The Season’s First David Emerges From Lawrence: Oral Roberts is not a household name unless you happen to be a follower of the history of TV evangelism — or of the Mid-Continent Conference. If you belong to the latter, you know the Golden Eagles have turned the conference into a two-horse race with Valparaiso, and the NCAA Tournament is an annual expectation. But could the team ever reasonably expect a win against Kansas, the No. 3 team in the country? Belief in that feat would test even the most zealous believers’ faith.
Oral Roberts delivered the shock of the month by beating the Jayhawks 78-71 in Lawrence. Marchello Vealy led the team with 22 points, mostly from behind the arc. The sharpshooter hit his first seven three-pointers and finished 7-of-8 from three-point territory. Behind Vealy and teammate Ken Tutt, the Golden Eagles led by as much as 10 points in the first half before Kansas started to rally. Late in the second half, the Jayhawks pulled to within three points. But Oral Roberts held on for the “biggest regular-season win in school history,” Sutton said. “Our trainer has been here over 30 years and said it was the highest-ranked team we’ve ever beat.” [11/16/06]
