Max Abmas, 15-Seed Oral Roberts Stun 2-Seed Ohio State for NCAA Tournament Upset
March 19, 2021
The first upset of this year's NCAA men's tournament is in the books after No. 15 Oral Roberts knocked out No. 2 Ohio State with a 75-72 overtime victory in first-round play Friday.
The Buckeyes looked like they would hold on for the win with a 64-60 advantage with 2:34 left to play, but Kevin Obanor sank four straight from the free-throw line to force overtime. In the extra period, a pair of free throws from the junior with 13 seconds left sealed the win.
This marks the first upset for a No. 15 seed over a No. 2 seed since 2016, when Middle Tennessee led Michigan State for the entirety of a 90-81 victory. In 2019, No. 15 Colgate had a near-upset against No. 2 Tennessee but fell 77-70.
It is also the first victory for Oral Roberts in the NCAA tournament since 1974, when the Golden Eagles reached the Elite Eight.
Obanor ended the day with a game-high 30 points, hitting nine of his 21 attempts from the field and going a perfect 7-of-7 from the line.
His teammate, Max Abmas, who leads the nation in points per game, dropped 29 points, hitting 10-of-24 from the field while going an impressive 50 percent (5-of-10) from deep for the Golden Eagles, who are now 17-10.
E.J. Liddell posted a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Buckeyes, who bowed out with a final record of 21-10.
Both teams were neck-and-neck throughout the afternoon, with the Buckeyes never leading by more than eight and Oral Roberts once holding a seven-point lead. The difference came down to the free-throw line, where the Ohio State only hit nine of its 18 attempts compared to 14-of-18 for Oral Roberts.
Ohio State had vital misses from the line at the wire, and Duane Washington Jr. struggled offensively down the stretch. After making a jumper with 3:15 remaining in regulation, Washington missed three two-point attempts, three shots from beyond the arc and a pair of free throws, scoring just three more points on a jump shot and a free throw in overtime.
Oral Roberts is now moving on to face the No. 7-seeded Florida Gators, which defeated No. 10 Virginia Tech in first-round play Friday.
Ohio State will look ahead to next season, when 4-star recruit Malaki Branham and 3-star power forward Kalen Etzler will join a group that could lose Liddell to the 2021 NBA draft.