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Tulsa vs. No. 23 SMU: MBB Game 23 Preview
2/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2015TULSA, Okla. - The Tulsa men's basketball team returns home for an American Athletic Conference showdown against No. 23 SMU at 7 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
The Golden Hurricane (17-5, 10-0 American) is coming off of a 57-44 victory at Houston on Thursday. TU enters Saturday's contest on a 12-game win streak, and is 9-2 at home this season. The Mustangs (18-5, 9-2 American) won eight straight games before its 62-54 defeat to Cincinnati on Thursday.
TULSA (17-5, 10-0 American) vs. SMU (18-5, 9-2 American)
Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 • 7:05 p.m. • Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355)
TV: ESPNU (Jason Benetti and Tim Welsh) and WatchESPN
Radio: News 102.3 and AM 740 KRMG and the Golden Hurricane Radio Network (Bruce Howard and Rick Couri)
Internet: Live Audio on Hurricane Vision
Live Stats: www.TulsaHurricane.com
Twitter: @TUMBasketball | @TulsaHurricane
Instagram: TulsaMBasketball
The Coaches
Tulsa: Frank Haith (Elon '88) Career Record: 222-134 (11th year) | Record at Tulsa: 17-5 (first year)
SMU: Larry Brown (North Carolina, '63)
Career Record: 232-92 (10th year) | Record at SMU: 60-32 (third year)
The Series
This is the 45th meeting between Tulsa and SMU. Tulsa leads the series, 30-14. The teams split their last meetings in 2012-13, with each team winning on the road. Tulsa won 48-47 in Dallas, and SMU won later that year, 71-65, in Tulsa. The teams have split each of the last six meetings, with each team winning on the road since 2011. Tulsa won in Dallas in 2011, 74-66, and in 2012, 66-60, while SMU won in Tulsa, 59-58 in 2011, and 57-55 in 2012. The Golden Hurricane won 10 in a row in the series from 2005-10. Since 1997, when TU and SMU began playing as conference mates, the Hurricane is 25-10 against the Mustangs. Each of the last eight meetings has been decided by eight points or fewer. The first meeting came in 1920, a 20-18 Tulsa win in Dallas. TU is 11-7 all-time against SMU in Tulsa.
About SMU
The Mustangs are led in scoring by Nic Moore, who averages 14.2 points and 5.4 assists per game. Yanick Moreira averages 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds, and Markus Kennedy puts up 11.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. SMU averages 69.4 points and 36.8 rebounds per game, shooting .486 from the field and 36 percent from 3-point range. The Mustangs allow 58.9 points and 29.1 rebounds, a .381 field goal percentage, and a .317 3-point shooting percentage.
Quick Hits
• Tulsa averages 66.8 points and 37.4 rebounds, and a .429 field goal percentage and .317 3-point percentage. TU allows opponents 60.5 points and 33.3 rebounds per game, and a .394 field goal percentage and a .335 3-point shooting percentage.
• Tulsa defeated Houston, 57-44, on Thursday. D'Andre Wright led the Golden Hurricane with 13 points, and Rashad Smith recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Rashad Ray and James Woodard each scored 11 points, and Marquel Curtis tallied eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. TU held UH to 10 points and a .125 field goal percentage in the second half.
• Tulsa received votes in the national top-25 polls for the second straight week on Feb. 3. The Hurricane received eight votes in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll.
• This is the first meeting between Tulsa and SMU with one team ranked in the national top-25 since March 4, 2000 in Dallas. TU was ranked No. 15 in the AP poll at the time.
• In conference play, Tulsa is outscoring opponents by an average of 66.8-56.9. The Hurricane has shot .434 from the field, while holding opponents to a .388 field goal percentage, and has outrebounded opponents by a 37.5-32.9 margin.
• In conference games, Tulsa ranks third in The American in scoring defense (56.9 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.388). Shaquille Harrison ranks third in league games with 15.2 points per game, and Woodard ranks fourth with 15.1 points per game. Harrison averages 2.0 steals per conference game, ranking first in the league.
• Woodard has moved into the top-20 in Tulsa career scoring. He ranks 20th with 1,239 points in 88 career games (14.1 average). Shaquille Harrison ranks ninth with 157 career steals, and Brandon Swannegan is sixth at TU with 104 career blocks.
• Tulsa's 10-0 start in conference play is its best since the 1968-69 team started league play 10-0. The 17-5 record is also TU's best 22-game record since the 2009-10 team posted an 18-4 record in its first 22 contests.
• Tulsa's 17-5 record under first-year head coach Frank Haith is the program's best record through 22 games in a head coach's first season since 2001-02 when TU started 18-4 in John Phillips' first year.
• Over the course of its 12-game win streak, the Hurricane has outscored opponents 68.2-57.2. TU has shot .441 from the field, held opponents to .384 from the field, and outrebounded foes, 37.9-33.0.
• Tulsa has won seven straight road contests this season, including six in conference play. It is just the second time a TU team has won seven consecutive road games in a season.
• The Hurricane is 13-0 when leading at halftime, 14-0 when it out-shoots its opponent, and 14-0 when it holds opponents to fewer than 65 points.
• Tulsa has held 20 of its 22 opponents this season under 50 percent shooting from the field, and 52 of its last 56 opponents, dating back to last year. TU has also held 11 opponents below 40 percent shooting. Only Oklahoma State (11/26) and USF (1/31) have shot 50 percent or better from the field against TU this season.
• The Hurricane has won 21 straight games against conference opponents (including conference tournament), dating back to last season. That is the longest streak in program history. It has also won 18 straight regular season conference games -the best streak in school history.
#TulsaMBB | #TUnited
