The big praying hands have long been the beacon of the Oral Roberts campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They are made of bronze, weave 60 feet high and weigh 30 tons. They are known as the world’s greatest praying hands, which have long been an attraction for land travelers and those who delight in the obscure Americana.
The private Christian school now has another indelible identifier. With a victory over No. 7 in Florida in the NCAA men’s tournament Sunday, Oral Roberts selected just the second No. 15 to ever advance to the Sweet 16.
Led by the dynamic duel of junior forward Kevin Obanor and second guard Max Abmas, Oral Roberts stunned the college basketball establishment for the second consecutive game. On Friday, the Golden Eagles stunned No. 2 seed Ohio State to become the ninth team in NCAA history to place a No. 15 vs. No. 1 seed.
The private school was founded by television expert Oral Roberts, who wrote an appropriate memoir about his life and ministry: “Expect a Miracle.”
Sunday one arrived there. ORU has joined the Gulf Coast Florida in NCAA history. Back in 2013, the team remembered that Dunk City had beaten its way to victories over Georgetown and the state of San Diego. It threw lobsters into a clutch situation and played with a swing that made it America’s toast. Oral Roberts, who has not played an NCAA tournament since 1974, wiped out a double-digit deficit in the second half Sunday to survive the Gators 81-78.
“It’s really just a thought to wave,” Obanor said.
What is remarkable about Oral Roberts is the unobtrusive way he has scored two wins and done his business. In his opening statement after the victory, coach Paul Mills praised God and looked forward to having clean underwear.
“For me, I’m glad we’re given the chance to do laundry,” he said. “Tomorrow will be a good day, because I have no more clothes.”
Everywhere Roberts defeated Ohio State Friday by hitting shots, lowering his defenses and manipulating human nature’s pressure to force the Buckeyes to catch a cold and win overtime.
The Gators led Florida halfway through the second half on Sunday. Everywhere Roberts did not start as he hit five straight field goals in a three-minute hit, starting at the 5:02 mark of the second half. Neither was greater than a three-pointer from DeShang Weaver, who was 0-for-5 off the field before burying a three-pointer to give ORU the lead, 80-78, with 2:09 left.
“You have a chance to win it,” Mills recalled Weaver told Weaver before the shot. “I need you to flatten these three.”
Obanor, a 6-foot-8 junior from Houston, finished the game with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Abmas, the country’s leading scorer, scored 26 points. They performed with some classic narrative narratives over the past week – ignoring the seed, blocking praise and focusing on the upcoming opponent. “We do not allow our people to put a number at our school,” Obanor said. “That’s not what angry people do.”
After the upset of the Ohio State, Mills gave the team the bus ride back to the hotel to look at their phones and celebrate the victory. He promised them that the Sweet 16, just as good as the victory in the first round, would feel even better. He was pleased with the way they locked up Florida. When he entered the dressing room on Sunday night, he had a message: “I told you so!”
Nr. 3 Arkansas is a lead for Oral Roberts, which is a local game because Fayetteville is only two hours from Tulsa. The two programs played each other earlier in the season, with Arkansas winning 87-76 again in Fayetteville. Everywhere Roberts actually led by 12 points in that game, and Abmas hit just 4-of-11 shots off the field.
There is nothing extremely unique about what Oral Roberts does. There is no new-age scheme or magic factory. It’s a well-coached team – Mills comes from Scott Drew’s staff in Baylor – of under-represented over-the-top high-level players. The Golden Eagles are a paradigm of what modern basketball looks like. They play with five shooters, spread the floor and walk a sharp offense. Against Florida, they didn’t even shoot as well and hit 10-for-30 from 3.
Mills pulled off the tournament’s smartest coaching session by deliberately slandering Osayi Osifo, Florida, to steal a possession in the final minutes. Mills then admitted that he knew Osifo was just a 50% free-kick shooter and that ORU was struggling to get stopped. Osifo is forced to miss the front of a one-on-one with 3:11 left. Fifteen seconds later, Obanor gave ORU the lead and shifted momentum.
After the game, Mills said he did not think about the history that Oral Roberts is making. When he joined the NCAAs, he had no idea that the school had not won a game since 1974. While ORU’s outfit is a bit calmer than the Dunk City outfit from the Gulf Coast of Florida in 2013, the team met the moment at the same time.
“We play hard, play dirty and play dirty and live with the results,” Obanor said. “And whatever happens, happens.”
What is definitely going to happen is unprecedented attention. Florida Gulf Coast athletic director Ken Kavanaugh predicted ‘much more deserved attention’. He told Yahoo Sports what ORU is going to experience: ‘It should be extremely enjoyable. I hope they cross our platform that is now being shared. ”
For Oral Roberts, most of his national basketball fame revolved around the fact that Bill Himself was once his coach. Former NBA player Mark Acres or Haywoode Workman is the most famous player in the history of the school.
After a beautiful weekend in Indianapolis, Florida’s Gulf Coast Coast’s unprecedented performance, it now has company. Everywhere Roberts lives according to the founder’s mantra – miracles have become the expectation. “We’m capitulating to no one here,” Mills said.
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