basket before the regulation bell. Duane Washington scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds.
The state of Ohio was victimized by bad free-throw shots, making just 9 out of 18 in the game.