Thursday, February 15
Hartford, CT
6 PM
Tulsa
at
UConn
Photo by: Dave Crenshaw
Tulsa to Head East for Thursday Matchup at UConn
2/13/2018 12:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
| GAME #25: TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE (14-10, 7-5) vs UCONN HUSKIES (12-13, 5-7) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time: | Thursday • Feb. 15 • 6 p.m. (CT) |
| Site: | XL Center (15,564) • Hartford, Conn. |
| Coaches: | Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88), 4th year UConn – Kevin Ollie (UConn '95), 6th year |
| TV: | ESPNU (Mike Couzens and Mark Plansky) |
| Radio: | Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard and J.R. Rollo) |
| Live Stats: | Live Stats |
| Series: | Series tied, 4-4 |
| Twitter: | @TUMBasketball | @TulsaHurricane |
| Instagram: | TulsaMBasketball |
| Game Notes: | Tulsa | UConn |
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa men's basketball team will return to action at 6 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, Feb. 15, when it will take on UConn at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
The Golden Hurricane (14-10, 7-5), who has won three straight and four of the last five games, will enter Thursday's contest with the Huskies (12-13, 5-7) in fourth place in the American Athletic Conference standings.
Tulsa is coming off a thrilling 91-89 overtime win over Tulane last Thursday after erasing a 12-point second-half deficit. Junior Etou logged his third-consecutive double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Sterling Taplin scored 15 of his 17 points after halftime and hit the game-winner with 8.2 seconds left in overtime.
With a league-best six double-doubles in conference play, Etou is averaging 12.9 points and 9.5 rebounds, while Corey Henderson Jr. leads the way at 13.1 ppg.
Meanwhile, UConn will enter Thursday's game having lost four of its last five contests, with the lone win during that stretch coming against USF on Feb. 7. The Huskies are led by Jalen Adams (17.9 ppg) and Christian Vital (14.6 ppg), who rank third and 10th in the league in scoring, respectively. The duo ranks in the top four in scoring since the start of conference play (Adams: 17.6 ppg, 3rd; Vital: 16.6 ppg, 4th).
Thursday's game will mark the ninth all-time meeting between Tulsa and UConn. The programs have split the previous eight contests and TU is looking for its first win against the Huskies in Connecticut.
Fast Break Points
• Tulsa is in its 107th season of basketball and fourth season in the American Athletic Conference.
• Tulsa will head east to take on UConn at 6 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, Feb. 15, at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
• Tulsa and UConn have split the previous eight meetings and the Hurricane will be in search of its first-ever win over the Huskies in Connecticut.
• TU won the earlier meeting this season, 90-88, in double-overtime on Jan. 3 in Tulsa.
• Tulsa is coming off a 91-89 overtime win over Tulane last Thursday night. Sterling Taplin scored 15 of his 17 points after halftime and hit the game winning shot with 8.2 seconds left in overtime.
• Junior Etou was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll after he scored 19 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in Tulsa's win over Tulane last week.
• Etou now has six double-doubles during conference play, tied with Cincinnati's Gary Clark for most in the circuit.
• Etou leads the team at 15.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg and those marks rank seventh and second in The American, respectively. His 9.5 rpg during conference play also rank second in the circuit.
• After averaging 1.6 ppg in his first five games, Corey Henderson Jr. is averaging 12.6 ppg in his last 18 contests and a team-leading 13.1 ppg during conference play.
• After posting a -4.5 rebound margin through its first six games, TU has recorded a +5.2 rebound margin since. TU has outrebounded its opponent by double-digits six times during that stretch, including last Thursday's win over Tulane.
• TU has notched 41 league wins since joining The American, which is tied with Temple for third behind only Cincinnati (53) and SMU (50) during that span (2014-present).
• 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 6 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, Feb. 15, when it will travel east to take on UConn at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
• Thursday's game can be seen on ESPNU, 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
• Thursday's game will mark the ninth all-time meeting between Tulsa and UConn. The programs have split the previous eight contests and TU is looking for its first win against the Huskies in Connecticut.
• The Golden Hurricane has dropped both contests against UConn at the XL Center. Both of those games were played in the 2014-15 season.
• Seven of the eight all-time meetings have come since TU joined the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2014-15 season.
