WATCH: Max Abmas drills buzzer beating half-court shot to lift Oral Roberts to victory over Kansas City
Oral Roberts got some last second heroics from their superstar, Max Abmas, on Saturday night against the Kansas City Kangaroos. With 2.8 seconds left, Abmas took to the inbounds pass, took a couple dribbles up the floor, and heaved up an absolute prayer from half court. His prayer was answered, and the ball swished through the hoop, nothing but net, after the buzzer had sounded. Not only did the half court heave lift Oral Roberts to a 74-71 victory, but Abmas finished with 35 points, capping off a legendary performance in heart-stopping fashion.
Check out his game-winner here.
This season, Abmas is averaging 19.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. His 35-point explosion today will go down as one of the best performances of his college basketball career and it was capped off in fitting fashion.
Abmas has earned the nickname “Midcourt Max” because of his limitless shooting range and his willingness to fire from anywhere on the court. He seems to believe he’ll make any shot he takes and after looking at incredible shots like that one, it’s easy to see why.
He declared for the 2021 NBA Draft, but decided to withdraw his name on the final day of the deadline. Abmas is one of the best players in college basketball and he earned honorable mention All-American honors from the Associated Press twice (2021, 2022). He also led the nation in scoring for the 2021 season.
In the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Abmas scored at least 25 points in the first three rounds for Oral Roberts in propelling the Golden Eagles to a Sweet 16 run. He became the first player to score at least 25 points in the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament since Stephen Curry did it in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Texas native led 15th-seeded Oral Roberts to a stunning 75-72 upset over the No. 2 seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round.
Oral Roberts currently sits at 13-3 overall and 4-0 in the Summit League. Let’s hope they take care of business in their conference tournament in March and college basketball fans will once again get to watch another NCAA Tournament with Abmas in it.