Tulsa vs. Missouri State: MBB Game 10 Preview

TULSA (6-3) vs. MISSOURI STATE (3-5)
Date/Time:	Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015 • 2 p.m.
Site:	JQH Arena (11,000)
Coaches:	Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88) – 29-14, 2nd year Missouri State – Paul Lusk (Southern Illinois '95) – 61-76, 5th year
TV:	ESPN3.com (Don West and Kelby Stuckey)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard and J.R. Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Missouri State leads, 21-19
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Missouri State

TULSA, Okla. – The Tulsa men's basketball team hits the road to take on Missouri State at 2 p.m. Sunday at JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo.

The Golden Hurricane (6-3) is coming off a 90-81 home win over Iona on Tuesday. The Bears (3-5) have won two games in a row – 64-63 at Oklahoma State, and 88-74 at home over IUPUI on Thursday. This is Tulsa's second road game of the season; it won at Oklahoma State, 66-56, on Dec. 2.

The game will be broadcast on Big Country 99.5 FM and the Golden Hurricane Radio Network, and televised on ESPN3.com.

The Series
This will be the 41st meeting between Tulsa and Missouri State. Missouri State leads the series 21-19. The Golden Hurricane defeated the Bears last season in Tulsa, 74-70. The schools have played every year since resuming the series in 2008, and the home team has won each of the seven games in that time. Tulsa's last win in Springfield came in 2002, a 62-46 victory. MSU has won three games at home since then, by an average of 5.3 points. Tulsa is 6-14 all-time against the Bears in Springfield.

About Missouri State
The Bears have won two in a row and three of four since dropping their first four games of the season. Missouri State averages 70.0 points and 38.0 rebounds per game, as well as a .415 field goal and .304 3-point percentage, while allowing 74.1 ppg, 34.6 rpg, a .457 field goal and a .401 3-point percentage. Camyn Boone averages 13.8 points per game to lead three players in double figures for MSU, and also leads the Bears with 6.5 rebounds. Chris Kendrix averages 12.5 points and Dequon Miller adds 11.0 points per outing. Dorrian Williams averages 4.1 assists and 7.5 points per game.

Tulsa Statistical Leaders
Shaquille Harrison leads the Golden Hurricane with 19.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. James Woodard averages 16.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.7 3-pointers per game. Pat Birt and Marquel Curtis average 9.2 and 8.6 points off the bench, respectively, and Curtis leads TU with 2.7 assists per contest. Tulsa averages 76.8 ppg, 35.2 rpg, a .448 field goal percentage, .355 3-point pct. and a .685 free throw pct. The Hurricane allows opponents 72.1 ppg, 34.1 rpg, a .430 field goal pct. and a .381 3-point pct.

Quick Hits
• After playing three games in seven days to open December, Tulsa took a four-day break before its Dec. 13 game at Missouri State. TU will follow that with five days off before playing Oregon State on Dec. 19 in Portland, Ore.
• Tulsa defeated Iona, 90-81, on Tuesday at the Reynolds Center. All nine TU players that played scored in the game, led by Shaquille Harrison's 24 points, James Woodard's 21 points, and Pat Birt and Rashad Ray's 10 points apiece.
• The Hurricane is 1-0 on the road this season, with a win at Oklahoma State on Dec. 2
• Harrison ranks second in the NCAA in getting to the free throw line. He has 101 attempts (11.2 per game), and ranks fifth in made free throws (63). As a team, the Golden Hurricane ranks eighth in the NCAA in free throw attempts with 254 (28.2 per game) and 19th in made free throws with 174.
• The Tulsa bench averages 26.2 points per game, and has accounted for 34 percent of the team's total points this season. The Hurricane is led by Marquel Curtis (8.6 ppg) and Pat Birt (9.1) off the bench. Brandon Swannegan contributes 5.6 points per game off the bench.
• Harrison is on the 2016 Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Early Season Watch List, released by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Dec. 2
• 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.
• Woodard ranks seventh in TU career scoring with 1,553 points, and sixth with 208 career 3-pointers. He needs 24 points to match Kevin Johnson (1999-03) for sixth place.
• Harrison ranks fourth at TU with 204 career steals, and fifth with 350 career assists. He needs 18 steals to match Shea Seals (1993-97) for fourth place.
• Brandon Swannegan has 128 career blocks, ranking fifth in TU history. He needs eight blocks to match Eric Coley (1996-00) for fourth place.
• Harrison was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 23. TU nabbed the first two conference weekly honors of the season. Woodard won the award on Nov. 16.
• Tulsa is playing this season with nine seniors – the most seniors on one roster in the country.
• The Hurricane returned 97 percent of its scoring and 98 percent of its minutes to the team in 2015-16 – one of only five schools in the country to return at least 90 percent of its scoring and minutes this year.
• The Golden Hurricane is in its second season as a member of the American Athletic Conference.
• 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.

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Tulsa vs. Missouri State: MBB Game 10 Preview

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Players Mentioned

Pat Birt

Marquel Curtis

Shaquille Harrison

Rashad Ray

Brandon Swannegan

James Woodard