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Ohio State Basketball: What you need to know about Oral Roberts

By Coop Ledford

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 11: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes talks to his team during a time out in the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half in the second round game of the Big Ten men's basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 11, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 11: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes talks to his team during a time out in the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half in the second round game of the Big Ten men's basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 11, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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The two-seeded Ohio State basketball team will take on the 15th-seeded Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in the Round of 64 on Friday. Here is some more information on the Bucks’ opening opponent.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma sits a small university of about 4000 students called Oral Roberts University, named after a religious figure, who was also the school’s founder. Oral Roberts has a basketball team, and they’re headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008.

ORU finished the regular season as the fourth-best team in the Summit League but won their conference tournament to secure an automatic bid to the big dance. The Golden Eagles are 16-10 and have the best scorer in college basketball.

Sophomore Max Abmas leads all of division one basketball in points per game, averaging 24.2, half a point more than Iowa’s Luka Garza. The day-to-day conference competition was not exactly fierce for the Golden Eagles, so points were easier to come by, but Abmas’ season thus far is nothing to ignore.

ORU faced five NCAA Tournament teams during the regular season, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, and Wichita State. While the Golden Eagles did not win any of those games, they kept it within five with Oklahoma State and Wichita State. Over those five games, ORU lost by an average of 12.4 points.

Forward Kevin Obanor compliments Abmas with some great interior play. The junior averages 18.2 points per game along with 9.5 boards per game. He also shoots over 50% from the floor, so keep an eye out for #0.

The Golden Eagles offense is eye-catching, especially their love for the three-ball. Only eight teams in the country have attempted more three-pointers than Oral Roberts, as they average 29 threes per game. Overall, the Eagles make 38.9% of their three-pointers, good for ninth-most in the country.

So we know about Oral Roberts and their impressive offense, what about their defense? Well, it’s horrid. ORU allows 75.8 points per game, which ranks 287th in college basketball. Ohio State’s offense isn’t incredible but should have its way on Friday, and scoring should come at ease for the Buckeyes.

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The Ohio State basketball team and Oral Roberts tip-off at 3 PM Eastern on Friday from Indianapolis, Indiana. The game will be televised on CBS.

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