Tulsa vs. Tulane: MBB Game 21 Preview

TULSA (13-7, 5-3 American) vs. TULANE (8-14, 1-8 American)
Date/Time:	Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 • 5:05 p.m.
Site:	Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355)
Coaches:	Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88) – 36-18, 2nd year Tulane – Ed Conroy (The Citadel '89) – 88-95, 6th year
TV:	ESPNU (Alex Faust and Brooke Weisbrod)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard and J.R. Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Tulsa leads, 15-5
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Tulane

TULSA, Okla. – The Tulsa men's basketball team returns home to the Donald W. Reynolds Center to play host to American Athletic Conference foe Tulane at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The Golden Hurricane is 13-7 overall and 5-3 in The American, while the Green Wave is 8-14, overall and 1-8 in league play. The Hurricane has won five of its last six games, including an 81-67 win over Tulane on Jan. 10.

The Tulsa coaches will wear sneakers on the bench Saturday as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers Week. In addition, the coaches will wear gold shoelaces, participating in Princess Lacey's Laces.

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

The Series
This will be the 21st meeting between Tulsa and Tulane. Tulsa leads the series, 15-5. The Golden Hurricane has won six in a row in the series, including an 81-67 win at Tulane on Jan. 10. Tulsa won both meetings last season – 62-55 in New Orleans, and 76-55 in Tulsa. The last Green Wave win was 75-72 in New Orleans in 2013. The Hurricane has won 11 of the last 12 meetings, including five straight from 2010-12. Tulane won three in a row from 2007-09, including a pair of overtime games in 2008 (67-65 in Tulsa) and 2009 (76-75 in New Orleans). The Hurricane is 8-1 all-time against Tulane in Tulsa.

Suits & Sneakers and Princess Lacey's Laces
The Tulsa coaching staff is participating in the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week, and will wear sneakers on the bench in Saturday's game against Tulane. In addition, the Hurricane coaches will #LaceUpforLacey and wear gold shoelaces in support of Princess Lacey's Laces.

About Tulane
Tulane averages 65.0 points and 38.5 rebounds per game, as well as a .401 field goal and .297 3-point percentage, while allowing 68.6 ppg, 35.8 rpg, a .421 field goal and a .351 3-point percentage. Louis Dabney averages 12.9 points and 2.3 assists per game, and Malik Morgan adds 11.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. Dylan Osetkowski puts up 10.7 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds per outing.

Tulsa Statistical Leaders
Shaquille Harrison leads the Golden Hurricane with 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game, scoring 15.6 points, while James Woodard leads the team with a 16.5 ppg average. He adds 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 3-pointers per game. Pat Birt adds 9.8 points, Rashad Smith scores 7.3 points, and Marquel Curtis puts up 6.3 points and 2.3 assists per outing. Tulsa averages 73.4 ppg, 34.8 rpg, a .435 field goal percentage, .325 3-point pct. and a .665 free throw pct. The Hurricane allows opponents 68.4 ppg, 37.2 rpg, a .415 field goal pct. and a .350 3-point pct.

Quick Hits
• Tulsa has won five of its last six games, including an 81-67 win at Tulane on Jan. 10.
• Tulsa fell at Houston, 81-66, on Wednesday. Pat Birt scored 16 points and Shaquille Harrison had 15 points to lead the Golden Hurricane. James Woodard scored 10 points, and Rashad Smith tallied seven points and eight rebounds.
• Through 20 games this season, Tulsa has a 1.3 assist/turnover ratio. TU has totaled 273 assists to 210 turnovers. In 2014-15 through 20 games, the Hurricane had 207 assists-233 turnovers–0.9 ratio.
• James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison make up the top scoring duo in the American Athletic Conference, averaging a combined 32.1 points per game and 43 percent of the team's total points.
• 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 4-2 on the road this season.
• Rashad Ray has a 3.7 assist-turnover ratio this season (45 assists to 13 turnovers). For his career, Ray has a 1.8 assist-turnover ratio, including a 2.5 ratio over his last three years (228 assists to 93 turnovers).
• Harrison ranks 25^th in the nation in steals (2.1 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 1,718 points, and fifth with 237 career 3-pointers. He needs three threes to match Marcus Hill (1997-01) for fourth place, and needs 105 points to match Tracy Moore (1984-88) for fourth place.
     Harrison ranks third at TU with 226 career steals, and fourth with 404 career assists. He needs 45 steals to match Steve Harris (1981-85) for second place (271), and 21 assists to match Ben Uzoh (2006-10) for third place (425).
     Brandon Swannegan has 135 career blocks, ranking fifth in TU history. He needs one block to match Eric Coley (1996-00) for fourth place.

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Tulsa vs. Tulane: MBB Game 21 Preview

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Players Mentioned

Pat Birt

Marquel Curtis

Shaquille Harrison

Rashad Ray

Rashad Smith

Brandon Swannegan

James Woodard