Tulsa
Wichita State
Tulsa Squares off Against Wichita State in Conference Opener
12/14/2020 3:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
| GAME #4: TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE (1-2, 0-0) vs. Wichita State Shockers (1-2, 0-0) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time: | Tuesday • Dec. 15, 2020 • 6:00 p.m. (CT) |
| Site: |
Reynolds Center (8,355) • Tulsa, Okla. |
| Coaches: | Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88), 7th year WSU – Isaac Brown (ULM '95), 1st year |
| TV: | ESPNU | Ted Emrich (pxp) & Bryndon Manzer (analyst) |
| Radio: | Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard & J.R. Rollo) |
| Live Stats: | Live Stats |
| Series: | 133rd Meeting (Wichita State leads series at 70-62) |
| Twitter: | @TUMBasketball | @TulsaHurricane |
| Instagram: | TulsaMBasketball |
| Game Notes: | Tulsa (PDF) | Wichita State | The American |
| Game Program: | Game Day Program |
The Game
• Tulsa will take on the Wichita State Shockers in its American Athletic Conference opener in the Reynolds Center Tuesday night on ESPNU.
• The game is the fourth contest for Tulsa this season ... the Shockers are 1-2 on the season dropping their last game 67-64 to the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Dec. 12.
Scouting the Shockers
• Wichita State was picked to finish 7th in the preseason American Athletic Conference Coaches Poll ... the Shockers return eight, including three starters from last season, when the team went 23-8 and 11-7 in conference play.
• The Shockers opened their season with a win at home against Oral Roberts 85-80 ... they have dropped the last two, Missouri 72-62 and Oklahoma State 67-64.
• The Shockers are led in scoring by guard Tyson Etienne who is averaging 19.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game ... graduate transfer Alterique Gilbert is averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game for Wichita State.
• Wichita State is led by Interim Head Coach Isaac Brown, who was promoted to interim after serving as an assistant coach for the Shockers since 2014.
The Series
• This will be the 133rd contest between the Golden Hurricane and the Shockers ... the first game between the two teams was in 1930 as Tulsa defeated Wichita State 32-30 on the road.
• Wichita State holds a 70-62 series advantage over TU, with the last home contest coming on Feb. 1, 2020 ... the Hurricane won the contest 54-51, behind a career-high 22 points from Elijah Joiner.
• Tulsa and Wichita State split last years meetings with each winning on their home court ... the Shockers defeated the Hurricane 79-57 on March 8, 2020 to end last year's regular season.
• Since Wichita State joined the AAC during the 2017-18 season, the Shockers have a 5-1 record.
• Tulsa is 7-5 all-time against the Shockers when the two teams play in December ... this will be the first AAC matchup played in December.
A Tulsa Win Would
• Give the Hurricane its second win of the season, moving Tulsa to 2-2 on the year.
• Move Tulsa's all-time record against Wichita State to 70-63.
• Give Head Coach Haith his 118th win which would be for 4th all-time in Tulsa history.
Last Season Heroics Against Wichita State
• Tulsa defeated No. 23 Wichita State 54-51 with a last second three-pointer by Elijah Joiner on Saturday, Feb. 1.
• Tulsa forced a shot clock violation by the Shockers with 0:03.3 remaining, thus giving the Hurricane one last chance in regulation to break the tie ... Joiner took the inbounds pass from Brandon Rachal near the top of the key, and with one 10th of a second left on the game clock Joiner launched the game-winner from 25 feet.
• Joiner ended the game with a career-high 22 points, along with a career-best five 3-pointers made ... Martins Igbanu was the only other Tulsa player in double-digits with 10 points.
• Tulsa held the Shockers to 34.5-percent from the field and 19.4 fom behind the arc.
• Trailing 14-7, the Hurricane went on a 12-4 run to take a 19-18 lead on a Joiner 3-pointer with 3:43 left in the first half … Tulsa would lead by 2 points at 22-20 on a Joiner 3-pointer before the Shockers closed out the half on a 9-1 run and went into intermission ahead 29-23.
Tulsa in Conference Openers
• Tulsa has opened conference play at home four times since joining the American Athletic Conference ... in the four games the Hurricane hold a 3-1 record.
• The Golden Hurricane is 11-10 in conference openers since the opening of the Reynolds Center ... in home conference openers during that span Tulsa is 7-3.
Being Big in the Paint
• Tulsa has scored 55.4 percent of its points in the paint through three games ... the Hurricane has scored 112 of its 202 total points in the paint area.
• The Golden Hurricane has a 14.6 margin in the paint over its opponents, 37.3 per game (112) for Tulsa to 22.7 for the opposition (68).
• The Golden Hurricane has two games with a double-digit margin of points in the paint ... Tulsa outscored TCU 38-18 and UT Arlington 48-24 in the paint.
• Tulsa has used its two centers to bang downlow with Emmanuel Ugboh and Rey Idowu combing for 28 points in the paint ... the Hurricane guards have attacked the rim and made 42 baskets inside the paint.
