Arkansas vs. Oral Roberts score: Razorbacks rally to advance to Elite Eight with dramatic victory

Oral Roberts reached the cusp of NCAA Tournament history on Saturday night before No. 3 seed Arkansas stole a 72-70 victory in the final seconds. The Razorbacks stopped the Eagles from making history as they would have been the first No. 15 seed to ever reach the Elite Eight. However Max Abmas’ last second 3-pointer hit the rim and bounced off, and the Razorbacks escaped.

Davonte Davis nailed a jumper with 3.1 seconds to give Arkansas the lead for good and carry it to victory. Arkansas will advance to play No. 1 seed Baylor on Monday with a spot in the Final Four on the line. 

Jalen Tate led Arkansas with 22 points as the Razorbacks used a strong second half performance in a game that bore similarities to the first time Arkansas and Oral Roberts played this season. The Eagles led 40-30 at halftime on Dec. 20 before the Razorbacks roared back for an 87-76 victory.

This time, ORU led 35-28 at the break, and the Eagles actually grew that lead to 46-34 early in the second half. But the Razorbacks stormed back. Abmas led Oral Roberts with 25 points. The nation’s leading scorer got a great look in the final seconds. But when it clanged off the iron, the Eagles’ Cinderella run came to an end.