INDIANAPOLIS – Paul Mills celebrated laundry day.
After spending more than a week at the NCAA Tournament, Mills and his Oral Roberts team are not leaving town. The Golden Eagles are on their way to the Sweet 16, joining the Florida Gulf Coast team in 2013 as the only fifteen in the tournament’s history to reach the round of 16.
Everywhere Roberts erased an 11-point deficit in the second half to beat seventh-placed Florida at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum 81-78. The Eagles, who on Friday won their first NCAA Tournament game since 1974 through a staggering Ohio State No. 2 series, advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the same year, when they were named the Titans and the tournament contains only 25 teams. .
“I’m glad we’re given the chance to do laundry,” Mills said in a video call with reporters. “We were here last Saturday. We’re leaving [Monday]. Tomorrow will be a good day because I have no more clothes. ‘
His team did not lose a chance after beating Florida 13-4 over the last 4:34. Star tandem Kevin Obanor and Max Abmas fired on Oral Roberts. They combined 54 points and both played 40 minutes, but DeShang Weaver, sophomore, improved the Golden Eagles for a good triangle by 2:09 to play. Florida had two chances to equalize in the final seconds, but three-point attempts by Tre Mann and Scottie Lewis missed.
“DJ Weaver was great,” Mills said. ‘We knew they were playing 1-3-1 [zone], so we put DJ there. I just said to DJ, ‘DJ, you’re going to have a chance to win this, or set us up. I need you to put down these 3. ‘
“That kid is not scared. Loves DJ Weaver. He’s super resilient, he cares about a team.”
Everywhere Roberts progresses in the Southern region to face the 3rd seeded Arkansas. The teams met Dec. 20 in Fayetteville; the Razorbacks win 87-76 and hold Abmas only 11 points.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Oral Roberts is the third Summit League team to reach the Sweet 16, and the first since 1998, when Valparaiso lost to Rhode Island 74-68. Everywhere Roberts has lost four consecutive seasons, until he won 17 games in each of the last two campaigns under Mills.
‘I was not aware that 1974 was the last [NCAA tournament] win, “Mills said.” Honestly, I said to the guys all year, ‘We’re not only going to win the conference tournament, but we’re also going to win several games in the NCAA. We talk about – and a lot of coaches do – winning in March in November: ‘These are the things that need to happen to win in March.’
Mills is excited about the additional attention the university will receive this week, but thinks he can help the NCAA bubble focus his team as it goes on an even bigger stage.
“If you’ve seen the EJ Liddell tweet, these things are so apparent,” Mills said. “If you can be blown up by praise, you can be ruined by criticism. I really tried to warn our guys that it’s important that they get attention, that they are recognized for what they do, but if they have real problems, there is none of these people in the area.You need to recognize it for what it is, and you also need to understand fandom if it does not go your way.The controlled environment, as the NCAA put it, is tremendous We can get away from some of that fanfare coming your way and people pulling you in a number of different directions.
“So it helps 100 percent.”
Florida led 42-37 at halftime, shooting 55% from the field and four players scoring 14 points or more. But the Gators committed 20 turnovers to just 12 for Oral Roberts. Obanor follows a 30-point performance against the state of Ohio by scoring 20 in the second half against Florida.
“I’m very grateful, even with this crazy year of COVID, nothing was promised,” the junior forward said. “The fact that we even have March Madness and won a few games, we’re just very grateful, very humble, very honored. Florida was a great team. The last time we won a game in the NCAA Tournament , was 1974 and now we are in the Sweet 16.
“It’s really just thoughts.”