Tulsa vs. Cincinnati: MBB Game 26 Preview

Thursday, February 18

Reynolds Center

8:00 p.m.

Tulsa

Cincinnati

Tulsa vs. Cincinnati: MBB Game 26 Preview

2/17/2016 12:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Eric Hollier

TULSA (16-9, 8-5 American) vs. CINCINNATI (19-7, 9-4 American)
Date/Time:	Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 • 8:05 p.m.
Site:	Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355)
Coaches:	Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88) – 39-20, 2nd year Cincinnati – Mick Cronin (Cincinnati '97) – 204-125, 10th year
TV:	CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan and Steve Wolf)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard and J.R. Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Cincinnati leads, 23-10
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Cincinnati

Preview Press Conference

TULSA, Okla. – The Tulsa men's basketball team returns home after a two-game road swing to play host to Cincinnati in an important American Athletic Conference matchup at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

The Golden Hurricane is 16-9 overall and 8-5 in The American, while the Bearcats are 19-7 overall and 9-4 in league play. TU has won eight of its last 11 games, but is looking to rebound from a 75-73 road defeat at UConn Saturday. Cincinnati has won six of their last seven, including a 75-60 win over East Carolina Saturday. The Hurricane is one game behind the Bearcats in the standings, and just two games behind Temple for first place.

TU fans are encouraged to wear blue for Thursday's Blue Out Game.

The game will be broadcast on Big Country 99.5 FM and the Golden Hurricane Radio Network, and televised on CBS Sports Network.

The Series
This will be the 34th meeting between Tulsa and Cincinnati. Cincinnati leads the series, 23-10. The Bearcats won earlier this season, 76-57, on Jan. 2 in Cincinnati. UC won the only meeting last season, 56-47, in Tulsa. Prior to last season, the teams last met in the 2000 NCAA Tournament, a 69-61 Tulsa victory. TU also won in 1972, 92-86 in overtime in Tulsa – the last matchup before 2000. the schools were Missouri Valley Conference rivals from 1957-58 until 1969-70. The last Hurricane win in Tulsa was a 92-86 overtime victory in 1972 (one game since). Tulsa is 6-9 all-time against the Bearcats in Tulsa.

About Cincinnati
Cincinnati averages 74.2 points and 38.9 rebounds per game, as well as a .440 field goal and .353 3-point percentage, while allowing 61.5 ppg, 33.8 rpg, a .388 field goal and a .355 3-point percentage. Troy Caupain leads the Bearcats with 11.5 points and 4.8 assists per game. Farad Cobb puts up 11.1 points and 2.5 3-pointers per contest, Gary Clark adds 10.8 points and 8.8 rebounds, and Octavius Ellis averages 10.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per outing.

Tulsa Statistical Leaders
James Woodard leads the Golden Hurricane with 15.9 points and adds 5.1 rebounds per game, while Shaquille Harrison averages 15.2 points and a team-high 5.4 rebounds, along with 4.1 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. Pat Birt adds 11.8 points, Rashad Smith scores 7.0 points, and Brandon Swannegan puts up 6.1 points. Tulsa averages 73.7 ppg, 34.8 rpg, a .446 field goal percentage, .333 3-point pct. and a .669 free throw pct. The Hurricane allows opponents 68.6 ppg, 36.4 rpg, a .416 field goal pct. and a .361 3-point pct.

Quick Hits
• Tulsa's RPI is No. 43 in the country, and its strength of schedule is a league-best 27th in the nation.
• Tulsa has won eight of its last 11 games.
• Tulsa fell at UConn, 75-73, Saturday in Storrs, Conn. Pat Birt led the Golden Hurricane with 24 points on six 3-pointers, Marquel Curtis scored 14 points, and Shaquille Harrison added 12 points.
• James Woodard, Shaquille Harrison and Pat Birt combine to average 42.9 points per game.
• Three Tulsa starters are left-handed (60%), but only 12 percent of the population is left-handed.
• Tulsa is 2-2 vs. ranked opponents this season, with wins over No. 9 Wichita State (77-67) and No. 16 SMU (82-77), and losses to No. 18 SMU (69-81) and No. 22 Cincinnati (57-76).
• Through 25 games this season, Tulsa has a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio. TU has totaled 346 assists to 280 turnovers. In 2014-15 through 25 games, the Hurricane had 271 assists-286 turnovers–0.9 ratio.
• James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison make up the top scoring duo in the American Athletic Conference, averaging a combined 31.7 points per game and 42 percent of the team's total points.
• Tulsa has two wins against top-25 opponents for the first time since the 1999-00 season.
• Two Tulsa players have scored 20 points in the same game six times this season – the most since the 1993-94 team had at least two players score at least 20 points in the same game eight times.
• Tulsa is 9-3 at home this season.
• James Woodard is one of only three players in Tulsa history to total at least 60 3-pointers in three consecutive seasons.
• Harrison ranks 29^th in the nation in steals (2.0 spg).
• The Hurricane has scored 90 points in four games so far this season. It is the most 90-point games since 2013-14, when Tulsa scored 90 points five times, and is the second-most since 2000-01.
• Harrison is on the 2016 Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Early Season Watch List, from the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
• Harrison has been nominated for the Allstate NABC Good Works Team, which recognizes players at all levels of college basketball who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement.
• TU nabbed the first two American Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards of the season. Woodard won the award on Nov. 16, and Harrison received the honor on Nov. 23.
• Tulsa is playing this season with nine seniors – the most seniors on one roster in the country.
• Tulsa is in its second year season under the direction of head coach Frank Haith. In his first season, the Hurricane posted a 23-11 overall record and a 14-4 conference record. TU finished second in the American Athletic Conference regular season, played in the semifinals of the conference tournament, and reached the second round of the postseason NIT.

Tulsa Career Top-10 Rankings
     James Woodard ranks fifth in TU career scoring with 1,785 points, and fourth with 244 career 3-pointers, and with four threes, he can match Scottie Haralson (2010-13) for third place (248).
     Harrison ranks third at TU with 234 career steals, and fourth with 432 career assists. He needs 37 steals to match Steve Harris (1981-85) for second place (271), and 25 assists to match Byron Boudreaux (1983-87) for second place (457).
     Brandon Swannegan has 142 career blocks, ranking fourth in TU history. He needs 109 blocks to match Kevin Johnson (1999-03) for third place.

Other Statistical Notes
     Tulsa averages 31.6 points in the paint per game, and has scored 790 points, or 43 percent of its season total, in the paint – that is 8.2 ppg more than its opponents. Tulsa averages 17.4 points off turnovers per game, and has scored 434, or 24 percent of its season total, off turnovers – 6.1 ppg more than its opponents. Tulsa averages 9.0 fastbreak points per game, and outscores opponents by an average of 5.5 fastbreak points per game. The Tulsa bench averages 20.5 points per game, and outscores opponents by an average of 1.5 points per game. Rashad Ray has a 3.3 assist-turnover ratio this season (53 assists to 16 turnovers). For his career, Ray has a 1.9 assist-turnover ratio, including a 2.5 ratio over his last three years.

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