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Wednesday, January 3
Reynolds Center
6 PM
Tulsa
vs
UConn
Photo by: Bill Powell
Tulsa Looks to Continue Unbeaten Start Against UConn on Wednesday
1/2/2018 11:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| GAME #15 ... TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE (9-5, 2-0) vs. UCONN HUSKIES (7-6, 0-1) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time: | Wednesday • Jan. 2 • 6 p.m. |
| Site: | Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355) • Tulsa, Okla. |
| Coaches: | Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88), 4th year UConn – Kevin Ollie (UConn, '95), 6th year |
| TV: | ESPNEWS (Mitch Holthus and Bryndon Manzer) |
| Radio: | Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard and J.R. Rollo) |
| Live Stats: | Live Stats |
| Series: | UConn leads, 4-3 |
| Twitter: | @TUMBasketball | @TulsaHurricane |
| Instagram: | TulsaMBasketball |
| Game Notes: | Tulsa | UConn |
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa men's basketball team will look to remain unbeaten in American Athletic Conference play when it hosts UConn at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3, at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
It's St. Francis Kids Night at the Reynolds Center and children 12 and under can receive a $1 ticket to sit in sections 109, 110 and 111. The game also will be the start of TU's participation in the Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge. Fans can pledge money for each 3-pointer the team makes for the rest of the regular season (16 games) or make a flat donation to support American Cancer Society research, education and patient programs at pledgeit.org/cvc18-tulsa.
The Golden Hurricane (9-5, 2-0) is coming off a 65-56 win at Tulane on New Year's Eve to improve to 2-0 in The American for the second time in its four seasons in the league. Martins Igbanu led the way with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Sterling Taplin scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half to help close out the victory.
Junior Etou added 14 points and he was named The American Player of the Week on Tuesday after he averaged 17.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in two wins last week.
Meanwhile, the Huskies (7-6, 0-1) come into Wednesday's game looking to snap a three-game losing streak. UConn has dropped four of its last five games overall, with three of those contests coming away from home. Junior guard Jalen Adams ranks second in the league by averaging 18.2 ppg, while his 37.6 minutes per game are tops in the circuit. Junior guard/forward Terry Larrier has posted 15.7 ppg and a team-high 5.1 rpg. Both players scored 18 points in the team's conference-opening setback to Wichita State last Saturday.
UConn leads the all-time series, 4-3, but TU has won all three games played in Tulsa.
Fast Break Points
• Tulsa is in its 107th season of basketball and fourth season in the American Athletic Conference.
• Tulsa will look to stay unbeaten in The American when it hosts UConn at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3.
• The game also will start TU's participation in the Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge.
• UConn leads the all-time series against TU, 4-3, but the Hurricane has won all three matchups in Tulsa.
• Tulsa is coming off a 65-56 win at Tulane on New Year's Eve, which snapped a 10-game conference road losing streak. Martins Igbanu neared a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Sterling Taplin added 15 points.
• TU improved to 2-0 in The American for the second time in its four seasons in the league. The 2014-15 squad started conference play 10-0 in its inaugural season in the circuit.
• Junior Etou was named The American Player of the Week after averaging 17 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game to lead the Hurricane to wins over ECU and Tulane last week.
• Etou leads the team at 17.9 ppg and 6.9 rpg and those marks rank third and eighth in The American, respectively. The senior also ranks seventh in the circuit with a .537 field goal percentage.
• The TU defense held ECU and Tulane to a combined 33.6-percent shooting, including a 23.6-percent mark from behind the arc. The squad gave up 54.5 ppg in those games and has allowed just 62.6 ppg over its last seven contests.
• After posting a -4.5 rebound margin through its first six games, TU has posted a +9.8 rebound margin since. TU has outrebounded its opponent by double digits four times during that stretch.
• TU has posted 35 league wins since joining The American, which ranks third behind only SMU (45) and Cincinnati (41) during that span.
