Buckeyes brace for nation’s leading scorer
Paul Mills can remember the AAU event, the date and the exact way in which the pick-and-roll was executed that led him to Max Abmas.
It was early in what is now his fouryear tenure as the Oral Roberts coach, and he was watching a player who stood about 6 feet tall weighing maybe a little more than 100 pounds. From there, Mills was hooked, especially once he got to know the kid.
Now, Abmas will lead Mills’ Golden Eagles into Mackey Arena on Friday for a shot at No. 2 seed Ohio State. Oral Roberts earned a No. 15 seed after winning the Summit League, and it brings a 16-10 record thanks in large part to the nation’s leading scorer. That would be Abmas, who scored 24.2 points per game and now is listed at 6-1, 165 pounds.
“I remember being with one of our other coaches and I said, ‘That dude right there is gonna be really good,’ ” Mills said this week. “You have to be able to have the intangibles before you’re ever going to become a player and Max had checked every single box that there was.”
A native of Rockwall, Texas, Abmas landed scholarship offers from Air Force, Army, Navy and Marist before committing to Oral Roberts. He does not appear in the 247Sports.com rankings, but you wouldn’t know that from watching his highlights. A prolific scorer,
Abmas is likely to pull up from a dribble or two just inside half-court — something Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann and his players have taken note of.
In discussing influences on his game, Abmas unsurprisingly cited Steph Curry and Damian Lillard, but he’s more than just a shooter. During the threegame run to a tournament championship, Abmas was only 2 for 17 from three
but in one game dished out 10 assists.
“I want to be the best version of myself,” he said. “I watch a lot of NBA, guys like Damian Lillard, Steph Curry. Those are guys that I watched to see how to get their teammates involved, how they create their own shot … and add that to improve my game.”
Ohio State junior Musa Jallow, one of the Buckeyes’ best defenders and a player who could draw this defensive assignment, said he’s been watching film to try to get Abmas’ movement patterns down and grow more familiar with where he likes to shoot.
The Buckeyes have used freshman Meechie Johnson Jr. to simulate Abmas in practice this week.
“You just have to have great attention on him the whole game,” Jallow said of Abmas. “He can shoot it wherever and he will shoot it whenever and wherever. It doesn’t matter. The confidence is there.”
The Golden Eagles aren’t just a oneman show, though. As a team, they shoot 38.8% from three-point range, the 11th-best mark in the nation. Abmas shoots 43.2% from deep (86 for 199), but two other teammates shoot better than 43% as well including 6-8, 225-pound junior center Kevin Obanor, who is 43 for 94 (45.7%) from deep. It’s maybe not much of a surprise: when players arrive at Oral Roberts, they are required to make 20,000 shots during their first six weeks.
They’re not blessed with great size, ranking 195th nationally in average height, but the Golden Eagles don’t lack for confidence.
“I put my shoes on just like they put their shoes on,” Obanor said. “If you’re good, you’ve got to show. They’re a very physical team. They spread the court a lot. They have great pieces, but I don’t fear nobody but God. I’m not scared in that aspect.” ajardy@dispatch.com @Adamjardy
12:15 p.m. — No. 10 Virginia Tech vs. No. 7 Florida, CBS
Virginia Tech (15-6) has impressive wins over Villanova, Clemson and Duke. Junior forward Keve Aluma is a do-it-all threat, leading the Hokies with 15.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Florida sophomore guard Tre Mann leads the Gators (14-9) with 16.0 points and 3.4 assists per game.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Florida -1, O/U: 135.5
12:45 p.m. — No. 14 Colgate vs. No. 3 Arkansas, trutv
Colgate (14-1) has the look of a potential Cinderella. The Raiders play at the 10th-fastest pace among tournament teams with 72.2 possessions per 40 minutes.
Freshman guard Moses Moody (17.4 ppg) leads an athletic group of Razorbacks (22-6).
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Arkansas -8.5, O/U 161.5
1:15 p.m. — No. 16 Drexel vs. No. 1 Illinois, TBS
Drexel has won four games in a row, including a 63-56 win over Elon in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament final. The bid is the Dragons’ first in 25 years.
Illinois junior Ayo Dosunmu is one of best players in the country, having won the USA TODAY National Player of the Year award.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Illinois -22.5, O/U: 143.5
1:45 p.m. — No. 11 Utah State vs. No. 6 Texas Tech, TNT
This game will be a battle of old school big men between Utah State’s Neemias Queta and Texas Tech’s Marcus Santos-silva face off.
Queta is a hulking 7-foot, 245-pound center. He does all his work in paint averaging 15.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Brock Miller is the Aggies (20-8) best 3-pointer shooter.
Santos-silva does the dirty work down low for the Red Raiders (17-10.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Texas Tech -4, O/U 131.5
3 p.m. — No. 15 Oral Roberts vs. No. 2 Ohio State, CBS
Ohio State (21-9) has an impressive resume with wins against tournament teams Cleveland State, UCLA, Rutgers (twice), Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan.
Junior guard Duane Washington Jr., (16.3 ppg) and sophomore forward E.J. Liddell (15.9 ppg, 6.4 rebounds) form a dynamic inside-out combination.
