Where is Oral Roberts from? Everything to know about Duke's March Madness opponent

Sam Jarden

•
Where is Oral Roberts from? Everything to know about Duke's March Madness opponent image

For the seventh time in program history, Oral Roberts is heading to the NCAA Tournament. 

The Golden Eagles punched their ticket to the dance with a blowout win over North Dakota State in the Summit League championship game.

It's the first tournament appearance for the program since 2021, when ORU memorably upset 2-seed Ohio State and 7-seed Florida in a run to the Sweet 16. 

TSN's MARCH MADNESS HQ
Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Predictor tool

Led by star guard Max Abmas, the team is back and looking to cause more havoc in 2023. Here's everything you need to know about the small Oklahoma school with big dreams this March:

Where is Oral Roberts University? 

Oral Roberts is a private, evangelical university located in Tulsa, Okla. The school was founded in 1963 by the preacher and televangelist of the same name, who himself was a native of the Sooner State. 

Roberts said his founding of the school was the result of "obeying God's mandate to build a university on God’s authority and the Holy Spirit." The first full graduation took place in 1969, and most of the major landmarks on campus were constructed throughout the 1970s. 

With an undergraduate enrollment of less than 3,000 students, it is one of the smallest schools in the tournament this season. Its athletic teams compete in the Summit League, a conference consisting of 10 teams from across the midwest. 

EXPERT PICKS: DeCourcy (Alabama) | Bender (Kansas) | Fagan (Marquette) | Pohnl (Kansas)

Oral Roberts men's basketball history

The Golden Eagles gained recent notoriety for their improbable run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2021.

Entering the tournament as a 15 seed, they took down 2-seeded Ohio State, 75-72 in overtime, to advance to the second round.

There, they pulled off another upset with a narrow 81-78 victory over 7-seeded Florida.

Their tournament finally came to an end after a heartbreaking 72-70 defeat to 3-seeded Arkansas. Abmas — then a sophomore — averaged 26.7 points per game during their tournament run. 

The team also made it to the Sweet 16 back in 1974, taking down Syracuse and Louisville before ultimately losing to Kansas. In each of its other four March Madness appearances, it lost in the first round. 

HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5

The program also has eight NIT appearances under its belt, but has never advanced past the second round. 

Under the guidance of head coach Paul Mills, the team enters the 2023 NCAA Tournament with an impressive record of 30-4 (18-0 in conference play). Abmas has once again led the team, averaging 22.2 points per game so far.

Sam Jarden

Sam Jarden Photo

Sam Jarden joined Sporting News as an intern in 2020 and returned as a content producer in 2022. In between, he spent a year and a half at Turner Sports, managing the social media accounts for Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT, NBA TV and others. A proud UNC alumnus, he spends his free time following the Tar Heels, Buffalo Bills and Newcastle United FC, and has been known to occasionally hit the links.