Summit League Conference Tournament Preview & Betting Guide: Oral Roberts on Verge of Undefeated Summit Season

We head north this weekend as the Summit League kicks off its conference tournament on Friday night in South Dakota. Oral Roberts is the massive favorite, but we have a dark horse that could play spoiler on the opposite side of the bracket. To prepare you for the Summit League Conference Tournament, we will discuss the favorite, a dark horse, and the best bet that we think could go dancing on the league’s behalf.

Odds Courtesy FanDuel Sportsbook

• Dates: March 3-7
• Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center – Sioux Falls, SD
• Championship Game: Tuesday, March 7th, 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2

The darlings of the 2021 NCAA Tournament are back with a vengeance this year. Oral Roberts has run through the conference in 18 straight games, beating every foe at home and on the road. They are led by a familiar name in Max Abmas, the sixth-leading scorer in the country. The senior is as explosive of a scorer as we have in college basketball, with five 30-point outbursts. The experience and continuity are what make the Golden Eagles so special. Head coach Paul Mills only has upperclassmen in his regular rotation and has four starters from last season’s team. Arkansas transfer Connor Vanover has been a vital addition here. The 7’5″ center is a monstrous presence down low that blocks shots at the sixth-highest rate in the nation and can even step out and become a perimeter threat, knocking down 34.5 percent of his triples. This Oral Roberts team is lightyears better than the one that made the Sweet Sixteen two seasons ago, a terrifying premise for the rest of the Summit League.

The Bison seem to be playing their best ball right now, and that’s exactly what you are looking for come tournament time. After a 3-11 start to the season, North Dakota State fell to 292nd in KenPom in what looked like a lost season. Since then, they have skyrocketed up to 213th and have been victorious in five of their previous six games, with their only loss coming to Oral Roberts. The Bison are also home to 6’11” junior forward Grant Nelson, the best NBA prospect in the league. Averaging 17.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest on 43.2 percent from the field, he can beat you both off the dribble or in the post through excellent footwork and a myriad of moves. If the Bison can get to the championship game, he is one of very few in this league that could go toe-to-toe with Oral Roberts’s Max Abmas.

No one has been able to stop this freight train all season long, and you shouldn’t waste your money getting in front of that train now. The Golden Eagles blow every other team in the Summit out of the water when it comes to offensive firepower, and it would take a performance of the ages from one of these teams to pull off the upset on a neutral court. Ride the Oral Bob train rather than get in its way.

For more conference previews on SportsGrid: A-Sun | Ohio Valley