Jeremy Roach calls Max Abmas a 'great player'

Jeremy Roach has nothing but respect for Oral Roberts star Max Abmas as they prepare to do battle in the NCAA Tournament.

Abmas’ reputation precedes him. While he plays for a small school with the Golden Eagles, he’s well-known for the NCAA Tournament he led Oral Roberts on in 2021.

The star point guard led his team to victories over Ohio State and Florida as a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament, before unfortunately falling to the Arkansas Razorbacks by only two points in the Sweet 16.

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During the aforementioned run, Abmas never scored below 25 points, proving he was capable of leading a team when they needed it most. As a result, he’s received plenty of NBA interest, but has continued to round out his game at Oral Roberts over the last couple of season.

Now, after averaging 22.4 points per game, good for seventh in the country, Abmas is back at the NCAA Tournament and ready to ruin Duke‘s party. As for Roach, he admires Abmas’ tenacity, but he thinks the Blue Devils have the recipe to stop him.

“He’s a great player,” stated Roach. “I think he tested the waters either last year or the year before with a Sweet 16 run. Great player, deep brains, one of the best guards in the country, can score like anybody in the country.

“We just have to make it tough for him. I think our length will kind of bother him a little bit. But to be physical with him all game, and we know he’s going to get some buckets, but we’ve just got to make it as tough as we can for him.”

Nevertheless, Duke enters the showdown as one of the hottest teams in all of the nation. The Blue Devils have had some slip ups throughout the season, but they’re coming off capturing the ACC Tournament title, and were a missed call a way from clinching a share of the ACC regular season title, as well.

Meanwhile, Oral Roberts’ last loss came at the hands of New Mexico back on Jan. 9, so they’re also entering on a hot streak. The Golden Eagles finished first in the Summit, and will hope to make another strong run with their ticket to the dance.

The matchup between Duke and Oral Roberts, and Jeremy Roach facing off against Max Abmas has potential to be one of the best showdowns of Round 1. They’ll tip at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS on Thursday.