Busting Brackets
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Oral Roberts Basketballs looks to keep the dream run alive against Arkansas

By Tristan Freeman

Mar 21, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles celebrate defeating the Florida Gators at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles celebrate defeating the Florida Gators at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sheldon Stevens, Kareem Thompson, Jamie Bergens Oral Roberts Basketball Arkansas Razorbacks (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Sheldon Stevens, Kareem Thompson, Jamie Bergens Oral Roberts Basketball Arkansas Razorbacks (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

When looking at double-digit seeds who can make the Final Four, there were several different teams observers thought had a chance. Turns out there were four, including big names such as Syracuse and UCLA, along with one of the hottest teams in the country in Oregon State.

The fourth turned out to be a major surprise in a tournament filled with them. Oral Roberts Basketball came into the NCAA Tournament as a 15 seed, representing the Summit League. The Eagles were fourth in the regular-season and barely won the conference tournament, beating South Dakota State and North Dakota State by a combined five points to even get to this point.

But even as a heavy underdog, Oral Roberts has a pair of star players capable of leveling the playing field. They have the nation’s leading scorer in Max Abmas (24.6 ppg), as well as junior forward and two-time all-league player Kevin Obanor (19.0 ppg and 9.6 rpg).

Abmas and Obanor have become the dynamic star duo of the NCAA Tournament, combining for 59 points in the upset win over 2 seed Ohio State, and 55 points in the last-second victory over 7 seed Florida, joining Florida Gulf Coast in 2013 as the second-ever 15 seed to make the Sweet 16.

The next opponent for Oral Roberts is 3 seed Arkansas, who defeated the Eagles by 11 points in the regular season. Both teams have looked vastly different since and with the game on a neutral court in the Indianapolis area, round two could very well turn out different.

Here are my biggest keys to the big underdogs making history as the first-ever 15 seed to make the Elite 8.