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Tulsa, Marshall Battle in Huntington Tonight
2/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2010
Huntington, WV - The Tulsa basketball team is in a key Conference USA math-up tonight as the Golden Hurricane tries to sweep the season series against the Marshall Thundering Herd at the Cam Henderson Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm (ET)/6:00 pm (CT).
Tulsa comes into the game with an overall 19-5 record and 8-3 C-USA record, while the Herd is 18-7 on the season and 6-4 in league action.
The Hurricane won the first meeting this year on Feb. 3rd in Tulsa, battling back from a 15-point deficit to claim a 73-69 victory.
Marshall has posted a 12-2 home record, with the only losses coming in back-to-back games against UAB by two points and Memphis by three points. The Herd has won its' last three contests, including an 81-74 road win at UAB on Saturday night.
The Herd is led by 6'8" senior Tyler Wilkerson, who averages 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds, and 7'0" freshman center Hassan Whiteside. Wilkerson had 27 points in the first game against the Hurricane. Whiteside averages 13.0 points and 8.8 rebounds, while leading the nation with 5.2 blocks per game. He had 10 points, one rebound and five blocks in the first game this year.
Marshall's backcourt is a seasoned and athletic group with 5'10 Damier Pitts and a pair of 6'3" guards Chris Lutz and Shaquille Johnson. Pitts scores at a 10.2 clip and has a team-high 4.7 assists, while Johnson averages 10.7 points. Lutz is the Herd's top three-point shooter, connecting on 47 treys for 45.6 percent.
For the Hurricane, 7'0" senior Jerome Jordan had his fifth double-double of the season in the first meeting against the Herd, as he tallied 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Jordan totals 15.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks this year.
Senior guard Ben Uzoh had a team-leading 15.6 points and 4.5 assists, while adding 5.0 rebounds per game. Junior guard Justin Hurtt averages 13.9 points and scored 18 points in the first game against Marshall, while 6'10" sophomore Steven Idlet had a double-double in the first meeting with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The game can be heard on KRMG Radio 740 AM/FM 102.3 in the Tulsa area, and online at TulsaHurricane.com.
The Hurricane will return home for a Saturday afternoon game against the first-place UTEP Miners. Tip-off is at 3:00 pm at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Legendary Tulsa coach Nolan Richardson will be signing his new book "Forty Minutes of Hell: The Extraordinary Life of Nolan Richardson" beginning at 1:30 pm on the concourse level.
