Tulsa to Head East for Matchup at Memphis on Saturday

Saturday, January 6

Memphis, TN

3 PM

Tulsa

Memphis

Photo by: Dave Crenshaw

Tulsa to Head East for Matchup at Memphis on Saturday

1/5/2018 10:26:00 AM | Men's Basketball

GAME #16 ... TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE (10-5, 3-0) vs. MEMPHIS TIGERS (9-6, 0-2)
Date/Time:	Saturday • Jan. 6 • 3 p.m.
Site:	FedExForum (18,400) • Memphis, Tenn.
Coaches:	Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88), 4th year Memphis – Tubby Smith (High Point, '73), 2nd year
TV:	ESPNEWS (Alex Perlman and Mark Wise)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard and J.R. Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Memphis leads, 26-16
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Memphis

TULSA, Okla. — Fresh off a double-overtime win over UConn on Wednesday night, the Tulsa men's basketball team will take to the road for a 3 p.m. matchup at Memphis on Saturday, Jan. 6, at FedExForum.

The Golden Hurricane (10-5, 3-0) will look to stay unbeaten in American Athletic Conference play and the team is off to its best start in the league action since the 2014-15 campaign. Corey Henderson Jr. helped TU win its sixth game in the last seven contests with career highs of 30 points and seven rebounds against the Huskies. His eight 3-pointers pushed the team to a conference-record 17 triples in the contest to improve to 4-0 at home against UConn.

Picked to finish ninth in The American Preseason Poll, the Tigers (9-6, 0-2) return four letterwinners and a pair of starters from last year's team that went 19-13 overall and finished fifth in the league with a 9-9 mark. Junior guard Jeremiah Martin leads the Tigers at 16.5 points and 3.7 assists per game, while junior forward Kyvon Davenport is averaging 12.7 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per outing.

Memphis is 9-1 at home this season, with its only loss coming to LSU (71-61) on Dec. 28. The Tigers opened conference play with road losses at Cincinnati (82-48; Dec. 31) and UCF (65-56; Jan. 3).

Fast Break Points
• Tulsa is in its 107th season of basketball and fourth season in the American Athletic Conference.
• Tulsa will look to stay unbeaten in The American when it visits Memphis for a 3 p.m. matchup on Saturday, Jan. 6 at FedExForum.
• Tulsa is coming off a dramatic 90-88 double-overtime win over UConn on Wednesday night at the Reynolds Center. Corey Henderson Jr. scored a career-high 30 points and TU hit an American Athletic Conference record 17 3-pointers.
• TU improved to 3-0 in The American for the second time in its four seasons in the league. The 2014-15 squad started conference play 10-0 in its inaugural season in The American.
• Junior Etou was named The American Player of the Week on Tuesday after averaging 17 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game to lead the Hurricane to wins over ECU and Tulane last week.
• Etou leads the team at 17.4 ppg and 7.1 rpg and those marks rank third and fifth in The American, respectively. The senior also ranks 13th in the circuit with a .506 field goal percentage. He is averaging 14.7 points and 10.0 rebounds during conference play and has recorded double-doubles in two of the team's three league games.
• The TU defense has held its three conference opponents to 37.3-percent shooting, including a 28.6-percent mark from behind the arc. TU has given up an average of 65.7 ppg in league play.
• After posting a -4.5 rebound margin through its first six games, TU has posted a +9.7 rebound margin since. TU has outrebounded its opponent by double digits four times during that stretch.
• TU has posted 37 league wins since joining The American, which ranks third behind only SMU (47) and Cincinnati (43) during that span.
• Tulsa was picked to finish eighth in The American Preseason Poll. TU has finished better than its preseason prediction in all three previous seasons under head coach Frank Haith.

Notes
The Game
• Tulsa will continue American Athletic Conference play at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 6, when it will hit the road for a matchup against Memphis at FedExForum.
• Saturday's game can be seen on ESPNEWS, while fans in the Tulsa area can tune to Big Country 99.5 FM with Bruce Howard and former Hurricane player J.R. Rollo calling the action. Live audio from the game also can be found on tulsahurricane.com or by using the TuneIn app.

