They don’t call it March Madness for nothing, and this year, the ORU Golden Eagles are wearing the Cinderella slippers.

On Sunday, in the second round, ORU faced the No. 7 seed Florida Gators, and the Golden Eagles would not be denied a trip to the Sweet 16. ORU surprised Florida, 81-78, to stay alive in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

ORU will play No. 3 seed Arkansas at 6:25 p.m. Saturday on TBS. ORU fell to the Razorbacks 76-87 on December 20 in Fayetteville.  In that game against Arkansas, ORU led by as many as 12 points in the second half after leading by 10 at the half. ORU is 0-4 against Arkansas, with all four losses happening in Fayetteville.

ORU went on a late 9-2 run to take a 77-76 lead and held off the Gators Sunday. With the victory, ORU joins the 2013 Florida Gulf Coast team as the second No. 15 seed in NCAA tournament history to advance to the Sweet 16.

The win followed ORU’s stunning 75-72 overtime win over No. 2 seed Ohio State in Friday’s first round.

Oral Roberts advances to take on No. 3 seed Arkansas in the third round, either Saturday or Sunday. Game times were not announced prior to press time.

Kevin Obanor led ORU with 28 points and 11 rebounds, against Florida, while Max Abmas finished with 26 points.

“The last time we won a game in the NCAA Tournament was 1974, and now we’re in the Sweet Sixteen,” Obanor said. “It’s just mind-blowing. We’re happy and grateful we got the win.

“I’m thankful to Jesus Christ for putting us in this position. We want it very bad. It’s bigger than us, just to leave a legacy behind for ORU. I’m just very eternally grateful and I just can’t wait to play tomorrow.”

ORU coach Paul Mills praised God for his team’s success.

“I listen to Psalm 1:18 before every game and it says, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,’” Mills said. “And we’re grateful, as Kevin mentioned … I’m glad that they have the experience of actually playing in March Madness and to have it be an enjoyable experience.”

Mills said his team plays with a chip on their shoulders because so many people had low expectations for them.

“We’re not going to let somebody put a number in front of our name and tell us that that’s our worth, or that’s our value,” Mills said.

On Sunday, it was a very tight first half, but Florida went on an 8-2 run to end the first half, and led 42-37 at halftime. In the second half, Florida extended their lead to as much as 10 points at 59-49, but was unable to put the Golden Eagles away.

ORU made a late run capped by DeShang Weaver’s three-pointer that gave the Golden Eagles an 80-78 lead. Kevin Obanor sank a free throw to extended the lead to the game’s final score. A last second effort by Florida came up short, and ORU celebrated the upset.

On Friday, in the first round, the Oral Roberts men’s basketball team showed the entire college basketball world, what I’ve been saying all season, that this team is legit. The 15 seeded Golden Eagles upset No. 2 Ohio State in overtime, 75-72.

ORU led by as many as seven in the second half as the dynamic duo of  Obanor and  Abmas combined to score 59 points posting 30 and 29 points, respectively, to pull off the upset over nationally-ranked OSU (No. 7 in AP Poll).

It was ORU’s first win over a top-10 opponent since defeating No. 8 Xavier in 2011 and the team’s first win at the NCAA Championship since 1974.

ORU got off to a strong start jumping out to a 7-0 lead on the Buckeyes. After OSU rattled off 10-straight points, it was a deep three-pointer by Abmas that pulled the Golden Eagles even.

The Golden Eagles fell behind by eight with seven minutes in the half when Obanor took over the game connecting on a pair of three-pointers along with a two-handed slam. The redshirt junior scored eight-straight ORU points pulling within two and Abmas drilled another long ball giving the Golden Eagles a 26-25 lead. ORU led 36-33 at halftime.

The Buckeyes opened the second half with four straight points to take a 37-36 lead before ORU countered, scoring the next six points all coming from behind the arc by Obanor.

The Golden Eagles held off the Buckeyes and eventually had to overcome a four-point deficit in the final 2:34. ORU kept the Buckeyes from scoring during the stretch and Obanor calmly tallied the game’s final four points in regulation at the free-throw line, including the tying pair with 14 seconds to play sending the game into overtime, 64-64.

Obanor dominated the overtime and scored five-straight points highlighted by a 1-and-1 chance giving ORU a 69-64 edge. The Buckeyes closed the gap with 16 seconds on the clock, but it was Obanor that sealed the win at the free throw line hitting twice more and the Golden Eagles celebrated the upset on the court, 75-72.

TOURNAMENT NOTES

ORU is now 4-5 all-time at the NCAA Tournament in six appearances and pulls off only the ninth 15 vs. 2 upset in NCAA tournament history as No. 15 seeds were 8-132 coming into the tournament. The Golden Eagles also are the lowest-seeded team to win an overtime game in the round of 64 since the tournament’s inception, and only the second No. 15 to reach the Sweet 16.

The game against Ohio State was the ninth time this season the Golden Eagles finished with less than 10 turnovers in a game giving the ball away just six times, while forcing the Buckeyes into 16.

ORU played its first overtime game of the season Friday and third all-time at the NCAA Championship improving to 2-1.