Tulsa vs. Houston: MBB Game 20 Preview

Wednesday, January 27

Houston, Texas

7:00 p.m.

Tulsa

Houston

Tulsa vs. Houston: MBB Game 20 Preview

1/26/2016 5:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Eric Hollier

TULSA (13-6, 5-2 American) at HOUSTON (13-6, 3-4 American)
Date/Time:	Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 • 7:01 p.m.
Site:	Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479)
Coaches:	Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88) – 36-17, 2nd year Houston – Kelvin Sampson (UNC Pembroke '78) – 26-25, 2nd year
TV:	ESPNe ws (Mark Neely and Mark Wise)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard and J.R. Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Tulsa leads, 26-21
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Houston

TULSA, Okla. – The Tulsa men's basketball team travels to take on Houston at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Hofheinz Pavilion.

The Golden Hurricane is 13-6 overall and 5-2 in The American, and on a five-game winning streak, while the Cougars are 13-6 overall and 3-4 in conference play after losing four straight.

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

The Series
This will be the 48th meeting between Tulsa and Houston . Tulsa leads the series, 26-21. The Golden Hurricane has won six in a row in the series since 2012, and 10 of the last 12 since 2008. TU won all three meeting last season, defeating UH, 72-54 in Tulsa, 57-44 in Houston, and 59-51 in the American Conference Tournament in Hartford, Conn. The Hurricane is 10-5 against UH since 2006. The teams played each year from 1950-51 to 1959-60 as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. Tulsa won the first two meetings in 1951, 50-45 in Houston, and, 60-44 in Tulsa. TU is 10-12 all-time against UH in Houston.

About Houston
Houston averages 77.5 points and 39.2 rebounds per game, as well as a .455 field goal and .328 3-point percentage, while allowing 67.8 ppg, 35.2 rpg, a .417 field goal and a .287 3-point percentage. Rob Gray Jr. leads the Cougars with 16.6 points per game, and Devonta Pollard averages 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. Damyean Dotson adds 11.7 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds, and Ronnie Johnson puts up 10.8 points per outing.

Tulsa Statistical Leaders
Shaquille Harrison leads the Golden Hurricane with 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game, scoring 15.6 points, while James Woodard leads the team with a 16.9 ppg average. He adds 5.2 rebounds and 2.9 3-pointers per game. Pat Birt adds 9.5 points, Rashad Smith scores 7.3 points, and Marquel Curtis puts up 6.3 points and 2.3 assists per outing. Tulsa averages 73.8 ppg, 34.6 rpg, a .442 field goal percentage, .338 3-point pct. and a .664 free throw pct. The Hurricane allows opponents 67.8 ppg, 36.6 rpg, a .412 field goal pct. and a .351 3-point pct.

Quick Hits
• Tulsa has won five games in a row its longest winning streak of the season, and the longest since it won 12 straight games in 2014-15.
• Tulsa defeated UCF, 75-60, on Sunday. James Woodard led the Golden Hurricane with 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, Brandon Swannegan recorded a career-high 17 points with eight rebounds, and Rashad Ray and Pat Birt each scored 12 points.
• Over the course of its five-game winning streak, Tulsa has allowed opponents just 58.0 points per game and a .380 field goal percentage and .261 3-point percentage – 9.0 points below its defensive scoring average for the season.
• James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison make up the top scoring duo in the American Athletic Conference, averaging a combined 31.6 points per game and 43 percent of the team's total points.
• In its last two road games at Tulane (Jan. 10) and East Carolina (Jan. 19), Tulsa has averaged 82.5 points, and made 55 percent of its field goals (61-111) and 57 percent of its 3-pointers (27-47). TU has made 27 3-pointers, including 13 by Pat Birt and nine by James Woodard. Birt has averaged 23.5 points and a .619 3PT percentage, while Woodard has averaged 21.5 points and a .750 3PT percentage.
• Through 19 games this season, Tulsa has a 1.3 assist/turnover ratio. TU has totaled 266 assists to 205 turnovers. In 2014-15 through 19 games, the Hurricane had 200 assists-219 turnovers–0.9 ratio.
• Tulsa has had two players score 20 points in the same game four times this season – James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison each did so twice, and Woodard and Pat Birt paired up to score 20 points apiece on two occasions. This is the first time since 2001-02 that TU has had four games in a season in which two players have scored at least 20 points in the same game
• Tulsa is 4-1 on the road this season.
• Rashad Ray has a 3.7 assist-turnover ratio this season (44 assists to 12 turnovers). For his career, Ray has a 1.8 assist-turnover ratio, including a 2.5 ratio over his last three years (227 assists to 92 turnovers).
• Harrison ranks 23^rd in the nation in steals (2.2 spg).
• The Hurricane has scored 90 points in four games so far this season. It is the most 90-point games since 2013-14, when Tulsa scored 90 points five times, and is the second-most since 2000-01.
• Harrison is on the 2016 Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Early Season Watch List, from the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
• 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.
• TU nabbed the first two American Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards of the season. Woodard won the award on Nov. 16, and Harrison received the honor on Nov. 23.
• Tulsa is playing this season with nine seniors – the most seniors on one roster in the country.
• 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.

Tulsa Career Top-10 Rankings
     James Woodard ranks fifth in TU career scoring with 1,708 points, and fifth with 237 career 3-pointers. He needs three threes to match Marcus Hill (1997-01) for fourth place, and needs 115 points to match Tracy Moore (1984-88) for fourth place.
     Harrison ranks third at TU with 225 career steals, and fourth with 401 career assists. He needs 46 steals to match Steve Harris (1981-85) for second place (271), and 24 assists to match Ben Uzoh (2006-10) for third place (425).
     Brandon Swannegan has 134 career blocks, ranking fifth in TU history. He needs two blocks to match Eric Coley (1996-00) for fourth place.

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