TU Set for Havoc in the Heartland Matchup with No. 5 Wichita State

Saturday, January 13

Reynolds Center

6:30 PM

Tulsa

Wichita State

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Photo by: Dave Crenshaw

TU Set for Havoc in the Heartland Matchup with No. 5 Wichita State

1/12/2018 1:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

GAME #18: TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE (10-7, 3-2) vs. WICHITA STATE SHOCKERS (14-2, 4-0)
Date/Time:	Saturday • Jan. 13 • 6:30 p.m.
Site:	Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355) • Tulsa, Okla.
Coaches:	Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88), 4th year Wichita State – Gregg Marshall (Randolph Macon '85), 11th year
TV:	ESPNU (Drew Fellios and Mark Wise)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard and J.R. Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Wichita State leads, 65-61
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Wichita State

TULSA, Okla. — After back-to-back road games, Tulsa returns to the Donald W. Reynolds Center for a 6:30 p.m. matchup on Saturday, Jan. 13, against No. 5 Wichita State in the first-ever Havoc in the Heartland men's basketball game.

The Golden Hurricane (10-7, 3-2) got a career-high 27 points out of sophomore Martins Igbanu in Thursday's game at Houston. The Lagos, Nigeria, native is averaging 18.3 points and 6.8 rebounds over his last four games and his 15.6 ppg during American Athletic Conference play leads the team. TU will look to improve to 8-1 at home this season and remain unbeaten during the month of January (12-0) since joining The American.

Meanwhile, the Shockers (14-2, 4-0) are riding a season-best six-game winning streak after a 95-60 win at ECU on Thursday. WSU returns 12 letterwinners and all five starters from last year's team that went 31-5 and won the Missouri Valley Conference. Landry Shamet leads the team at 15.8 points and 5.1 assists per game.

Wichita State leads the all-time series, 65-61, but TU holds a 35-27 lead in Tulsa. The Hurricane took a 77-67 win over the ninth-ranked Shockers on Nov. 17, 2015, in the last matchup at the Reynolds Center.

In August 2017, the schools announced the creation of a rivalry series that spans 13 varsity sports and the name "Havoc in the Heartland" won a fan vote. Points are awarded for head-to-head regular-season victories in volleyball, basketball and softball or a higher finish at conference championships in cross country, tennis, track & field and women's golf. A trophy will be awarded to the school with the most points at the end of each Academic Year. The annual Graduation Success Rate will be used as a tiebreaker.

TU currently leads the series, 15-6, via a women's basketball victory (3pts), along with the Golden Hurricane men's and women's cross country teams finishing higher at the American Athletic Conference Championships (6pts each). WSU's six points come from two victories in volleyball (3pts each).

Fast Break Points
• Tulsa is in its 107th season of basketball and fourth season in the American Athletic Conference.
• Tulsa's tough January stretch continues at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, when it will host No. 5 Wichita State at the Reynolds Center in the first-ever Havoc in the Heartland men's basketball game.
• Saturday's game will be the first conference game between Tulsa and Wichita State since 1996, when the two were members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
• WSU leads the all-time series, 65-61, but TU owns a 35-27 edge in Tulsa. TU defeated the ninth-ranked Shockers on Nov. 17, 2015, in the last meeting at the Reynolds Center.
• TU has faced WSU more than any other opponent in program history. The series dates back to a 32-30 TU victory back on Dec. 20, 1930, in Wichita.
• Senior guard Corey Henderson Jr. was named to The American Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after he averaged 19.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg last week. Henderson Jr. hit 11 3-pointers, including eight triples on his way to a career-high 30 points against UConn.
• Martins Igbanu is coming off a career-high 27 points in Thursday's game at Houston. The sophomore is averaging 18.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game over his last four outings. His 15.6 ppg during league action leads TU.
• After posting a -4.5 rebound margin through its first six games, TU has recorded a +7.0 rebound margin since. TU has outrebounded its opponent by double digits four times during that stretch.
• TU has notched 37 league wins since joining The American, which ranks third behind only SMU (47) and Cincinnati (44) during that span (2014-present).
• Tulsa was picked to finish eighth in The American Preseason Poll. TU has finished better than its preseason prediction in all three previous seasons under head coach Frank Haith.

The Game
• Tulsa will continue American Athletic Conference play at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, when it will host No. 5 Wichita State in the first-ever Havoc in the Heartland men's basketball game.
• Saturday's game can be seen on ESPNU, while fans in the Tulsa area can tune to Big Country 99.5 FM with Bruce Howard and former Hurricane player J.R. Rollo calling the action. Live audio from the game also can be found on tulsahurricane.com or by using the TuneIn app.