• 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 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3, when it will host UConn at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Wednesday's game can be seen on ESPNEWS, 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
• Wednesday's game will mark just the eighth all-time meeting between Tulsa and UConn. The Huskies lead the series 4-3, but TU has won all three games in Tulsa, including a 61-59 win to open conference play last season.
• Six of the seven all-time meetings have come since TU joined the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2014-15 season.
Scouting the Huskies
• UConn comes into Wednesday's game looking to snap a three-game losing streak. The Huskies have dropped four of their last five games overall, with three of those contests coming away from home.
• The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in The American preseason poll. The squad returns just one starter and five letterwinners from last year's team, which went 16-17 overall and tied for fifth in the league with a 9-9 mark.
• Junior guard Jalen Adams ranks second in the league by averaging 18.2 ppg, while his 37.6 minutes per game are tops in the circuit. Junior guard/forward Terry Larrier has posted 15.7 ppg and a team-high 5.1 rpg. Both players scored 18 points in the team's conference-opening setback to Wichita State last Saturday.
• UConn shoots 75.4-percent at the free-throw line, which leads The American.
Last Time Out
• Martins Igbanu just missed out on a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds and Sterling Taplin added another 15 points to help lead Tulsa to a 65-56 win at Tulane on Sunday afternoon at Avron B. Fogelman Arena.
• Tulsa went on an early 9-0 run to take control and rattled off an 11-2 run in the second half en route to its first road conference win since Feb. 21, 2016, (UCF). The win snapped a 10-game road losing streak in conference play.
• The Hurricane pulled down a season-high 52 rebounds and with a 52-30 advantage on the glass, the team registered its third game with at least a +20 rebound margin this season.
Getting Defensive
• Since giving up a season-high 96 points in a Nov. 28 win over UTSA, the Golden Hurricane has clamped down on defense and is allowing just 62.6 ppg over its last seven games.
• During that stretch, opponents are shooting just .387 from the field against TU, including a .258 mark from behind the arc. TU has held three opponents to fewer than 60 points in that span.
• TU has limited opponents to .336 shooting with a .236 clip from behind the 3-point line in conference play.
• For the season, Tulsa is holding opponents to just 41-percent shooting (6th in The American), while opponents are hitting at just a 31.6-percent clip behind the arc (4th in The American; 64th in NCAA).
Trending
• Junior Etou has attempted at least 10 free throws four times this season. Etou ranks 15th in the nation with 109 free-throw attempts this season and 14th in the nation in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.8) via kenpom.com.
• After averaging 1.6 ppg in his first five games, Corey Henderson Jr. is averaging 10.7 ppg in his last eight contests.
• The Hurricane is off to a 2-0 start for the second time (2014-15, 10-0) in four seasons as a member of The American.
• TU is 50-6 under head coach Frank Haith when leading at halftime, including an 8-0 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 341-262 (42.6-32.8; +9.8 rpg) in its last eight contests.
• TU has outrebounded three 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 7.4 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 7-1 this season when outrebounding its opponent.
Free Fallin'
• Tulsa ranks fifth in The American with a 72.0-percent mark at the free-throw line.
• The Hurricane lead the league and rank 30th in the nation with 346 free throws attempted.
• TU has shot more free throws than its opponent 11 times this season and own an 8-3 record in those games.
• Junior Etou leads the conference and ranks 15th in the nation with 109 free throws attempted. His 76 makes at the charity stripe also lead the league and rank 35th in the nation.
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.
Haith In His Fourth Season at TU
• Head coach Frank Haith is in his fourth season at Tulsa, where he has compiled a 66-45 record and made a pair of postseason appearances during his tenure. Overall, he has an on-court record of 271-174 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 36 league wins, which is the third-most in the circuit.
• Only SMU (45 wins) and Cincinnati (42 wins) have earned more victories than Tulsa's 35, which tops UConn (30) and Memphis (27) 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 (17.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg). Those marks rank third and eighth in the conference, respectively.