The Series
• Saturday's game will mark the 43rd all-time meeting between Tulsa and Memphis. The Tigers lead the all-time series 26-16, including a 14-8 mark in Memphis.
• Tulsa won the first 11 meetings against Memphis (1964-71) and the teams split a pair of games last season.
• The programs were members of the Missouri Valley Conference together from 1968-73.

Scouting the Tigers
• Memphis will look to snap a three-game losing streak and pick up its first conference win of the season when it hosts the Hurricane on Saturday afternoon.
• Picked to finish ninth in The American Preseason Poll, the squad returns four letterwinners and a pair of starters from last year's team that went 19-13 overall and finished fifth in the league with a 9-9 mark.
• Junior guard Jeremiah Martin leads the Tigers at 16.5 points and 3.7 assists per game, while junior forward Kyvon Davenport is averaging 12.7 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per outing.
• Memphis is 9-1 at home this season, with its only loss coming to LSU (71-61) on Dec. 28. The Tigers opened conference play with road losses at Cincinnati (82-48; Dec. 31) and UCF (65-56; Jan. 3).

TU-Memphis Connection
• Tulsa fans will see a few familiar faces on the Memphis bench in Saturday's matchup against the Tigers, who are led by former TU head coach Tubby Smith.
• Smith coached the Hurricane for four seasons (1991-95) and compiled a 79-43 record. In his final two seasons, he led the Hurricane to Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles and appearances in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
• Memphis assistant coach Alvin "Pooh" Williamson was the first signee for Smith at TU and he played for the Hurricane from 1991-95 as a key member of those MVC title and Sweet Sixteen teams.
• Williamson returned to TU as an assistant coach in 2001 and was the program's interim head coach for 22 games during the 2004-05 season.

Last Time Out
• Corey Henderson Jr. posted career highs of 30 points and seven rebounds and Tulsa hit an American Athletic Conference record 17 3-pointers to defeat UConn, 90-88, in double-overtime on Wednesday night.
• Henderson hit eight of the team's 17 triples and the squad also posted season highs with 53 rebounds and 25 free throws made.
• Martins Igbanu (14 points/10 rebounds) and Junior Etou (10 points/10 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles, while freshman Elijah Joiner added a career-high 13 points off the bench.
• TU trailed by four with 57 seconds left before Henderson hit 3-pointers with 40 and 4.2 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. Junior Etou hit TU's record-setting 17th 3-pointer in the second overtime to give the Hurricane the lead for good.

Tulsa 3 Party
• Tulsa hit an American Athletic Conference record 17 3-pointers in Wednesday's 90-88 double-overtime win over UConn. The total was just one shy of the program's record, set against North Texas on Dec. 8, 1998.
• Other than its program-record 18 triples in 1998, TU had last hit 15 3-pointers against Jackson State on Dec. 17, 2009.
• TU also set conference and team records for 3-pointers attempted, with 41 on the night.
• Corey Henderson Jr. hit eight 3-pointers, which ties for the second-most in a single game in program history. James Woodard went 10-of-16 from deep against SMU on March 8, 2015, for the program record, while Jason Parker also hit eight treys against Wichita State on Dec. 4, 2002.
• Henderson became the sixth player in American Athletic Conference history to hit at least eight 3-pointers in a game and the first to do it since UCF's Matt Williams hit a league-record 11 on Jan. 17, 2017.

Getting Defensive
• Since giving up a season-high 96 points in a Nov. 28 win over UTSA, the Golden Hurricane has clamped down on defense and is allowing just 65.8 ppg over its last eight games.
• During that stretch, opponents are shooting just .394 from the field against TU, including a .274 mark from behind the arc. TU has held three opponents to fewer than 60 points in that span.
• TU has limited opponents to .373 shooting with a .286 clip from behind the 3-point line in conference play.
• For the season, Tulsa is holding opponents to just 41.2-percent shooting (6th in The American), while opponents are hitting at just a 32.1-percent clip behind the arc (4th in The American; 74th in NCAA).

Trending
• Junior Etou has attempted at least 10 free throws four times this season. Etou ranks 17th in the nation with 113 free-throw attempts this season and 21st in the nation in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.4) via kenpom.com.
• After averaging 1.6 ppg in his first five games, Corey Henderson Jr. is averaging 12.6 ppg in his last nine contests and 14.7 ppg during conference play.
• The Hurricane is off to a 3-0 start for the second time (2014-15, 10-0) in four seasons as a member of The American.
• TU is 51-6 under head coach Frank Haith when leading at halftime, including an 9-0 mark this season.