Scouting the Huskies
• UConn will enter Thursday's game having lost four of its last five contests, with the lone win during that stretch coming against USF on Feb. 7.
• The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in The American preseason poll. The squad returns just one starter and five letterwinners from last year's team, which went 16-17 overall and tied for fifth in the league with a 9-9 mark.
• The Huskies are led by Jalen Adams (17.9 ppg) and Christian Vital (14.6 ppg), who rank third and 10th in the league in scoring, respectively. The duo ranks in the top four in scoring since the start of conference play (Adams: 17.6 ppg, 3rd; Vital: 16.6 ppg, 4th).
• The Huskies are shooting 40.9-percent for the season and 31.2-percent from behind the arc. UConn is the top free-throw shooting team in the conference hitting at a 75.4-percent clip from the charity stripe.
Last Meeting
• Corey Henderson Jr. scored a career-high 30 points and Tulsa hit a then-American Athletic Conference record 17 3-pointers to defeat UConn, 90-88, in double-overtime on Jan. 3 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Henderson Jr. hit eight 3-pointers, while Martins Igbanu (14 points/10 rebounds) and Junior Etou (10 points/10 rebounds) logged double-doubles. Freshman Elijah Joiner added a season-best 13 points off the bench.
• Henderson Jr. made two triples in the final 40 seconds of regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime.
• Tulsa held on at the end of the second overtime, when UConn missed three shots in the final 10 seconds.
Last Time Out
• Sterling Taplin scored 17 points to go along with a season-high eight assists and his basket with 8.2 seconds left in overtime lifted Tulsa to a 91-89 win over Tulane last Thursday night at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Taplin was one of five players in double-figures for the Golden Hurricane, who improved to 6-1 in overtime games under head coach Frank Haith (2-0 this season).
• Junior Etou recorded his third consecutive double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Martins Igbanu (17 points/9 rebounds) and Jaleel Wheeler (11 points/9 rebounds) also neared double-doubles.
• TU trailed by as much as a dozen with 16:30 to play and faced a 63-53 deficit with just 10:55 remaining before outscoring the Green Wave 18-8 over the next six minutes to tie the score at 71.
• Taplin hit four free throws in the final minute to help force overtime and his basket with 8.2 seconds left in the extra session just beat the shot clock and proved to be the difference in the game.
The Schedule
• Tulsa is coming off a tough January stretch that saw the the Golden Hurricane play five of its seven games against opponents that are currently ranked in the top 100 of the RPI, with three of those matchups against top-100 teams coming on the road.
• TU faced Wichita State (19), Houston (30), Temple (40), UConn (100) and Memphis (136) in January.
• February started with a victory over SMU (79) and the month also includes games against UCF (58), another matchup with UConn (100) and Cincinnati (6).
• TU head coach Frank Haith has dubbed the final nine games of the regular season (Feb. 1-March 4), "the back nine" and the Hurricane has started that stretch with three "birdies" (3-0).
Trending
• After averaging 1.6 ppg in his first five games, Corey Henderson Jr. is averaging 12.6 ppg in his last 19 contests and a team-leading 13.1 ppg during conference play.
• Junior Etou has produced three straight double-doubles for the first time in his career. His six double-doubles during The American play are tied with Cincinnati's Gary Clark for most in the circuit.
• Jaleel Wheeler has hit 26 of his last 33 free throws (.789) after starting the year 6-of-16 (.375) at the charity stripe. • TU is 53-7 under head coach Frank Haith when leading at halftime, including an 11-1 mark this season.
Henderson Dialing Long Distance
• Senior guard Corey Henderson Jr. is TU's top threat behind the arc and he will enter Thursday's matchup at UConn leading The American with 38 3-pointers (3.2 per game) during conference action.
• After hitting just two treys in the first five games of the season, Henderson Jr. has had at least two 3-pointers in 15 of the last 19 games. He has hit at least four triples in a game seven times, including five times since the start of conference play.
• He is the 10th player in TU history to record 50 or more triples in two or more consecutive seasons and this is the 12th consecutive season that at least one TU player has scored 50 or more 3-point field goals.
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 +5.2 margin (40.6-35.4) in its last 18 contests.
