BASKETBALL

Scouting Gators' NCAA tournament opponent: Oral Roberts

Special to Gatorsports.com
Oral Roberts players celebrate after beating Ohio State in a first-round game Friday of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.

Oral Roberts

Next: Vs. Florida (15-9) in second round of NCAA tournament South Region at Indiana Farmers Coliseum, 7:45 p.m. Sunday on truTV.

Location: Tulsa, Okla. Record: 17-10 after first round upset of two-seeded Ohio State in overtime Friday, 75-72

Nickname: Golden Eagles. Coach: Paul Mills.

Conference: Summit League. Bid: Automatic.

Region: South. Seed: No. 15.

Tournament history: 3-5 in 6 appearances.

Last appearance: 2008, lost to Pittsburgh in the First Round.

Season Stats

Team Scoring: 81.8 points per game; 45.4 fg pct; 39.0 3-pt pct; 82.4 ft pct.

Top Scorers: Max Abrams 24.2; Kevin Obanor 18.2; RJ Glasper 11.0.

Rebounds: Obanor 9.5; Kareem Thompson 3.7; Avg team margin (minus-3.8).

Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.10): Abrams (3.8/2.2), 94 assists.

Last 11 Games: 8-3

Best Win in Regular Season: 90-88 vs. S. Dakota St. on Mar. 8.

Worst Loss: 71-72 at home to North Dakota on Jan. 8.

The Skinny: The key to the upstart Summit League champions is in the pocket of 6-foot-1 sophomore point guard Max Abmas. Since his career-high 42-point effort on Feb. 13, ORU is 6-2 and winners of five straight, including a 90-88 upset of league top seed South Dakota State in the tournament semis. ORU, however, has the ability to spread the ball. While posting a 10-7 (.588) record with Abmas as their leading scorer the Golden Eagles are 6-3 (.667) when he's not.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Opinion:Gators continue to show resolve in OT win in NCAA tournament