• Etou has scored in double-figures 13 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 288 points (20.6 ppg), led by 110 points (7.9 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 232-71 (.768) in its 19+ seasons, including a 6-1 mark this season.
• The building has seen 41 sellouts and 1,815,560 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 hit the road for a pair of matchups, beginning with a 3 p.m. contest at Memphis (9-5, 0-1) on Saturday, Jan. 6. The squad then will head south for a 6 p.m. game at Houston (12-2, 2-0) on Thursday, Jan. 11. This will mark the final time in the regular-season that Tulsa will play two consecutive road games.
It's St. Francis Kids Night at the Reynolds Center and children 12 and under can receive a $1 ticket to sit in sections 109, 110 and 111. The game also will be the start of TU's participation in the Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge. Fans can pledge money for each 3-pointer the team makes for the rest of the regular season (16 games) or make a flat donation to support American Cancer Society research, education and patient programs at pledgeit.org/cvc18-tulsa.
The Golden Hurricane (9-5, 2-0) is coming off a 65-56 win at Tulane on New Year's Eve to improve to 2-0 in The American for the second time in its four seasons in the league. Martins Igbanu led the way with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Sterling Taplin scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half to help close out the victory.
Junior Etou added 14 points and he was named The American Player of the Week on Tuesday after he averaged 17.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in two wins last week.
Meanwhile, the Huskies (7-6, 0-1) come into Wednesday's game looking to snap a three-game losing streak. UConn has dropped four of its last five games overall, with three of those contests coming away from home. Junior guard Jalen Adams ranks second in the league by averaging 18.2 ppg, while his 37.6 minutes per game are tops in the circuit. Junior guard/forward Terry Larrier has posted 15.7 ppg and a team-high 5.1 rpg. Both players scored 18 points in the team's conference-opening setback to Wichita State last Saturday.
UConn leads the all-time series, 4-3, but TU has won all three games played in Tulsa.
Fast Break Points
• Tulsa is in its 107th season of basketball and fourth season in the American Athletic Conference.
• Tulsa will look to stay unbeaten in The American when it hosts UConn at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3.
• The game also will start TU's participation in the Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge.
• UConn leads the all-time series against TU, 4-3, but the Hurricane has won all three matchups in Tulsa.
• Tulsa is coming off a 65-56 win at Tulane on New Year's Eve, which snapped a 10-game conference road losing streak. Martins Igbanu neared a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Sterling Taplin added 15 points.
• TU improved to 2-0 in The American for the second time in its four seasons in the league. The 2014-15 squad started conference play 10-0 in its inaugural season in the circuit.
• Junior Etou was named The American Player of the Week after averaging 17 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game to lead the Hurricane to wins over ECU and Tulane last week.
• Etou leads the team at 17.9 ppg and 6.9 rpg and those marks rank third and eighth in The American, respectively. The senior also ranks seventh in the circuit with a .537 field goal percentage.
• The TU defense held ECU and Tulane to a combined 33.6-percent shooting, including a 23.6-percent mark from behind the arc. The squad gave up 54.5 ppg in those games and has allowed just 62.6 ppg over its last seven contests.
• After posting a -4.5 rebound margin through its first six games, TU has posted a +9.8 rebound margin since. TU has outrebounded its opponent by double digits four times during that stretch.
• TU has posted 35 league wins since joining The American, which ranks third behind only SMU (45) and Cincinnati (41) during that span.
• 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 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3, when it will host UConn at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Wednesday's game can be seen on ESPNEWS, 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
• Wednesday's game will mark just the eighth all-time meeting between Tulsa and UConn. The Huskies lead the series 4-3, but TU has won all three games in Tulsa, including a 61-59 win to open conference play last season.
• Six of the seven all-time meetings have come since TU joined the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2014-15 season.
Scouting the Huskies
• UConn comes into Wednesday's game looking to snap a three-game losing streak. The Huskies have dropped four of their last five games overall, with three of those contests coming away from home.