• TU has outrebounded six opponents (UTSA, Illinois State, Kansas State, Tulane [2x], USF) 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 8.5 rebounds per game, including a career-high 15 boards against Temple (Jan. 17) and SMU (Feb. 1). Martins Igbanu also has helped crash the glass at 6.1 rpg.
• The Hurricane is 11-2 this season when outrebounding its opponent.
Free Fallin'
• The Hurricane rank second in the league and 48th in the nation with 575 free throws attempted, while it leads the league and ranks 33rd in the country with 421 free throw makes.
• TU is connecting at a 73.2-percent mark at the charity stripe to rank third in The American.
• TU has shot more free throws than its opponent 18 times this season and own a 12-6 record in those games.
• Curran Scott leads the league by shooting 86.0-percent from the charity stripe.
• Junior Etou leads the team and ranks second in The American with 148 free throws attempted. In addition, his 105 free throws made rank third in the conference.
Tulsa 3 Party
• Tulsa hit a then-American Athletic Conference record 17 3-pointers in its Jan. 3 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 last hit 15 3-pointers against Jackson State on Dec. 17, 2009.
• 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.
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. Fans also have the option of a fixed donation and Haith started the Golden Hurricane campaign with a contribution of $500.
•So far, Tulsa has made 90 3-pointers in six games during the challenge, which started with a then-conference record 17 triples against UConn (Jan. 3).
Haith In His Fourth Season at TU
• Head coach Frank Haith is in his fourth season at Tulsa, where he has compiled a 72-50 record and made a pair of postseason appearances during his tenure. Overall, he has an on-court record of 277-179 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 has faced three other coaches on that list this season when TU matched 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 41 league wins, which is tied with Temple for the third-most in the circuit.
• Only Cincinnati (53 wins) and SMU (50 wins) have earned more victories than Tulsa's 41, which tops UConn (35) and Memphis (32) 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 (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg). Those marks rank seventh and second in the conference, respectively.
• Etou has scored in double-figures 21 times, including six games of at least 20 points. He has recorded seven double-doubles, six of which have come during conference play.
• Etou has been named the conference's Player of the Week twice (Jan. 2, Feb. 5) and to the league's weekly honor roll three times.
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 423 points (17.6 ppg), led by 175 points (9.7 ppg) from DaQuan Jeffries.
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 236-72 (.765) in its 19+ seasons, including an 10-2 mark this season.
• The building has seen 42 sellouts and 1,841,363 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 is averaging 10.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. 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
• The Golden Hurricane return to the friendly confines of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for a 2 p.m. matchup with USF (8-18, 1-12) on Sunday, Feb. 18.
The Golden Hurricane (14-10, 7-5), who has won three straight and four of the last five games, will enter Thursday's contest with the Huskies (12-13, 5-7) in fourth place in the American Athletic Conference standings.
Tulsa is coming off a thrilling 91-89 overtime win over Tulane last Thursday after erasing a 12-point second-half deficit. Junior Etou logged his third-consecutive double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Sterling Taplin scored 15 of his 17 points after halftime and hit the game-winner with 8.2 seconds left in overtime.
With a league-best six double-doubles in conference play, Etou is averaging 12.9 points and 9.5 rebounds, while Corey Henderson Jr. leads the way at 13.1 ppg.
Meanwhile, UConn will enter Thursday's game having lost four of its last five contests, with the lone win during that stretch coming against USF on Feb. 7. The Huskies are led by Jalen Adams (17.9 ppg) and Christian Vital (14.6 ppg), who rank third and 10th in the league in scoring, respectively. The duo ranks in the top four in scoring since the start of conference play (Adams: 17.6 ppg, 3rd; Vital: 16.6 ppg, 4th).
Thursday's game will mark the ninth all-time meeting between Tulsa and UConn. The programs have split the previous eight contests and TU is looking for its first win against the Huskies in Connecticut.
Fast Break Points
• Tulsa is in its 107th season of basketball and fourth season in the American Athletic Conference.
• Tulsa will head east to take on UConn at 6 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, Feb. 15, at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
• Tulsa and UConn have split the previous eight meetings and the Hurricane will be in search of its first-ever win over the Huskies in Connecticut.