The Series
• Saturday's game will mark the 127th all-time meeting between Tulsa and Wichita State, with the Shockers holding a 65-61 edge in the series. TU has faced WSU more than any other opponent in program history.
• TU is 35-27 against WSU in Tulsa, including a 77-67 win over the ninth-ranked Shockers on Nov. 17, 2015, in the last matchup at the Reynolds Center.
• This will be the first conference game between the programs since 1996. The Golden Hurricane and Shockers were members of the Missouri Valley Conference together from 1945-96.
• The series dates back to Dec. 20, 1930, when TU defeated WSU, 32-30, in Wichita.

Havoc In the Heartland
• In August 2017, The University of Tulsa and Wichita State University announced the creation of a rivalry series that spans 13 varsity sports.
• Points are awarded for head-to-head regular-season victories in volleyball, basketball and softball or a higher finish at conference championships in cross country, tennis, track & field and women's golf. A trophy will be awarded to the school with the most points at the end of each Academic Year. The annual Graduation Success Rate will be used as a tiebreaker.
• TU currently leads the series, 15-6, via a women's basketball victory (3pts), along with the Golden Hurricane men's and women's cross country teams finishing higher at the American Athletic Conference Championships (6pts each). WSU's six points come from two victories in volleyball (3pts each).

Scouting the Shockers
• Wichita State is riding a six-game winning streak after a 95-60 win at ECU on Thursday night. The six-game winning streak is the squad's longest of the season and the Shockers are off to a 4-0 start in conference play.
• WSU was picked to finish second in its first season as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Shockers return 12 letterwinners and all five starters from last year's team that went 31-5 and won the MVC.
• The Shockers are led by Wooden Award candidate Landry Shamet's 15.8 points and 5.1 assists per game, while Shaq Morris (12.2 ppg), Conner Frankamp (11.5 ppg) and Darral Willis Jr. (11.4 ppg) all average in double-figures.
• WSU's owns the nation's longest road winning streak at 10 games. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Shockers have the most road wins (45-6) and highest road winning percentage (.882) in Division I.

Last Time Out
• Martins Igbanu scored a career-high 27 points, but Houston hit an American Athletic Conference record 18 3-pointers en route to a 104-72 win over visiting Tulsa on Thursday night at H&PE Arena.
• Igbanu shot 8-of-13 from the floor and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line to go along with five rebounds and an assist in 30 minutes of action.
• DaQuan Jeffries made his first start since returning from a right hand injury and contributed 11 points for his first game in double-figures since Nov. 25.
• It marked just the third time this season that a team shot 50-percent or better against TU.

The Schedule
• Saturday's game continues a tough January stretch for Tulsa, which will play five of its seven games during the month against teams currently ranked in the top 100 of the RPI. Additionally, three (Houston, Temple, Wichita State) of those five top-100 games will come on the road for the Hurricane.
• After facing No. 5 Wichita State (18), Tulsa will head back on the road for a Jan. 17 matchup at Temple (44). TU then will host Memphis (117) and take to the road for another contest with the Shockers on Jan. 28.
• Tulsa is 3-4 against teams in the RPI top-100, with its wins coming at Kansas State (96), at Tulane (98) and home against UConn (100).

Tulsa 3 Party
• Tulsa hit a then-American Athletic Conference record 17 3-pointers in its Jan. 3 double-overtime win over UConn. The total was just one shy of the program's record, set against North Texas on Dec. 8, 1998.
• Other than its program-record 18 triples in 1998, TU had last hit 15 3-pointers against Jackson State on Dec. 17, 2009.
• TU also set conference and team records for 3-pointers attempted, with 41 on the night.
• Corey Henderson Jr. hit eight 3-pointers, which ties for the second-most in a single game in program history. James Woodard went 10-of-16 from deep against SMU on March 8, 2015, for the program record, while Jason Parker also hit eight treys against Wichita State on Dec. 4, 2002.
• Henderson became the sixth player in American Athletic Conference history to hit at least eight 3-pointers in a game and the first to do it since UCF's Matt Williams hit a league-record 11 on Jan. 17, 2017.

Trending
• Junior Etou ranks 27th in the nation with 121 free-throw attempts this season and 36th in the nation in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.1) via kenpom.com. Etou has attempted at least 10 free throws four times this season.
• After averaging 1.6 ppg in his first five games, Corey Henderson Jr. is averaging 11.6 ppg in his last 12 contests and 11.4 ppg during conference play.
• Tulsa is 12-0 at home during the month of January since joining the American Athletic Conference.
• Following a career-high 27 points at Houston (Jan. 11), Martins Igbanu is averaging 18.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in his last four games. Igbanu's 15.6 ppg during conference play leads the team and ranks 10th in the league.
• TU is 51-7 under head coach Frank Haith when leading at halftime, including a 9-1 mark this season.

Crashing The Boards
• After being outrebounded in five of its first six games with a rebound margin of -4.5 rpg, Tulsa has crashed the glass and outrebounded its opponents by a combined 457-379 (41.5-34.5; +7.0 rpg) in its last 11 contests.
• TU has outrebounded four opponents (UTSA, Illinois State, Kansas State, Tulane) during that stretch by double-digits, including three games (UTSA, Illinois State, Tulane) with at least a +20 rebound margin.
• During that stretch, Junior Etou has led the way by averaging 7.3 rebounds per game, including a career-high 14 boards against ECU (Dec. 28). Martins Igbanu also has helped crash the glass at 6.1 rpg.
• The Hurricane is 8-1 this season when outrebounding its opponent.

Free Fallin'
• The Hurricane lead the league and rank 13th in the nation with 432 free throws attempted, while it is connecting at a 72.2-percent mark at the charity stripe to rank fifth in The American.
• TU has shot more free throws than its opponent 14 times this season and own a 9-5 record in those games.
• Junior Etou leads the conference and ranks 27th in the nation with 121 free throws attempted. His 85 makes at the charity stripe rank second in the league and 52nd in the nation.
• Martins Igbanu has attempted 34 free throws over the last three games, connecting on 29 for a 82.4-percent mark in that span. His 57 makes at the charity stripe rank second on the team and he is shooting 76-percent on the year.

TU To Participate In Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge
• Making 3-point shots this basketball season takes on even more meaning this year for head coach Frank Haith and The University of Tulsa men's basketball team. The Golden Hurricane will square off against teams across the nation to fight cancer as part of the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge.
• Fans can pledge a donation for each 3-point shot that TU makes over the final 16 games of the regular-season (Jan. 3-March 4) to support American Cancer Society research, education and patient programs at:
pledgeit.org/cvc18-tulsa. Fans also have the option of a fixed donation and Haith started the Golden Hurricane campaign with a contribution of $500.
•So far, Tulsa has made 31 3-pointers in three games during the challenge.

Haith In His Fourth Season at TU
• Head coach Frank Haith is in his fourth season at Tulsa, where he has compiled a 68-47 record and made a pair of postseason appearances during his tenure. Overall, he has an on-court record of 273-176 in his 14th season.
• Haith has led the Golden Hurricane to a pair of 20-win seasons and postseason appearances (2015 NCAA Tournament, 2016 NIT) during his first three seasons.
• With a win over No. 9 Wichita State in 2015-16, he led TU to its first win over a top-10 squad since 2000. Later that season, TU won at No. 16 SMU for its first road win against a top-16 program since 1981.

Haith in Exclusive Coaching Company
• Head coach Frank Haith is the only active Division I coach to take teams in four of the Power 6 conferences to the NCAA Tournament. Haith guided Tulsa (The American) to the Big Dance in 2015, Missouri (SEC) in 2013, Missouri (Big 12) in 2012 and Miami (ACC) in 2008.
• In addition, Haith is one of just 20 active coaches that have taken at least three different teams to the NCAA Tournament.
• Haith will face three other coaches on that list this season when TU matches up against Tubby Smith (Memphis), Kelvin Sampson (Houston) and Bruce Weber (Kansas State).

Tulsa's Success in The American
• Since joining the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2014-15 season, the Golden Hurricane has posted 37 league wins, which is the third-most in the circuit.
• Only SMU (47 wins) and Cincinnati (44 wins) have earned more victories than Tulsa's 37, which tops UConn (32) and Memphis (29) along with six other conference programs.
• TU has finished better than its preseason prediction in each of Haith's three seasons. The Golden Hurricane was picked to finish eighth in the conference prior to the 2017-18 season.

Etou Named Preseason Second-Team American Athletic Conference
• Senior forward Junior Etou was named preseason second-team American Athletic Conference in a vote by the league's head coaches.
• Last season, Etou led the Golden Hurricane in scoring (12.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg) and was the only player to start all 32 games. He was even better in conference play as he averaged 13.4 ppg and 6.9 rpg.
• So far in 2017-18, Etou leads the Hurricane in scoring (16.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg). Those marks rank seventh and fifth in the conference, respectively.
• Etou has scored in double-figures 15 times, including six games of at least 20 points.

