Oklahoma City vs Oral Roberts prediction: Oral Roberts hunts a first win, and a working jumper, against OCU
After a 55-point opener at Central Arkansas, the Golden Eagles host NAIA Oklahoma City needing their high-volume three-point plan to look like a plan again.
- Oral Roberts should control an NAIA visitor at home; the question is whether its offense looks repaired after scoring 55 in the opener.
- Luke Gray inside versus OCU's guard-heavy newcomer group; Gray posted a 121.7 offensive rating while the perimeter misfired.
- No line posted yet. ORU closed an 8.75-point underdog at Central Arkansas, lost 85-55 and went under a 155.5 total.
A rough first night
Kory Barnett's second season at Oral Roberts opened with a thud. The Golden Eagles lost 85-55 at Central Arkansas on Nov. 2, trailing 31-47 at the break against a team that finished 159th in opponent-adjusted net rating.
The shot profile tells the story. ORU launched threes on 60.0% of its field goal attempts, 10th-most in Division I, and made just 16.7% of them. Its effective field goal percentage, which counts threes as 1.5 makes, sat at 35.0%, 341st of 357. Add a 25.4% turnover rate and possessions simply evaporated. One game is one game, but this home date is a chance to see whether the volume shooting was a plan or a panic.
Who carried the load
Luke Gray was the bright spot: 22 points on 61.5% shooting with a 33.3% usage rate, the team's heaviest. Cal Furnish, a returner who played a bench role last season, went 3 of 6 from deep. Freshman Boden Williams, out of Owasso High, played 34 minutes but shot 2 of 9 from three.
This is a rebuilt group. Players back from last season's 10-23 team account for 51.6% of its minutes, and Ty Harper, last season's top scorer at 17.7 points, is gone. That makes last season's numbers a loose guide. Connor Dow, who averaged 12.5 points last season, was not among the opener's leading minute-getters, and ORU hasn't addressed his status.
The visitor from the NAIA
Oklahoma City University, the Stars of the Sooner Athletic Conference, plays in the NAIA, so there is no Division I data on them. Tim Moser is listed as head coach on the school's staff page. The roster leans on transfer guards, including Peyton Ackerman from Northern Illinois, JD Gross from Millersville and Noah Suarjaya from Texas-Tyler.
No injury news has surfaced for either side. For ORU, the useful read is less about the margin and more about whether the shots start falling and the ball stops getting away.
Key players
- Luke Gray (Oral Roberts): Scored 22 points with a 121.7 offensive rating in the opener, the team's best scoring line.
- Cal Furnish (Oral Roberts): Hit 3 of 6 threes at Central Arkansas for a 64.3% effective field goal percentage.
- Boden Williams (Oral Roberts): Played 34 minutes in his debut but made only 2 of 9 threes.
- Amire Robinson (Oral Roberts): Posted a 121.6 offensive rating in a reserve role at Nevada last season.
Numbers that matter
| 3-point attempt rate | 60.0% | Tenth-most in Division I, so ORU's offense rises or falls with the jumper. |
|---|---|---|
| 3-point percentage | 16.7% | The opener's conversion rate, 342nd of 357, sank that volume approach. |
| Turnover rate | 25.4% | Ranked 323rd of 357, a second problem alongside the cold shooting. |
| Returning minutes | 51.6% | Roughly half the rotation is new, so last season's 10-23 says little. |
Oklahoma City vs Oral Roberts: quick answers
When is Oklahoma City vs Oral Roberts?
Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET.