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Associated Press Ranks Tulsa in Preseason Top-25 Poll
11/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2002
New York, NY - The University of Tulsa men's basketball team appears in the Associated Press top-25 preseason poll, it was announced today.
The last appearance for Tulsa in the Associated Press poll was 18th on March 13, 2000, the final AP poll for the 1999-2000 campaign. The Hurricane last appeared in the preseason AP rankings back in the 1981-82 season when Tulsa earned a ranking of 11th. The Hurricane ended that season with a 24-6 record and ranked 10th nationally.
Arizona is ranked No. 1, followed by Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Pittsburgh rounding out the top-five teams. Tulsa will face No. 2 Kansas on Dec. 11 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center on the TU campus.
Tulsa finished the 2001-02 season with a 27-7 record and won a share of the Western Athletic Conference regular season title. The Hurricane defeated Marquette in the NCAA first round, before losing to Kentucky in second round action.
This year the Hurricane returns seven letterwinners and four starters. Among the seven lettermen, five are seniors who have been a part of 85 career victories. The seniors include preseason all-WAC selections Kevin Johnson, Dante Swanson and Antonio Reed, and Charlie Davis and Marqus Ledoux.
Tulsa returns 78-percent of its scoring and 80-percent of its rebounding from last year. The Hurricane open the 2002-03 regular season against New Mexico State at the South Padre Classic, Nov. 23.
The first regular-season poll will be released Nov. 18.
