TULSA, Okla. - The Oral Roberts University men's basketball team begins its second season under Head Coach Kory  Barnett on Monday (Nov. 2), traveling to Central Arkansas in its 2026-27 season opener at Farris Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN+.

Game 1
Oral Roberts at Central Arkansas
Date/Time: Monday, November 2 / 7:30 PM
TV/Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: Stats
Listen: ORUSN
Location: Farris Center (Conway, Arkansas)
 

Season at a Glance
ORU opens the 2026–27 season Monday, Nov. 2, at Central Arkansas, the first game of Kory Barnett's second season. The Golden Eagles went 10–23 a year ago (4–12 in the Summit League) and bring back six players from that roster, add nine newcomers, and carry 15 players from four states and seven countries. Six players are international, five are from Oklahoma, and the Summit League schedule opens Jan. 7 at the Mabee Center against South Dakota.

Putting a Bow on Last Season
ORU went 10–23 in Kory Barnett's first season, finished 4–12 in Summit League play and entered the league tournament as the No. 8 seed. In the tournament, ORU beat Kansas City 84–62 in the first round, then fell to North Dakota State 76–65 in the quarterfinals. Graduate guard Ty Harper averaged 17.9 points through 31 games, including 47 against Denver to earn Second Team All-League honors. Prior to the tournament loss, ORU won four straight to end the season.

Returning Production
Six of last season's 15 players are back as ORU returns about 42% of its scoring from last season. Connor Dow, is the leading returning scorer (12.5 ppg), Luke Gray (8.4 ppg) and Cal Furnish (4.0 ppg) look to step in to larger scoring roles this season. Chase Martin, Martins Kilups, and Alex Couto round out the six returners.

The Newcomers
Nine new players rebuild the roster, four (Smith, Haffner, Robinson, Gavazov) arrive through the transfer portal from other Division I or college programs. The other five have no college experience.

Oklahoma Ties
Five players on the roster are from Oklahoma, the most Oklahoma born players on any DI roster. The five include, Connor Dow (Broken Arrow), Luke Gray (Edmond), Cal Furnish (Edmond), Chase Martin (Jenks) and freshman Boden Williams (Owasso).

Year Two Under KB
Kory Barnett, a Rochester, Ind., native, was named head coach March 28, 2025, after assistant stops at Indiana (2012-13), UCLA (2013–19), Nevada (2019–24) and West Virginia (2024–25). His first team went 10–23, but won four of its last five regular-season games, including a 102–80 win over Denver and a 94–70 win at Kansas City, and then beat Kansas City 84–62 in the Summit tournament before falling to top-seeded North Dakota State.

The League of Nations
Including the United States ORU's roster spans to seven Different countries. Latvia, Greece, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Spain are all represented as well. Martins Kilups (Riga, Latvia): the only international returner; averaged 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 32 games. Thomas Zorbas (Athens, Greece): joins from Psychiko Athens, where he averaged 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, while shooting 54.5 percent from the field last season. Marko Pavlovic (Bar, Montenegro): a transfer from DII Missouri Western State averaged 12.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks as a freshman, with a 22-point career high. Mihail Gavazov (Sofia, Bulgaria): transfers from NAIA Lindsey Wilson, averaged 11.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, earning Mid-South All-Conference Second Team honors. Jamal George (Monthey, Switzerland): Played 2025–26 for the Pully Lausanne Foxes in the Swiss league, reaching double figures nine times in 16 games, and has played for Swiss youth and senior national teams. Alberto Blanco (Sevilla, Spain): Led Spain's U16 team to the 2023 European title, averaging a team-high 7.3 rebounds, and later played at the U17 World Cup and U20 EuroBasket.

Series History vs. Central Arkansas
ORU leads the all-time series 5–3, including 4–0 at the Mabee Center and 1–3 in Conway, Ark. The Golden Eagles have not won in Conway since Feb. 22, 2014. The teams meet again this season, Dec. 19 at the Mabee Center.

Program Tradition
ORU has made seven NCAA Tournaments, reached the Elite Eight in 1974, and made the Sweet 16 in 2021 as a No. 15 seed after beating No. 2 Ohio State and No. 7 Florida. The Golden Eagles have won five Summit League tournament titles (2006, 2007, 2008, 2021, 2023).

Opening Night Woes
ORU has lost its last three season openers, all on the road (71-95 loss at Oklahoma State last season, 57-80 loss at Minnesota in 2024-25, 71-75 loss at UT Arlington in 2023-24). The Golden Eagles haven't won an opening night road game since the 2013-14 season.

For the latest information on ORU men's basketball, follow @ORUMBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook or go to www.ORUAthletics.com.