The biggest upset of March Madness was pulled off with the help of a pandemic-induced scheduling quirk
- Oral Roberts pulled off the first huge upset of March Madness, beating Ohio State.
- ORU is just the ninth 15-seed to upset a 2-seed.
- Oral Roberts won in OT and the players were prepared for the extra workload because of the pandemic.
The 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament already has its first Cinderella.
Oral Roberts became just the ninth 15-seed in tournament history to upset a 2-seed in the first round, beating Ohio State 75-72 in overtime.
That the game went to overtime may have been a huge advantage for Oral Roberts, thanks to their unusual schedule during the regular season.
Due to the pandemic and travel restrictions, the Summit League teams played back-to-back games on Saturdays and Sundays. Playing back-to-back days is not unheard of, but it is not common in a sport where teams more typically play just twice a week.
On top of that, Max Abmas, the nation's leading scorer, often played all 40 minutes in both weekend games. Four times during the regular season, Abmas played 80 minutes in a weekend, and two other times he played at least 76 minutes. Then, in their conference tournament, he played all 120 minutes in three days.
Fast-forward to ORU's upset win over the Buckeyes, and you can see where that fitness paid off.
After the game, Abmas said playing all 45 minutes was no big deal for him.
"During conference, we played back-to-backs," Abmas told CBS. "I played a lot of 40 minutes back-to-back. I think that definitely prepared me for this moment right here."
Meanwhile, Ohio State seemed to tire down the stretch, shooting just 3-9 in overtime, 1-5 from three, and 1-3 on free throws.
And now, the Buckeyes are no longer dancing and a lot of brackets are busted.