Oral Roberts vs Florida Odds and Picks
- The No. 7 seed Florida Gators take on the No. 15 seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in a South Region Round of 32 matchup
- Florida knocked off No. 10 seed Virginia Tech in Indy, while Oral Roberts stunned No. 2 Ohio State to advance
- Read below for odds, analysis, and our best bet for this matchup
The No. 7 seed Florida Gators (15-9, 9-7 SEC), who lost three of four games entering the NCAA Tournament, take on a Cinderella-in-the-making in the No. 15 seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (17-10, 10-5 Summit) in a South Region Round of 32 matchup Sunday, March 21, in Indianapolis. Tipoff time is still TBD.
The Gators held off the relentless Hokies 75-70 in overtime to advance out of the the first round for the eighth straight time, while the Golden Eagles became just the ninth No. 15 seed to advance to the Round of 32 since the field expanded in 1985 by knocking out the Buckeyes 75-72 in OT.
Now, Mike White’s club is heavily favored to advance to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2017.
Oral Roberts vs Florida Odds
| Team | Spread at FanDuel | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Roberts | +8 (-110) | +300 | O 148 (-113) |
| Florida | -8 (-110) | -385 | U 148 (-107) |
Odds as of March 19.
Bracket Buster
Oral Roberts star Max Abmas is the nation’s leading scorer at 24.7 points per game. The sophomore guard had himself quite a game to help shock Ohio State, scoring 29 points — including 18 in the first half. He had a little help along the way as junior forward Kevin Obanor scored a game-high 30 points and snagged 11 rebounds.
The nation's leading scorer put on a SHOW!
Take a bow, Max Abmas. 👏 @ORUMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/oH8FRdiSVG
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2021
The Eagles led by six at the half and never looked intimidated against the Big Ten power. After all, Paul Mills club is a team that boasts a pair of NBA hopefuls in its starting five, lost by only five to Big 12 Tournament runner-up Oklahoma State in Stillwater and led Arkansas at halftime in late December before eventually falling to the Razorbacks 87-76.
Can they sustain the run and join Florida Gulf Coast as the only 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16?
If Oral Roberts continues to do what it does best — make free throws and not turn the ball over — why not? The program leads the nation in made shots from the charity stripe, going 82.4% as a team entering the game from the line. The Eagles went 14-of-18 Friday, dropping them to 82.2% — but they’re still the best.
Meantime, Ohio State outrebounded Oral Roberts 49-32, but the Golden Eagles balanced that out by committing six turnovers to the Buckeyes’ 16. If the Summit League squad — that ranks 13th in the country in offensive turnover percentage at 15.4% — put up similar numbers Sunday, watch out Gators.
King of the Castleton
UF’s leading scorer Tre Mann hit a dagger three-pointer late in the extra period to help the seal the deal against Va Tech, but it was Michigan transfer Colin Castleton who truly impressed.
Huge block from Florida with a minute left
Colin Castleton was FIRED UP 🗣 pic.twitter.com/H4xtwgflDQ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 19, 2021
The junior forward finished with a double-double (a team-high 19 points and 14 rebounds), but it was his three blocks that provided an exclamation point for White’s group. Castleton joined a fairly elite Big Dance club with his effort.
Players over the past 25 years with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks & 2 assists in an NCAA Tournament game:
-Colin Castleton
-Zion Williamson
-JaJuan Johnson
-Kevin Love
-Nick Collison (3x)
-Tim Duncan
-Paul PierceI mean…
— Denver Parler (@denverparler) March 19, 2021
Not having Keyontae Johnson on the floor is one thing. The Gators have fought through not having the preseason SEC Player of the Year admirably for the better part of the season after his scary collapse in December. But they can’t continue to turn the ball over 18 times and expect to make a deep tourney run — especially after not having the services of Omar Payne (who was benched by White) and Tyree Appleby (who left midway through the second half after an inadvertent elbow opened a gash on his forehead) – not matter what Castleton does against the Buckeyes.
If the self-inflicted wounds continue, Sunday could be the final game of the season for Florida.
The Matchup
The one definitely has the makings of another upset. Castleton makes for an imposing presence inside for Florida. But the uncertain status of two Gators has me leaning toward another Golden Eagles bracket buster.
Will be very interesting to see if Tyree Appleby (forehead laceration) and/or Omar Payne (suspended) play for @GatorsMBK against @ORUMBB in second round. This should be an intriguing pick.
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) March 19, 2021
As noted above, Mills’ team is battle-tested and hot, winning its last six contests. That’s a dangerous combination — especially when you have Abmas and Obanor on your side.
“We want to win more. We didn’t come out here to win one game.”
Max Abmas joined @TheAndyKatz after 15-seed @ORUMBB upset Ohio State! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/dq8pKW6FiG
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2021
Abmas told Katz the Golden Eagles aren’t done and I believe him. The underdog seems like the right play in this spot.
The pick: Oral Roberts +8 (-110)
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