Oral Roberts (16-10) is peaking at the right time winning five in a row and seven of its past nine games.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Ohio State -15.5, O/U 156.5
3:30 p.m. — No. 16 Hartford vs. No. 1 Baylor, trutv
Big 12 Player of the Year Jared Butler (17.1 ppg) leads Baylor (22-2). Junior Davion Mitchell (14.1 ppg) and senior Macio Teague (16.2) form a formidable three-guard lineup.
Hartford (15-8) enters the big dance on a five-game winning streak.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Baylor -25, O/U 140.5
4 p.m. — No. 9 Georgia Tech vs. No. 8 Loyola-chicago, TBS
Georgia Tech will be shorthanded with star Moses Wright out for the first round due to COVID-19 issues. Wright leads the Yellow Jackets in points (17.4) rebounds (8.0) and blocks (1.6).
Without Wright, expect Loyola big man Cameron Krutwig (15.0 ppg, 6.7 rebounds) to do damage down low.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Loyola Chicago -6, O/U 124.5
4:30 p.m. — No. 12 Oregon State vs. No. 5 Tennessee, TNT
Oregon State (17-12) earned three wins in three days, punching its ticket to the big dance by winning the Pac-12 tournament championship. Ethan Thompson leads the Beavers, scoring 15.3 points per game.
The Volunteers have three players scoring in double digits and record an assist on 59.2% of their possessions.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Tennessee -8.5, O/U 130.5
6:25 p.m — No. 13 Liberty vs. No. 4 Oklahoma State, TBS
Liberty is another sneaky Cinderella team because of its strong shooting. The Flames let it fly with a tournamentleading 47% of their shots coming from 3. Their 60% true shooting percentages ranks second in the tournament.
Oklahoma State is led by freshman phenom Cade Cunningham. The potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft averages 20.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Oklahoma State -7.5, O/U 139.5
7:10 p.m. — No. 9 Wisconsin vs. No. 8 North Carolina, CBS
Wisconsin will look to slow it down and grind it out against North Carolina. They have a 40.8% 3-point attempt rate, 14th-highest among NCAA teams.
The Tar Heels have the a significant size advantage over the Badgers. Armando Bacot, Garrison Brooks and Day’ron Sharpe are 6-10 or taller.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): North Carolina -1, O/U 137.5
7:15 p.m. — No. 15 Cleveland State vs. No. 2 Houston, trutv
Houston(24-3) hasn’t lost in over a month and blew out Cincinnati 91-54 in the AAC championship game. Quentin Grimes (18 ppg) leads Houston.
Cleveland State (19-7) is no stranger to the magic moment. Big man Al Eichelberger kept the season alive with a miracle heave during the first round of the Horizon League tournament.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Houston -20, O/U 134.5
7:25 p.m. — No. 13 North Texas vs. No 4 Purdue, TNT
Eric Hunter Jr. and Sasha Stefanovic have gained experience since the Boilermakers’ Elite Eight run in 2019.
Center Trevion Williams can be dominant at times.
The Mean Green are battle tested, pulling out three close games during their Conference USA tourney title run.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Purdue -7.5, O/U 126.5
9:20 p.m. — No. 10 Rutgers vs. No. 7 Clemson, TBS
Do-it-all guard Ron Harper Jr. (15.4 ppg, 5.9 rebounds) and sweet-shooting senior guard Jacob Young complement each other well for Rutgers (15-11).
Clemson’s resume is filled with wins over tourney teams (Purdue, Maryland, Alabama, Morehead State, Florida State, North Carolina, Syracuse and Georgia Tech).
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Rutgers -1.5, O/U 125.5
9:40 p.m. — No. 11 Syracuse vs. No. 6 San Diego State, CBS
Buddy Boeheim leads a Syracuse squad that’s inconsistent at times but capable of hanging with anyone when it’s firing on all cylinders. Boeheim has come on strong of late averaging 27.7 points his past four games.
San Diego State has won 14 games in a row. Senior forward Matt Mitchell (15.4 ppg, 5.5 rebounds) and senior guard Jordan Schakel (14.3 ppg, 4.4 rebounds) lead the Aztec offense.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): San Diego State -3, O/U 138.5
9:50 p.m. — No. 14 Morehead State vs. No. 3 West Virginia, trutv
Morehead State (23-7) freshman forward Johni Broome is a matchup nightmare and leads the Eagles with 13.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
West Virginia’s (18-9) Miles Mcbride (15.4 ppg) and Taz Sherman (13.6 ppg) supply offense from the perimeter.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): West Virginia -13, O/U 137.5
9:57 p.m. — No. 12 Winthrop vs. No. 5 Villanova, TNT
Villanova (16-6) suffered a heartbreaking loss when its best player Collin Gillespie torn his MCL two weeks ago against Creighton. Jeremiah Robinsonearl (15.7 ppg, 8.3 rebounds) will need to step up in Gillespie’s absence.
Winthrop has an impressive 23-1 record, but the Eagles have beaten just one tourney team, Unc-greensboro.
Betting odds (via BETMGM): Villanova -6.5, O/U 142.5