This was not surprising, but it was real.
Oral Roberts hoped to defeat Ohio State and 2-seed to become the ninth 15-seed in the NCAA tournament, but its players didn’t think much of it.
He had seen many shining moments. He saw many anonymous schools becoming household names. He had seen many less admitted children as kings.
Friday, they became Cinderella – and they will live forever.
The nation’s head scorer, Max Abamas, said, “It’s really crazy what a really closing bracket is.” “[But] This was not a surprise to us. We were confident of going to the game. “
Going into the second round, Oral Roberts is no longer alone in that spirit.
After the school’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 1974 – and the country’s first 15-over-2 start in five years – the Golden Eagles (17-10) will take on No. 7 Florida (15-9) on Sunday night. The chance to join the Florida Gulf Coast’s 2013 “Dunk City” ranks as the only 15th seed to reach the Sweet 16.
Perhaps this time, Oral Roberts will also play up to his potential.
Oral Roberts coach Paul Mills said, “I don’t want to come off as arrogant, but I didn’t think we played brilliantly.” “You have to do some good things to defeat a team like Ohio State, but I honestly thought we could play better and I’m glad the winners of the first game are out.”
The Gators, coming off an overtime win over Virginia Tech, present a familiar threat, boasting superior size and athleticism. But Oral Roberts’ biggest rival is already being addressed.
“Don’t get distracted by texts and social media because it can all change in 24 hours,” Mills told his team. “You have to avoid getting distracted. You have to avoid some of the hype that comes with it. I’m just going to encourage them, ‘Don’t return text messages or watch social media whatever by Monday. just wait. There is no need to carry the luggage unless it is your mom or your dad or your girlfriend. You probably need to answer this. ‘
“I clicked on ESPN to see if they had time for our game and we were in front [page], So it is not every day. This is clearly different. Yes, I accept that… it is time to look back and reflect on it, but it is not today. “
It is difficult to pretend that there is a shocking walkway to the world. It is difficult to imagine a better feeling.
But the Millers, who reached four Sweet 16s as a Baylor assistant coach, promised their players that there might be: “If you thought that was fun, then see what it was like to move to the Sweet 16 is feeling.”
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