• The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in The American preseason poll. The squad returns just one starter and five letterwinners from last year's team, which went 16-17 overall and tied for fifth in the league with a 9-9 mark.
• Junior guard Jalen Adams ranks second in the league by averaging 18.2 ppg, while his 37.6 minutes per game are tops in the circuit. Junior guard/forward Terry Larrier has posted 15.7 ppg and a team-high 5.1 rpg. Both players scored 18 points in the team's conference-opening setback to Wichita State last Saturday.
• UConn shoots 75.4-percent at the free-throw line, which leads The American.
Last Time Out
• Martins Igbanu just missed out on a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds and Sterling Taplin added another 15 points to help lead Tulsa to a 65-56 win at Tulane on Sunday afternoon at Avron B. Fogelman Arena.
• Tulsa went on an early 9-0 run to take control and rattled off an 11-2 run in the second half en route to its first road conference win since Feb. 21, 2016, (UCF). The win snapped a 10-game road losing streak in conference play.
• The Hurricane pulled down a season-high 52 rebounds and with a 52-30 advantage on the glass, the team registered its third game with at least a +20 rebound margin this season.
Getting Defensive
• Since giving up a season-high 96 points in a Nov. 28 win over UTSA, the Golden Hurricane has clamped down on defense and is allowing just 62.6 ppg over its last seven games.
• During that stretch, opponents are shooting just .387 from the field against TU, including a .258 mark from behind the arc. TU has held three opponents to fewer than 60 points in that span.
• TU has limited opponents to .336 shooting with a .236 clip from behind the 3-point line in conference play.
• For the season, Tulsa is holding opponents to just 41-percent shooting (6th in The American), while opponents are hitting at just a 31.6-percent clip behind the arc (4th in The American; 64th in NCAA).
Trending
• Junior Etou has attempted at least 10 free throws four times this season. Etou ranks 15th in the nation with 109 free-throw attempts this season and 14th in the nation in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.8) via kenpom.com.
• After averaging 1.6 ppg in his first five games, Corey Henderson Jr. is averaging 10.7 ppg in his last eight contests.
• The Hurricane is off to a 2-0 start for the second time (2014-15, 10-0) in four seasons as a member of The American.
• TU is 50-6 under head coach Frank Haith when leading at halftime, including an 8-0 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 341-262 (42.6-32.8; +9.8 rpg) in its last eight contests.
• TU has outrebounded three 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 7.4 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 7-1 this season when outrebounding its opponent.
Free Fallin'
• Tulsa ranks fifth in The American with a 72.0-percent mark at the free-throw line.
• The Hurricane lead the league and rank 30th in the nation with 346 free throws attempted.
• TU has shot more free throws than its opponent 11 times this season and own an 8-3 record in those games.
• Junior Etou leads the conference and ranks 15th in the nation with 109 free throws attempted. His 76 makes at the charity stripe also lead the league and rank 35th in the nation.
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.
Haith In His Fourth Season at TU
• Head coach Frank Haith is in his fourth season at Tulsa, where he has compiled a 66-45 record and made a pair of postseason appearances during his tenure. Overall, he has an on-court record of 271-174 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 36 league wins, which is the third-most in the circuit.
• Only SMU (45 wins) and Cincinnati (42 wins) have earned more victories than Tulsa's 35, which tops UConn (30) and Memphis (27) 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 (17.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg). Those marks rank third and eighth in the conference, respectively.
• Etou has scored in double-figures 13 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 288 points (20.6 ppg), led by 110 points (7.9 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 232-71 (.768) in its 19+ seasons, including a 6-1 mark this season.
• The building has seen 41 sellouts and 1,815,560 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 hit the road for a pair of matchups, beginning with a 3 p.m. contest at Memphis (9-5, 0-1) on Saturday, Jan. 6. The squad then will head south for a 6 p.m. game at Houston (12-2, 2-0) on Thursday, Jan. 11. This will mark the final time in the regular-season that Tulsa will play two consecutive road games.
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