• TU won the earlier meeting this season, 90-88, in double-overtime on Jan. 3 in Tulsa.
• Tulsa is coming off a 91-89 overtime win over Tulane last Thursday night. Sterling Taplin scored 15 of his 17 points after halftime and hit the game winning shot with 8.2 seconds left in overtime.
• Junior Etou was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll after he scored 19 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in Tulsa's win over Tulane last week.
• Etou now has six double-doubles during conference play, tied with Cincinnati's Gary Clark for most in the circuit.
• Etou leads the team at 15.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg and those marks rank seventh and second in The American, respectively. His 9.5 rpg during conference play also rank second in the circuit.
• After averaging 1.6 ppg in his first five games, Corey Henderson Jr. is averaging 12.6 ppg in his last 18 contests and a team-leading 13.1 ppg during conference play.
• After posting a -4.5 rebound margin through its first six games, TU has recorded a +5.2 rebound margin since. TU has outrebounded its opponent by double-digits six times during that stretch, including last Thursday's win over Tulane.
• TU has notched 41 league wins since joining The American, which is tied with Temple for third behind only Cincinnati (53) and SMU (50) during that span (2014-present).
• 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 6 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, Feb. 15, when it will travel east to take on UConn at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
• Thursday's game can be seen on ESPNU, 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
• Thursday's game will mark the ninth all-time meeting between Tulsa and UConn. The programs have split the previous eight contests and TU is looking for its first win against the Huskies in Connecticut.
• The Golden Hurricane has dropped both contests against UConn at the XL Center. Both of those games were played in the 2014-15 season.
• Seven of the eight all-time meetings have come since TU joined the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2014-15 season.
Scouting the Huskies
• UConn will enter Thursday's game having lost four of its last five contests, with the lone win during that stretch coming against USF on Feb. 7.
• The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in The American preseason poll. The squad returns just one starter and five letterwinners from last year's team, which went 16-17 overall and tied for fifth in the league with a 9-9 mark.
• The Huskies are led by Jalen Adams (17.9 ppg) and Christian Vital (14.6 ppg), who rank third and 10th in the league in scoring, respectively. The duo ranks in the top four in scoring since the start of conference play (Adams: 17.6 ppg, 3rd; Vital: 16.6 ppg, 4th).
• The Huskies are shooting 40.9-percent for the season and 31.2-percent from behind the arc. UConn is the top free-throw shooting team in the conference hitting at a 75.4-percent clip from the charity stripe.
Last Meeting
• Corey Henderson Jr. scored a career-high 30 points and Tulsa hit a then-American Athletic Conference record 17 3-pointers to defeat UConn, 90-88, in double-overtime on Jan. 3 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Henderson Jr. hit eight 3-pointers, while Martins Igbanu (14 points/10 rebounds) and Junior Etou (10 points/10 rebounds) logged double-doubles. Freshman Elijah Joiner added a season-best 13 points off the bench.
• Henderson Jr. made two triples in the final 40 seconds of regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime.
• Tulsa held on at the end of the second overtime, when UConn missed three shots in the final 10 seconds.
Last Time Out
• Sterling Taplin scored 17 points to go along with a season-high eight assists and his basket with 8.2 seconds left in overtime lifted Tulsa to a 91-89 win over Tulane last Thursday night at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Taplin was one of five players in double-figures for the Golden Hurricane, who improved to 6-1 in overtime games under head coach Frank Haith (2-0 this season).
• Junior Etou recorded his third consecutive double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Martins Igbanu (17 points/9 rebounds) and Jaleel Wheeler (11 points/9 rebounds) also neared double-doubles.
• TU trailed by as much as a dozen with 16:30 to play and faced a 63-53 deficit with just 10:55 remaining before outscoring the Green Wave 18-8 over the next six minutes to tie the score at 71.
• Taplin hit four free throws in the final minute to help force overtime and his basket with 8.2 seconds left in the extra session just beat the shot clock and proved to be the difference in the game.
The Schedule
• Tulsa is coming off a tough January stretch that saw the the Golden Hurricane play five of its seven games against opponents that are currently ranked in the top 100 of the RPI, with three of those matchups against top-100 teams coming on the road.
• TU faced Wichita State (19), Houston (30), Temple (40), UConn (100) and Memphis (136) in January.
