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When Oral Roberts took down Ohio State in the first round on Friday afternoon, it was the first of a number of top Big Ten teams falling in the first weekend of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and facing Tre Mann and the Gators in the second round, few expected them to back it up with another upset.
It was a close game throughout, but one Florida appeared to have within their grasp, leading by five at the half and six with six minutes to play in the game, but the Gators could never make a run to put Oral Roberts in their rearview mirror. Instead, it was the Golden Eagles that looked like the composed team down the stretch in pressure situations, as Max Abmas once again steered the ship as a facilitator, with Carlos Jurgens and Kevin Obanor hitting big shots late as they outscored the Gators 16-7 in the final six minutes to emerge with an 83-80 win.
ORAL ROBERTS TAKES THE LEAD
Less than 3 minutes to play on truTV pic.twitter.com/bmmCFyj6wL
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) March 22, 2021
Obanor led all scorers with 28 points, including that bucket to take the lead late, to go along with 11 rebounds and four steals, as the Golden Eagles hounded the Gators offense all night. Florida shot well, but turned the ball over 20 times in the game, which is a recipe for disaster. Abmas had 26 points and seven assists as he continues to be sensational for ORU, and Jurgens hit timely threes late when the Eagles needed them.
In the end, Florida had two shots at forcing OT late, but after the first missed, the second was a desperation heave that never had much of a chance and the stunning run for the Golden Eagles continues.
ORAL ROBERTS IS HEADED TO THE #Sweet16 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1974 ⁰⁰@ORUMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/FRHoRROJv2
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 22, 2021
It’s the second time a 15-seed has made it to the Sweet 16, as ORU joins Florida Gulf Coast in such a feat, and awaiting them in the Sweet 16 is a high-scoring Arkansas team coming off a thriller of their own with Texas Tech.
