Two days after a stunning win over 2-seed Ohio State, Oral Roberts has done it again. The Golden Eagles defeated 7-seeded Florida 81-78 in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday, advancing the Sweet 16 in the process.
The win not only led to a win for the second March Madness event since 1974, but for the second time, a 15 seed advance to the second weekend of the game. The first time was in 2013, when Florida Gulf Coast’s “Dunk City” stormed March Madness with a series of earth-shaking and a pair of wins.
Given the historical rarity of the achievements of Oral Roberts and FGCU, it is only natural to face comparisons of the two teams. Here’s how Oral Roberts stacks up that high-flying Eagles team, which includes opponents, winning odds, key players, and more.
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History of 15 seeds in sweet 16
As stated, in 2021 Oral Roberts became only the second 15 seed to advance to Round 2 of the NCAA tournament. His predecessor, the Florida Gulf Coast 2013 team, was the first to achieve the feat. The Eagles faced 3-seed Florida in the 2013 Sweet 16, losing the Gators 62–50 and ending their Cinderella run.
Curiously, Oral Roberts faces his own SEC rival in 3-seeded Arkansas. Will the Golden Eagles venture into new territory for 15 seeds, or will the Golden Eagles suffer the same loss as FGCU?
Oral Roberts, FGCU’s Sweet 16 run
Opponents
Florida Gulf Coast: 2-seed Georgetown, 7-seed San Diego State, 3-seed Florida
The Eagles, winners of the 2013 Atlantic Sun Tournament, 2-seed Georgetown – a big bid – in the first round of March Madness. FGCU slammed John Thompson III’s Hoys, defeating them 78–68 for a double-digit victory. Two days later, the Eagles scored again with another 10-point win over 7-seed San Diego State, a big one out of the Midwest. The Florida Gulf Coast’s dream season in the Sweet-16 ended with a 3-seed loss.
Verbal Roberts: 2-seed Ohio State, 7-seed Florida, 3-seed Arkansas
The Golden Eagles, who earned their tournament berth by beating North Dakota in the finals of the 2021 Summit League tournament, made their first bid since 2008. Oral Roberts gave Ohio State, the sixth overall seed in the tournament and the Big Ten runner up, for their trouble. . But the Golden Eagles hit the Buckeyes hard throughout the game, eventually pulling away with a 75–72 victory in overtime. The Golden Eagles faced a similarly tough challenge against Florida in Round 2, which needed to come from behind to win by an 11 point deficit in the final 9:43 and win 81–78.
Margin of victory
Florida Gulf Coast: 10 points per game
Verbal Roberts: Three points per game
key players
Statistics reflect NCAA tournament numbers
Florida Gulf Coast
- Sherwood Brown: 18.3 PPS, 7.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, .559 Field Target Percentage
- Bernard Thompson: 10 ppg, 5.3 Rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.7 bpg, .542 field goal percentage
- Brett Comer: 8.7 ppg, 10.3 apg, 4.0 rpg,
- Chase Fielder: 17.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 2.0 spg
The main man in charge was senior guard Sherwood Brown, the 2012–13 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year who began his career as a walk-on at FGCU. Sophomore guard Bernard Thompson and junior Chase Feiler also scored double-digits for the tournament, while sophomore guard Brett Komar was the only player to have more than 10 assists per game.
Oral roberts
- Max Abs: 27.5 ppg, 3.5 RPG, 5.0 apg, .421 field goal percentage, .411 3-point percentage
- Kevin Obnor: 29.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, .486 field goal percentage
Sophomore guard Max Abamas could make headlines for his incredible game – he led all Division I players in points per game in the tournament – but junior forward Kevin Obner was equally impressive in the early going. Both players averaged around 30 points per game, while Obner averaged a double double with 11 rebounds in each of his first two games.
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