Ohio State suffers 75-72 upset loss to Oral Roberts in the first round of NCAA Tournament

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ohio State basketball’s NCAA Tournament run ended before it had a chance to get started Friday.

Oral Roberts, becoming the ninth No. 15 seed to upend a No. 2 in the first round in 141 such games, controlled most of the game before dodging two final OSU threes in the final seconds of overtime in a 75-72 victory. The hero was sophomore guard Max Abmas, who terrorized the Buckeyes from the start with his prodigious 3-point range, then ran past them for key baskets down the stretch.

Abmas, who played all 45 minutes for the Golden Eagles, finished with 29 points on 10-of-24 shooting, including five 3-pointers. His free throw and jumper in the first half of the extra period helped build a six-point ORU lead, and Kevin Obanor (30 points, 11 rebounds and 45 minutes on the floor) provided the final margin with two free throws with 13 seconds left.

Ohio State had two shots at the tie in the final possession — a heavily contested 3-pointer by Justin Ahrens that caromed wide off the backboard and a final 3-point attempt by Duane Washington Jr. at the top of the key that bounced off the left rim. As the Buckeyes were stunned nearly motionless at the buzzer, the ORU players celebrated all over the court and alongside the Eagles’ bench before leaving the Mackey Arena floor.

The Buckeyes had a chance to win it in regulation. With 14.9 seconds left they put the ball in Washington Jr.’s hands for a potential game-winner. He dribbled left and stepped back to create space, getting a decent look from the extended left elbow. But the shot was well short and OSU was headed to its third overtime game in the past week.

Overtime went about as the previous 40 minutes had gone — with Ohio State struggling to generate offense. The only player who was consistently productive was E.J. Liddell, who finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Washington scored 18 points, but 11 of those came in the first five minutes of the game and he missed 14 of his 21 shot attempt and nine of his 12 attempts beyond the arc.

C.J. Walker was the only other Buckeye in double-figure scoring with 12 points, while the other players to see action — Zed Key, Justice Sueing, Musa Jallow, Seth Towns and Ahrens — combined for 19 points on 8-of-23 shooting. The Buckeyes’ poor afternoon at the free-throw line (9-of-18) and 15 turnovers were also decisive.

Meanwhile, Abmas and Obanor made every essential play down the stretch.

Much like the loss to Illinois last Sunday in the Big Ten Tournament title game, the Buckeyes’ offense didn’t show up in the first half. They shot 42 percent but had multiple scoring droughts north of three minutes while the Golden Eagles’ offensive plan of living and dying by the three produced results. ORU made 7-of-17 first-half attempts, four from Abmas.

Even though those problems continued in the second half, Ohio State was able to fight back to take a 64-60 lead with 2:34 left to play. But in a final exhibition of struggling down the stretch, OSU scoreless for the rest of regulation, allowing Oral Roberts to force overtime.

Neither team was efficient. The two combined to shoot just 39.4 percent from the field, and the Buckeyes couldn’t fully take advantage of outrebounding the Golden Eagles 49-32.

OSU got off to a bad start in the first half and even when shots started falling in the second half never seemed to have an offensive rhythm. The result was becoming the first major upset victim of the 2021 tournament.

What’s Next

Ohio State closes out its season with a 21-10 record. It’s the first time since the 2014 season that it’s lost its opening game in the NCAA Tournament. Oral Roberts, 17-10, advances in the South Region to face Florida on Sunday.

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