Crashing The Boards
• After being outrebounded in five of its first six games with a rebound margin of -4.5 rpg, Tulsa has crashed the glass and outrebounded its opponents by a combined 394-307 (43.8-34.1; +9.7 rpg) in its last nine contests.
• TU has outrebounded four opponents (UTSA, Illinois State, Kansas State, Tulane) during that stretch by double-digits, including three games (UTSA, Illinois State, Tulane) with at least a +20 rebound margin.
• During that stretch, Junior Etou has led the way by averaging 7.7 rebounds per game, including a career-high 14 boards against ECU (Dec. 28). Martins Igbanu also has helped crash the glass at 6.6 rpg.
• The Hurricane is 8-1 this season when outrebounding its opponent.

Free Fallin'
• The Hurricane lead the league and rank 11th in the nation with 382 free throws attempted, while it is connecting at a 71.7-percent mark at the charity stripe.
• TU has shot more free throws than its opponent 12 times this season and own a 9-3 record in those games.
• Junior Etou leads the conference and ranks 17th in the nation with 113 free throws attempted. His 79 makes at the charity stripe also lead the league and rank 32nd in the nation.

TU To Participate In Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge
• Making 3-point shots this basketball season takes on even more meaning this year for head coach Frank Haith and The University of Tulsa men's basketball team. The Golden Hurricane will square off against teams across the nation to fight cancer as part of the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge.
• Fans can pledge a donation for each 3-point shot that TU makes over the final 16 games of the regular-season (Jan. 3-March 4) to support American Cancer Society research, education and patient programs at:
pledgeit.org/cvc18-tulsa. So far, Tulsa has made 17 3-pointers during the challenge.
• Fans also have the option of a fixed donation and Haith started the Golden Hurricane campaign with a contribution of $500.

Haith In His Fourth Season at TU
• Head coach Frank Haith is in his fourth season at Tulsa, where he has compiled a 68-45 record and made a pair of postseason appearances during his tenure. Overall, he has an on-court record of 273-174 in his 14th season.
• Haith has led the Golden Hurricane to a pair of 20-win seasons and postseason appearances (2015 NCAA Tournament, 2016 NIT) during his first three seasons.
• With a win over No. 9 Wichita State in 2015-16, he led TU to its first win over a top-10 squad since 2000. Later that season, TU won at No. 16 SMU for its first road win against a top-16 program since 1981.

Haith in Exclusive Coaching Company
• Head coach Frank Haith is the only active Division I coach to take teams in four of the Power 6 conferences to the NCAA Tournament. Haith guided Tulsa (The American) to the Big Dance in 2015, Missouri (SEC) in 2013, Missouri (Big 12) in 2012 and Miami (ACC) in 2008.
• In addition, Haith is one of just 20 active coaches that have taken at least three different teams to the NCAA Tournament.
• Haith will face three other coaches on that list this season when TU matches up against Tubby Smith (Memphis), Kelvin Sampson (Houston) and Bruce Weber (Kansas State).

Tulsa's Success in The American
• Since joining the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2014-15 season, the Golden Hurricane has posted 37 league wins, which is the third-most in the circuit.
• Only SMU (47 wins) and Cincinnati (43 wins) have earned more victories than Tulsa's 37, which tops UConn (30) and Memphis (27) along with six other conference programs.
• TU has finished better than its preseason prediction in each of Haith's three seasons. The Golden Hurricane was picked to finish eighth in the conference prior to the 2017-18 season.

Etou Named Preseason Second-Team American Athletic Conference
• Senior forward Junior Etou was named preseason second-team American Athletic Conference in a vote by the league's head coaches.
• Last season, Etou led the Golden Hurricane in scoring (12.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg) and was the only player to start all 32 games. He was even better in conference play as he averaged 13.4 ppg and 6.9 rpg.
• So far in 2017-18, Etou leads the Hurricane in scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg). Those marks rank third and fifth in the conference, respectively.
• Etou has scored in double-figures 14 times, including six games of at least 20 points.

