Oral Roberts couldn't have come much closer to becoming the first 15 seed to ever make the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
The Golden Eagles, who upset No. 2 seed Ohio State in the first round of the tournament and No. 7 seed Florida in the second round, led by as many as 12 points in the second half on Saturday night against No. 3 seed Arkansas in the Sweet 16. For much of the game, it looked as though Oral Roberts could be on its way to yet another upset.
Arkansas outscored Oral Roberts 38-24 in the final 15:11 of the game, but the Golden Eagles still had a chance to win on the game's final possession. National leading scorer Max Abmas got a solid look at a potential game-winning 3-point shot on the final possession, but his shot bounced off the rim, allowing Arkansas to escape with a 72-70 win.
WHAT A GAME @RazorbackMBB is back in the #Elite8 for the first time since 1995! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/PPDBjN28k3
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 28, 2021
Jalen Tate, the younger brother of former Ohio State star Jae'Sean Tate, played a crucial role in ending Oral Roberts' Cinderella run. The younger Tate, now playing for Arkansas as a graduate transfer after four seasons at Northern Kentucky, led the Razorbacks with 22 points and six assists against the Golden Eagles, including an assist on the game-winning basket by Arkansas' Davonte Davis with 3.1 seconds remaining.
ARKANSAS FOR THE LEAD! @RazorbackMBB #MarchMadness #Sweet16 pic.twitter.com/MZvExSyfAs
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 28, 2021