Look Who's Back
• Tulsa returns eight letterwinners, including four starters, and 72-percent of its offense from last season's team.
• Returning starters include senior forward Junior Etou (32 starts), sophomore forward Martins Igbanu (17), junior guard Sterling Taplin (30) and senior guard Jaleel Wheeler (29).
• Other returners include junior forward Geno Artison, senior guard Corey Henderson Jr., sophomore guard Lawson Korita and junior forward Alex Foree.
• In all, Tulsa returns 68.8-percent of its minutes, 66.9-percent of its rebounding, 79.8-percent of its assists and 65.5-percent of its steals.

New Faces
• Along with the eight returning letterwinners, Tulsa has five newcomers, four of which made their debut in the season opener against Lamar.
• The newcomers eligible for 2017-18 are sophomore guard Curran Scott, junior guard/forward DaQuan Jeffries, freshman guard Darien Jackson and freshman guard Elijah Joiner. Sophomore forward Jeriah Horne will sit out the season after transferring from Nebraska.
• Scott redshirted the 2016-17 season after transferring from Charlotte, where he averaged 10.3 ppg as a freshman in 2015-16. He practiced with the Golden Hurricane last season.
• TU's four newcomers have totaled 340 points (20.0 ppg), led by 118 points (6.9 ppg) from Curran Scott.

Tulsa Enters 20th Season at the Reynolds Center
• After hosting the first TU men's basketball game on Dec. 29, 1998, the Golden Hurricane will play its 20th season in the Donald W. Reynolds Center this year.
• Tulsa has posted an overall record of 233-71 (.766) in its 19+ seasons, including a 7-1 mark this season.
• The building has seen 41 sellouts and 1,819,463 fans have witnessed Tulsa basketball at the Reynolds Center.

Offense Shines In Exhibition Wins
• Tulsa improved to 66-2 all-time in exhibition games, including a run of 37 consecutive victories, with wins over Northwestern Oklahoma State (96-65) and Missouri S&T (113-56) prior to the start of the 2017-18 season.
• TU put up impressive numbers in the wins as the team averaged 104.5 points and shot 56.6-percent from the floor, including 46.9-percent from behind the arc. Tulsa also recorded 46 assists to just 21 turnovers and out-rebounded its two opponents by a combined total of 99-46.
• Five players averaged in double-figures during exhibition play, led by Junior Etou's 17.0 ppg. Joining him were Corey Henderson Jr. (16.0 ppg), DaQuan Jeffries (12.5 ppg), Curran Scott (12.5 ppg) and Geno Artison (11.5 ppg).
• TU made 20 3-pointers in the win over Missouri S&T (the program's regular-season record for a game is 18), with half of that total coming from Henderson (6) and Artison (4).

TU Adds Three in the Early Signing Period
• Tulsa has signed three student-athletes — Chris Barnes, Peter Hewitt and Zeke Moore — to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.
• All three signees are enrolled at junior colleges and will have three years of eligibility at TU.
• Barnes is a 6-foot-4 guard from Compton, Calif., who played his freshman season at UTEP. He appeared in 16 games for the Miners after earning all-conference honors as a senior at Compton HS. He is redshirting this season at Angelina College.
• Peter Hewitt is a 6-foot-10 forward from Mountain View, Calif., who redshirted last season at UC Davis. He currently plays for Las Positas College and he has helped the team average 84.2 ppg and start 10-4 this season. Hewitt was a three-year letterwinner at Saint Francis High School and led the Lancers to a pair of West Coast Athletic League titles.
• Zeke Moore is a 6-foot-7 guard from St. Louis, Mo., who played his freshman season at Saint Louis. He saw action in 29 games and averaged 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds before transferring to Southwest Illinois CC, where he is redshirting this season. Moore was a standout at Riverview Gardens HS for his father, head coach Gerard Moore, and he averaged 21.1 ppg as a senior.

Next Up
• Tulsa will continue its tough January stretch when it will head back out on the road for a 5 p.m. (CT) matchup at Temple (8-8, 1-4) on Wednesday, Jan. 17. TU then returns home for a 7 p.m. contest against Memphis (11-6, 2-2) on Jan. 20 before closing out the month with another meeting against No. 5 Wichita State at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita on Jan. 28.

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