• February started with a victory over SMU (79) and the month also includes games against UCF (58), another matchup with UConn (100) and Cincinnati (6).
• TU head coach Frank Haith has dubbed the final nine games of the regular season (Feb. 1-March 4), "the back nine" and the Hurricane has started that stretch with three "birdies" (3-0).
Trending
• After averaging 1.6 ppg in his first five games, Corey Henderson Jr. is averaging 12.6 ppg in his last 19 contests and a team-leading 13.1 ppg during conference play.
• Junior Etou has produced three straight double-doubles for the first time in his career. His six double-doubles during The American play are tied with Cincinnati's Gary Clark for most in the circuit.
• Jaleel Wheeler has hit 26 of his last 33 free throws (.789) after starting the year 6-of-16 (.375) at the charity stripe. • TU is 53-7 under head coach Frank Haith when leading at halftime, including an 11-1 mark this season.
Henderson Dialing Long Distance
• Senior guard Corey Henderson Jr. is TU's top threat behind the arc and he will enter Thursday's matchup at UConn leading The American with 38 3-pointers (3.2 per game) during conference action.
• After hitting just two treys in the first five games of the season, Henderson Jr. has had at least two 3-pointers in 15 of the last 19 games. He has hit at least four triples in a game seven times, including five times since the start of conference play.
• He is the 10th player in TU history to record 50 or more triples in two or more consecutive seasons and this is the 12th consecutive season that at least one TU player has scored 50 or more 3-point field goals.
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 +5.2 margin (40.6-35.4) in its last 18 contests.
• TU has outrebounded six opponents (UTSA, Illinois State, Kansas State, Tulane [2x], USF) 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 8.5 rebounds per game, including a career-high 15 boards against Temple (Jan. 17) and SMU (Feb. 1). Martins Igbanu also has helped crash the glass at 6.1 rpg.
• The Hurricane is 11-2 this season when outrebounding its opponent.
Free Fallin'
• The Hurricane rank second in the league and 48th in the nation with 575 free throws attempted, while it leads the league and ranks 33rd in the country with 421 free throw makes.
• TU is connecting at a 73.2-percent mark at the charity stripe to rank third in The American.
• TU has shot more free throws than its opponent 18 times this season and own a 12-6 record in those games.
• Curran Scott leads the league by shooting 86.0-percent from the charity stripe.
• Junior Etou leads the team and ranks second in The American with 148 free throws attempted. In addition, his 105 free throws made rank third in the conference.
Tulsa 3 Party
• Tulsa hit a then-American Athletic Conference record 17 3-pointers in its Jan. 3 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 last hit 15 3-pointers against Jackson State on Dec. 17, 2009.
• 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.
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. Fans also have the option of a fixed donation and Haith started the Golden Hurricane campaign with a contribution of $500.
•So far, Tulsa has made 90 3-pointers in six games during the challenge, which started with a then-conference record 17 triples against UConn (Jan. 3).
Haith In His Fourth Season at TU
• Head coach Frank Haith is in his fourth season at Tulsa, where he has compiled a 72-50 record and made a pair of postseason appearances during his tenure. Overall, he has an on-court record of 277-179 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 has faced three other coaches on that list this season when TU matched 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 41 league wins, which is tied with Temple for the third-most in the circuit.
• Only Cincinnati (53 wins) and SMU (50 wins) have earned more victories than Tulsa's 41, which tops UConn (35) and Memphis (32) 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 (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg). Those marks rank seventh and second in the conference, respectively.
• Etou has scored in double-figures 21 times, including six games of at least 20 points. He has recorded seven double-doubles, six of which have come during conference play.
• Etou has been named the conference's Player of the Week twice (Jan. 2, Feb. 5) and to the league's weekly honor roll three times.
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 423 points (17.6 ppg), led by 175 points (9.7 ppg) from DaQuan Jeffries.
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 236-72 (.765) in its 19+ seasons, including an 10-2 mark this season.
• The building has seen 42 sellouts and 1,841,363 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 is averaging 10.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. 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
• The Golden Hurricane return to the friendly confines of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for a 2 p.m. matchup with USF (8-18, 1-12) on Sunday, Feb. 18.
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