Oral Roberts shocks No. 2 seed Ohio State
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ohio State’s players were dancing around in the moments before tipoff against Oral Roberts, relaxed and full of swagger.
The Buckeyes aren’t dancing anymore. The 15th-seeded Golden Eagles pulled off the first major upset of the first NCAA Tournament in two years, holding off second-seeded Ohio State 75-72 in overtime on Friday.
“When they rank them, it was only just a number at the end of the day,” said Kevin Obanor, who led Oral Roberts with 30 points and 11 rebounds. “We put our shoes on just as the other team puts their shoes on. We just had the mindset of, ‘Show us that you deserve to be No. 2,’ and we came out with a lot of confidence.”
Oral Roberts got poised, impeccable performances from its two stars, Obanor and guard Max Abmas, to become the ninth 15 seed to win a first-round game and the first since Middle Tennessee shocked Michigan State in 2016. Last year’s tournament was called off because of the pandemic.
Obanor scored seven of Oral Roberts’ 11 points in overtime, including two free throws with 13 seconds left. Abmas, the nation’s leading scorer, had 29 points.
“Their two players that obviously concerned us were terrific, so give them, their coaches, their players, their program, their university a lot of credit for this win,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. “We had no illusions that this was going to be by any stretch anything other
than a really challenging game, and it obviously was that from the very jump.”
Ohio State could have tied it in the closing seconds of overtime, but Duane Washington Jr.’s open 3-pointer from straight away bounced off the side of the rim, and Oral Roberts celebrated its first tournament win since 1974.
The Golden Eagles (1710) will play seventh-seeded Florida in the South Region on Sunday.
E.J. Liddell had 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Buckeyes (21-10).
NO. 3 ARKANSAS 85 NO. 14 COLGATE 68
Justin Smith had 29 points and 13 rebounds, and the Razorbacks shut down high-scoring Raiders to open the NCAA Tournament with a win at Indianapolis.
The 14th-seeded Raiders (14-2) had upset pickers out of their seats early in the South Region opener with a slew of 3-pointers and a 16-2 run to go up 14. The third-seeded Razorbacks (23-6) restored some bracket order with a 19-0 run spanning halftime and scored 10 straight points
late to pull away.
Arkansas advances to play Texas Tech on Sunday.
NO. 1 ILLINOIS 78, NO. 16 DREXEL 49
Kofi Cockburn muscled his way to 18 points and the Illini cruised past the Dragons at Indianapolis.
Illinois (23-6) will face eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago in the second round of the Midwest Regional on Sunday.
Maybe that will be more of a test for the Big Ten champions. Drexel (12-8) never really had chance at containing the 7-foot, 285-pound Cockburn, who was 8 for 11 from the field.
“I thought it was a matter-of-fact game,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said.
The Dragons closed the season with four straight victories, including three during a surprising run through the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, to earn a bid to the NCAAS for the first time since 1996. They managed to stay competitive for about seven minutes, taking an 8-7 lead.
NO. 7 FLORIDA 75 NO. 10 VA. TECH 70 (OT)
Colin Castleton scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Tre Mann hit a step-back 3-pointer with 23 seconds left in overtime and the Gators held off the Hokies at Indianapolis.
Castleton, a transfer from Michigan, was dominant on the inside and Mann showed up with a pair of key 3-pointers late to send the Gators (15-9) into the second round to face Oral Roberts.
Alleyne led Virginia Tech (15-7) with 30 points.
NO. 12 OREGON ST. 70 NO. 5 TENNESSEE 56
Roman Silva scored 16 points and the Beavers took advantage of Tennessee’s icy perimeter shooting to beat the Volunteers at Indianapolis.
Oregon State (18-12) became the first Pac-10/12 school to win the conference tournament after being picked to finish last. The Beavers are the 51st 12th-seed to take down a fifth-seed since the NCAA Tournament bracket expanded in 1985.
The 7-foot-1 Silva bulled his way through the Vols for an 8-for-8 night after struggling in the Pac-12 Tournament. Oregon State hit seven 3s in the second half to win their first NCAA Tournament game since 1982.
Oregon State moves on to face the winner between Oklahoma State and Liberty on Sunday.
NO. 8 LOYOLA CHICAGO 71 NO. 9 GEORGIA TECH 60
Lucas Williamson scored 21 points in a dynamic performance by the defensive whiz and the Ramblers won at Indianapolis.
The surprise national semifinalist in 2018, the Ramblers (25-4) were relegated to the NIT the following year and missed out on the tournament — along with everyone else — when it was canceled due to COVID-19 last season.
They wasted no time getting back to their winning ways and now get No. 1 seed Illinois on Sunday.
After trailing 43-40 midway through the second half, Loyola heated up from beyond the arc and clamped down on defense, forcing Georgia Tech (17-9) into a series of missed shots and turnovers during the final five minutes.
Buddy Norris also had 16 points for the Ramblers, who went 11 of 27 from beyond the arc.
Jordan Usher scored 15 points, Michael Devoe had 14 and Jose Alvarado 13 for the Yellow Jackets, who were without ACC player of the year Moses Wright after the big man tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week.