Tulsa vs. UCF: MBB Game 27 Preview

TULSA (17-9, 9-5 American) at UCF (11-13, 5-8 American)
Date/Time:	Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016 • 1:05 p.m. CT
Site:	CFE Arena (10,000)
Coaches:	Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88) – 40-20, 2nd year UCF – Donnie Jones (Pikeville '88) – 78-83, 6th 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:	Tulsa leads, 10-6
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| UCF

TULSA, Okla. – The Tulsa men's basketball team is back on the road this weekend to face American Athletic Conference foe UCF at 1 p.m. CT Sunday at CFE Arena in Orlando, Fla.

The Golden Hurricane (17-9, 9-5 American) has won nine of its last 12 games, including a 70-68 overtime win over Cincinnati Thursday at the Reynolds Center. The Knights (11-13, 5-8 American) have dropped four straight, including a 73-56 defeat at Memphis Wednesday. This is the second contest in a stretch of three games in six days for the Hurricane.

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 17th meeting between Tulsa and UCF. Tulsa leads the series, 10-6. The Golden Hurricane has won two in a row in the series, including a 75-60 win in Tulsa Jan. 24. TU also won last year in Orlando, 56-54. UCF won in Orlando, 83-75, in 2013, and 58-57 in 2011, following a 55-50 Tulsa road win in 2010. The last UCF win in the series was the 2013 game in Orlando (83-75). TU won three in a row over the Knights between 2009-10. The Hurricane is 2-6 all-time against UCF in Orlando.

About UCF
UCF averages 70.5 points and 38.8 rebounds per game, as well as a .441 field goal and .332 3-point percentage, while allowing 71.8 ppg, 36.6 rpg, a .412 field goal and a .314 3-point percentage. A.J. Davis leads the Knights with 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while Adonys Henriquez adds 9.9 points per contest. Matt Williams averages 8.5 points, and Daiquan Walker puts up 7.8 points and 3.8 assists per outing.

Tulsa Statistical Leaders
James Woodard leads the Golden Hurricane with 16.0 points and adds 5.3 rebounds per game, while Shaquille Harrison averages 15.0 points and a team-high 5.5 rebounds, along with 4.1 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. Pat Birt adds 11.8 points, Rashad Smith scores 7.2 points, and Brandon Swannegan puts up 6.0 points. Tulsa averages 73.5 ppg, 35.0 rpg, a .444 field goal percentage, .334 3-point pct. and a .672 free throw pct. The Hurricane allows opponents 68.6 ppg, 36.6 rpg, a .415 field goal pct. and a .357 3-point pct.

Quick Hits
• Tulsa's RPI is No. 40, and its strength of schedule is a league-best 23rd in the nation.
• Tulsa has won nine of its last 12 games.
• Tulsa defeated Cincinnati, 70-68, in overtime Thursday at the Reynolds Center. James Woodard led the Golden Hurricane with 19 points and nine rebounds, Rashad Smith tallied 12 points and seven boards, Shaquille Harrison had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Pat Birt scored 13 points.
• Shaquille Harrison is the only player in TU history to compile 1,300 points, 400 assists and 200 steals.
• James Woodard, Shaquille Harrison and Pat Birt combine to average 42.8 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 26 games this season, Tulsa has a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio. TU has totaled 354 assists to 291 turnovers. In 2014-15 through 26 games, the Hurricane had 282 assists-297 turnovers–0.9 ratio.
• James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison make up the top scoring duo in the American Athletic Conference, averaging a combined 31.0 points per game and 41 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 5-5 on the road 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 28^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 1,804 points, and fourth with 247 career 3-pointers, and with one three, he can match Scottie Haralson (2010-13) for third place (248).
     Harrison ranks third at TU with 236 career steals, and fourth with 435 career assists. He needs 35 steals to match Steve Harris (1981-85) for second place (271), and 22 assists to match Byron Boudreaux (1983-87) for second place (457).
     Brandon Swannegan has 143 career blocks, ranking fourth in TU history. He needs 108 blocks to match Kevin Johnson (1999-03) for third place.

Other Statistical Notes
     Tulsa averages 31.8 points in the paint per game, and has scored 826 points, or 43 percent of its season total, in the paint – that is 8.4 ppg more than its opponents. Tulsa averages 17.1 points off turnovers per game, and has scored 444, or 23 percent of its season total, off turnovers – 6.1 ppg more than its opponents. Tulsa averages 8.7 fastbreak points per game, and outscores opponents by an average of 5.2 fastbreak points per game. The Tulsa bench averages 20.2 points per game, and outscores opponents by an average of 1.4 points per game. Rashad Ray has a 2.8 assist-turnover ratio this season (54 assists to 19 turnovers). For his career, Ray has a 1.8 assist-turnover ratio, including a 2.4 ratio over his last three years.

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Tulsa vs. UCF: MBB Game 27 Preview

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Players Mentioned

Pat Birt

Shaquille Harrison

Rashad Ray

Rashad Smith

Brandon Swannegan

James Woodard