Look Who's Back
• Tulsa returns eight letterwinners, including four starters, and 72-percent of its offense from last season's team.
• Returning starters include senior forward Junior Etou (32 starts), sophomore forward Martins Igbanu (17), junior guard Sterling Taplin (30) and senior guard Jaleel Wheeler (29).
• Other returners include junior forward Geno Artison, senior guard Corey Henderson Jr., sophomore guard Lawson Korita and junior forward Alex Foree.
• In all, Tulsa returns 68.8-percent of its minutes, 66.9-percent of its rebounding, 79.8-percent of its assists and 65.5-percent of its steals.

New Faces
• Along with the eight returning letterwinners, Tulsa has five newcomers, four of which made their debut in the season opener against Lamar.
• The newcomers eligible for 2017-18 are sophomore guard Curran Scott, junior guard/forward DaQuan Jeffries, freshman guard Darien Jackson and freshman guard Elijah Joiner. Sophomore forward Jeriah Horne will sit out the season after transferring from Nebraska.
• Scott redshirted the 2016-17 season after transferring from Charlotte, where he averaged 10.3 ppg as a freshman in 2015-16. He practiced with the Golden Hurricane last season.
• TU's four newcomers have totaled 301 points (20.1 ppg), led by 110 points (7.3 ppg) from Curran Scott.

Tulsa Enters 20th Season at the Reynolds Center
• After hosting the first TU men's basketball game on Dec. 29, 1998, the Golden Hurricane will play its 20th season in the Donald W. Reynolds Center this year.
• Tulsa has posted an overall record of 233-71 (.766) in its 19+ seasons, including a 7-1 mark this season.
• The building has seen 41 sellouts and 1,819,463 fans have witnessed Tulsa basketball at the Reynolds Center.

Offense Shines In Exhibition Wins
• Tulsa improved to 66-2 all-time in exhibition games, including a run of 37 consecutive victories, with wins over Northwestern Oklahoma State (96-65) and Missouri S&T (113-56) prior to the start of the 2017-18 season.
• TU put up impressive numbers in the wins as the team averaged 104.5 points and shot 56.6-percent from the floor, including 46.9-percent from behind the arc. Tulsa also recorded 46 assists to just 21 turnovers and out-rebounded its two opponents by a combined total of 99-46.
• Five players averaged in double-figures during exhibition play, led by Junior Etou's 17.0 ppg. Joining him were Corey Henderson Jr. (16.0 ppg), DaQuan Jeffries (12.5 ppg), Curran Scott (12.5 ppg) and Geno Artison (11.5 ppg).
• TU made 20 3-pointers in the win over Missouri S&T (the program's regular-season record for a game is 18), with half of that total coming from Henderson (6) and Artison (4).

TU Adds Three in the Early Signing Period
• Tulsa has signed three student-athletes — Chris Barnes, Peter Hewitt and Zeke Moore — to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.
• All three signees are enrolled at junior colleges and will have three years of eligibility at TU.
• Barnes is a 6-foot-4 guard from Compton, Calif., who played his freshman season at UTEP. He appeared in 16 games for the Miners after earning all-conference honors as a senior at Compton HS. He is redshirting this season at Angelina College.
• Peter Hewitt is a 6-foot-10 forward from Mountain View, Calif., who redshirted last season at UC Davis. He currently plays for Las Positas College and he has helped the team average 84.2 ppg and start 10-4 this season. Hewitt was a three-year letterwinner at Saint Francis High School and led the Lancers to a pair of West Coast Athletic League titles.
• Zeke Moore is a 6-foot-7 guard from St. Louis, Mo., who played his freshman season at Saint Louis. He saw action in 29 games and averaged 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds before transferring to Southwest Illinois CC, where he is redshirting this season. Moore was a standout at Riverview Gardens HS for his father, head coach Gerard Moore, and he averaged 21.1 ppg as a senior.

Next Up
• Tulsa will continue on the road with a 6 p.m. matchup at Houston (12-3, 2-1) on Thursday, Jan. 11. The team then will return home to the Donald W. Reynolds Center for a 6:30 p.m. contest on Saturday, Jan. 13 against No. 9 Wichita State (12-2, 2-0) for the first Havoc in the Heartland game.

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