Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
2021-2022 Overall Rank: #138
Conference Rank: #2 Summit
Oral Roberts made an epic NCAA Tournament run last season, beating Ohio State and Florida enroute to a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. The Golden Eagles managed to keep Coach Paul Mills, but it remains to be seen if stars Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor stay in Tulsa or head to the NBA. Either way, ORU is now set up to reap the benefits of their 2021 tournament run for years to come, but of course it would be very helpful for this season if the team still has Abmas and Obanor on the roster. Abmas led the team with 24.5 points, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals. He also hit 100 three-pointers. Obanor was the interior force, averaging 18.7 points and 9.6 rebounds, but he also knocked down an amazing 46.3 percent of his 121 attempts from beyond the arc.
2020-21 Record: 18-11, 10-5
2020-21 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Paul Mills
Coach Record: 57-66 at Oral Roberts, 57-65 overall
Key Departed Players:
RJ Glasper, Guard, 11.0 ppg
Justin Lovvorn, Guard, 5.1 ppg
D’Mauria Jones, Guard, 3.3 ppg
Sheldon Stevens, Guard, 3.0 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Max Abmas, Sophomore, Guard, 24.5 ppg
Kevin Obanor, Junior, Forward, 18.7 ppg
Kareem Thompson, Sophomore, Guard, 8.7 ppg
Francis, Lacis, Junior, Forward, 3.9 ppg
DeShang Weaver, Sophomore, Forward, 6.0 ppg
Calos Jurgens, Sophomore, Guard, 5.7 ppg
Nate Clover III, Freshman, Center, 1.6 ppg
Jamie Bergens, Freshman, Guard, 1.4 ppg
Ismael Piet, Freshman, Forward, 1.2 ppg
Key New Players:
Elijah Lufile, Junior, Forward/Center, JC Transfer
Issac McBride, Freshman, Guard
Trey Phipps, Freshman, Guard
Sir Issac Herron, Freshman, Forward
Projection:
If Abmas and Obanor are gone, the cupboard is not bare. Kareem Thompson and Francis Lacis were starters last season and DeShang Weaver and Carlos Jurgens played key roles off the bench. On a team that was very much dominated by Abmas and Obanor, and rightfully so, the rest of the team were roleplayers. Some of them will be ready to step up if necessary. The NCAA Tournament success has also immediately paid off in the transfer market. ORU picked up Issac McBride, a transfer from Vanderbilt who started his career at Kansas. He was a four-star recruit and a nice pickup for Kansas not long ago and could certainly emerge as a star at Oral Roberts. Trey Phipps spent last season at Oklahoma, but now is heading home to Tulsa. He is a major shooting threat and will certainly fit right in on the team that ranked first in the nation in three-point field goals per game. It is easy to forget that despite all of the offensive fireworks and amazing tournament run, the Golden Eagles finished fourth in the Summit League last season. If both Abmas and Obanor return, this will be the team to beat in the Summit League, but the rest of the conference has some talent too and will looking to take down Cinderella.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.1 (14th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 75.6 (283, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.9 (114, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.3 (172, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 11.1 (1, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.0 (15, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 82.1 (1, 1)
Rebound Margin: -4.8 (314, 9)
Assists Per Game: 12.8 (203, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.4 (52, 2)
