Oral Roberts vs Ohio State Odds, Lines, and Spread
- Ohio State is a 16-point favorite against Oral Roberts on Friday in an NCAA Tournament South Region game at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, IN.
- Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas leads the nation in scoring at 24.2 points a game
- See the odds, analysis, and prediction for Oral Roberts-Ohio State
The highest-scoring player in college basketball will get the opportunity to shine on the sport’s biggest stage when #15 Oral Roberts faces #2 Ohio State in an NCAA Tournament South Region first round game at 3:00 pm Friday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, IN.
Oral Roberts sophomore guard Max Abmas leads Division I with an average of 24.2 points a game. He is a big reason why the Golden Eagles (16-10) are in the NCAAs for the first time since 2008 and riding a five-game winning streak.
Ohio State (21-9) is a heavy favorite as it looks to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to Illinois in last Sunday’s Big Ten Tournament championship game.
Oral Roberts vs Ohio State Odds
| Team | Moneyline at DraftKings/conversion] | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Roberts | +950 | +15.5 (-107) | Over 157 (-110) |
| Ohio State | -1667 | -15.5 (-113) | Under 157 (-109) |
Odds as of March 17th, 2021.
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The Abmas Show
Abmas is also averaging 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 48.4% on field goals, 43.3% from three-point range, and 89.9% on free throws.
Abmas accounts for 29.8% of Oral Roberts’ shots when he is on the floor. He is also an ironman, having played 95.1% of the Golden Eagles’ minutes.
@EmilianoNaiar8 suggested me to watch some Max Abmas games. I must say I’m not disappointed, the guy got range and is quick as hell pic.twitter.com/S7DpS6vo6U
— Leonardo (@LeoHope94) March 16, 2021
Despite having an off night shooting, Abmas led Oral Roberts to a 75-72 victory over North Dakota State in the Summit League Tournament championship game on March 9.
He finished with 23 points and seven rebounds. However, the Rockwall, Texas, native was just 7-of-17 from the field, including 1-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Abmas has twice exceeded 40 points this season: he dropped 42 on South Dakota State, which won the Summit League regular-season title, and 41 on Western Illinois. He also has seven games with 30-plus points and 17 games with 20-plus points.
Junior forward Francis Lacis made the defensive play of the game in the championship game, blocking Sam Griesel’s layup attempt with 2.2 seconds left to preserve Oral Roberts’ 73-72 lead.
Francis Lacis (@FrancisLacis) sends Oral Roberts to the Big Dance with a game winning block on Sam Greisel and punches their ticket despite a remarkable Rocky Kreuser (@RockyKreuser) performance. (Video via @andrewdieckhoff) pic.twitter.com/Tlt9IwRLHt
— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 10, 2021
Oral Roberts has a second dynamic scorer in junior forward Kevin Obanor, who is averaging 18.2 points and 9.5 rebounds. He had 21 points and nine rebounds in the title game.
Obanor is also an outstanding shooter with percentages of 50.3 from the field, 46.9 on threes, and 88.1 on foul shots. He scored a season-high 38 points against Omaha and has 10 games of at least 20 points.
Obanor’s put-back at the buzzer gave Oral Roberts a 92-90 victory over South Dakota State in the conference tourney semifinals.
Ohio State on Track
Ohio State lost its last four games of the regular season but regained its footing in the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes won three in a row, including knocking off regular-season champ Michigan.
Ohio State overcame an early 17-point deficit to push Illinois to overtime before eventually losing 91-88 in overtime in the title game.
Junior guard Duane Washington had a career-high 32 points against an Illinois team seeded #1 in the Midwest Region. He raised his season average to a team-best 16.3. Washington has scored at least 20 points ten times.
Junior forward Justice Sueing’s 22 points were a season high. He is averaging 10.9 points and 5.6 rebounds.
Senior guard CJ Walker, a 94.9% foul shooter, had 16 points and six assists, while sophomore forward EJ Liddell finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Liddell has season averages of 15.9 points and 6.4 rebounds.
Senior forward Kyle Young, averaging 8.6 points and 5.5 rebounds, is questionable for Friday after sitting out the last two games of the Big Ten Tournament with a concussion.
Kyle Young is off to a nice start. pic.twitter.com/5DBaXk9J1P
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) March 12, 2021
Young’s 133.8 offensive rating is ninth-best in the country, according to KenPom.com, and he has just 13 turnovers in 710 minutes.
Who Moves On?
The winner of this game will face either #7 Florida or #10 Virginia Tech in the second round Sunday.
Ohio State should get past Oral Roberts. However, Abmas and Obanor give the Golden Eagles at least a chance to pull a big upset if they have hot shooting days.
Pick: Oral Roberts +16 (-106)
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
