Why Oral Roberts Is MMH’s 2026-27 Summit League Sleeper

2026-10-27

Oral Roberts is Mid-Major Hoops’ 2026–27 Summit League sleeper. The Golden Eagles finished 10–23 overall and 4–12 in the league, so seventh place in the official preseason poll is understandable. MMH sees a route to third at 8–6. The supplied 2027 Bart Torvik screenshot also puts Oral Roberts third in conference order, while Blue Ribbon places the Golden Eagles seventh.

That is a meaningful disagreement with the poll, but it needs a basketball explanation. The case rests on a more functional distribution of responsibilities in Kory Barnett’s second season: a returning perimeter scorer, a young point guard with a year of experience, a versatile frontcourt returnee and newcomers who can fill specific needs.

The preseason comparison

MMH and Torvik agree on order, not projected record. The Torvik figure is the supplied preseason snapshot. The official poll was released October 6 and includes votes from coaches, sports information directors and selected media.

A returning scorer with a clearer supporting cast

Connor Dow gives Barnett a credible offensive starting point. He averaged 12.5 points in 33 games and can provide scoring without the team having to discover its first perimeter option during conference play. His 33.5% three-point shooting leaves room for better results, but MMH’s case is not that a large improvement is automatic. Better supporting play can help him choose more favorable attempts and reduce the number of possessions that end with a difficult jumper.

Cal Furnish’s freshman season matters for a different reason. He appeared in all 33 games, averaging 20.6 minutes, after being pushed into a larger responsibility when Lane Sparks was injured. Furnish’s actual final line was 4.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Those are modest figures, but they represent a full season of learning how to manage college possessions. For the sleeper forecast to work, he must turn familiarity into more assertive decisions and dependable ballhandling.

Pavlovic can change the shape of the offense

Marko Pavlovic arrives from Missouri Western State after averaging 12.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists. The appeal is the combination. If he can finish and pass from the interior, defenses must account for a second point of creation rather than simply crowd the guards. Luke Gray, who averaged 8.4 points and 3.6 rebounds for ORU, can benefit from a frontcourt partner who changes matchups and creates another passing outlet.

Pavlovic’s Division II production requires a translation discount. Strong numbers against that schedule do not prove he can immediately defend every Summit center or punish every double-team. His ability to remain playable on defense is at least as important as his scoring. Thomas Zorbas supplies another possible interior option, but a complete verified 2025–26 club line was not recovered, so his statistical fields remain N/A.

More perimeter options, with the seasons kept straight

Cam Haffner brings an established shooting background through Eastern Illinois, Evansville and Western Kentucky. His 12.7-point Evansville season was 2024–25; his actual 2025–26 WKU average was 4.3. The older season helps explain the upside of a larger role, but it cannot be passed off as last season’s production. The question is whether Barnett can give him the opportunities that make that scoring history relevant again.

Amire Robinson adds recent Division I experience from Nevada. Martins Kilups offers another developing guard after a full freshman season, and Chase Martin supplies rebounding and passing that can keep a second unit connected. Mihail Gavazov gives ORU another shooting option after making 43.0% of his threes at NAIA Lindsey Wilson. Each addition creates a possible lineup solution; none guarantees that every combination will defend well enough to stay on the court.

What could stop the climb

The greatest obstacle is mistaking continuity for proven quality. Returning players from a 10-win team must improve, and replacing departed scoring remains a real task. ORU needs more dependable perimeter decisions, enough defensive resistance to avoid extended scoring runs and a frontcourt that finishes possessions with rebounds. Lower-division additions must handle the speed and physicality of the league, and the team cannot rely on shooting alone to rescue poor defensive possessions.

MMH’s 8–6 projection allows for those obstacles. It is an upper-half forecast in a league with several rebuilding teams, not a prediction that Oral Roberts will dominate the regular season. The opportunity is that Barnett now has more ways to build a balanced lineup around Dow, Furnish, Gray and Pavlovic. If those pieces make one another more effective, seventh place will look too conservative.

The sleeper label is a bet on that fit. Oral Roberts does not need every newcomer to become an all-conference player. It needs enough of the roster’s specific strengths to show up together, consistently, against the teams it must pass.

Sources: supplied Blue Ribbon 2026–27 yearbook, supplied Torvik screenshot, official poll as reproduced by NDSU, ORU current roster, final ORU statistics, Dow, Furnish, Gray, Pavlovic and Haffner.