TULSA, Okla. – The ORU Athletic Department is set to induct the 1973-74 men's basketball Elite Eight team into the 2026 ORU Athletic Hall of Fame, as it was announced today, November 11, 2025. As part of the Hall of Fame weekend festivities, ORU will also celebrate the naming of the Men's Basketball practice court in honor of former standout and current Hall of Fame member, Richard Fuqua. This tribute was made possible through a generous donation from the family of the late Coach Ken Trickey and the Trickey-Herring family.

The ORU 1973-74 men's basketball team and Richard Fuqua will be honored at halftime of the men's basketball game on February 14^th, 2026 vs. South Dakota State at the Mabee Center. 

"Few teams in college basketball history have captured the spirit of a university quite like the 1973-74 Oral Roberts squad," said ORU Athletic Director Tim Johnson. "The team is still held in high regard in college basketball lore and especially in the city of Tulsa. The actual Elite 8 game, hosted in the Mabee Center, still stands as the most prominent basketball game ever hosted in our city. This team would also have never come about if it were not for Richard Fuqua! We are honored to name the men's basketball practice court after the man who built the Mabee Center.  Richard's influence on ORU basketball is unmatched. Now, his name will appear on the practice court as an inspiration to Golden Eagles today and in the future – it will truly be one of the most special Hall of Fame weekends in ORU Athletics history!"

1973-74 ORU Men's Basketball Team

• ORU finished the regular season 21-5 (23-6 overall) before receiving an NCAA Tournament bid in just their eighth year as a program, and only third year in Division I.
• Knocked off Syracuse 86-82 in overtime in Denton, Texas, in the first round before defeating Louisville 96-93 at the Mabee Center to move on to the Elite Eight. Coach Ken Trickey said, "If you shoot more shots than the other team, you should win."  This was true in the Louisville game where ORU attempted 30 more shots than the Cardinals.
• ORU averaged 94.6 points per game, which was first in the nation among all Division I teams at the time - the fifth straight season over the 90-point mark under Coach Trickey.
• Junior guard Sam McCants paced the team in scoring, averaging 24.0 points per game.
• Senior forward Eddie Woods completed his four-year career by leading the team with 12.1 rebounds per game – breaking the school's career rebounding record with 1,365.
• ORU finished 18th in the final AP-Poll ranking, the second time in three years placing in the Top 20.
• Finished off a five-year run where ORU basketball had more wins (118-23) than anyone in the country other than John Wooden and UCLA.

Richard Fuqua

• A three-time All-American, his jersey number, 24, is retired.
• NCAA's second-leading scorer in 1972
• Scored 50+ points in a game 4 times.
• ORU's all-time leading scorer at the Division I level
• Fuqua averaged a career 27 points per game (before the 3 point line) – finishing 2^nd in the nation in scoring as a junior in 1971, averaging 35.9 points per game.
• Drafted by the Boston Celtics in 4th round (69th pick overall) of the 1973 NBA Draft.

The annual Hall of Fame induction will be February 14^th at 10:00AM in the North Lobby of the Mabee Center at the Hall of Fame wall. There will be a smaller invite-only ceremony the night before in the Mike Carter Athletic Center to honor the naming of the practice court. All friends, family and fans are invited to attend the Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday.

For tickets to the Hall of Fame game, contact Mike Martinovich at 918-495-7074 to purchase your tickets today. 
 
For the latest information on ORU Athletics, follow @ORUAthletics on X or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics App in the Google Play or App Store.