Golden Hurricane Welcomes #3 Houston to Open Conference Play

GAME #12: TULSA (4-7, 0-0 AAC) vs #3/3 Houston (12-1, 0-0 AAC)
Date/Time:	Wednesday • Dec. 28, 2022 • 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Reynolds Center (8,355) • Tulsa, Okla.
Coaches:	Tulsa – Eric Konkol (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, '00), 1st Season Houston - Kelvin Sampson (UNC Pembroke, '78) 9th Season
TV:	ESPNU \| John Schriffen (PxP) and Mark Adams (Analyst)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard & J.R. Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Houston leads 30-29
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa (PDF) \| Houston (PDF) \| The American (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa men's basketball team will welcome the third-ranked Houston Cougars to the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Wednesday for the first game of the American Athletic Conference season.

Tipoff for the conference home opener is set for 8 p.m. and will air on ESPNU. John Schriffen and Mark Adams will bring fans the action. Bruce Howard and JR Rollo will broadcast the radio call on Big Country 99.5 FM and The Varsity Network app.

Wednesday marks the 60th meeting in a series that could not be much closer, as the Cougars lead 30-29 thanks to a 66-64 victory in the Reynolds Center a season ago. Tulsa holds a 17-10 advantage in home games in the series, including a 9-4 record in games played in the Reynolds Center. However, Houston has had the advantage in the series as of late, winning eight of the 10 previous matchups.

The Golden Hurricane will face a No. 3 team for just the 12th time in school history and second time in the Reynolds Center. Memphis was the other third-ranked team Tulsa has played host to in its current building, as TU fell 84-61 on Feb. 1, 2006. The Tigers were also the last No. 3 team Tulsa has played at all as the U of M bested the Hurricane 64-39 in FedExForum on March 14, 2009, in the championship of the Conference USA tournament. Tulsa is 1-11 against No. 3 teams with the lone win coming when the Hurricane upset Louisville 84-77 at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion on Feb. 8, 1975.

The Cougars and Hurricane met just one time last season. Houston entered the game ranked 11th in the nation and fought off a furious second half comeback from Tulsa to prevail 66-64. TU trailed by 17 at the break but battled back to give itself a chance in the end. The Hurricane had two chances as time was expiring to steal a win away but fell just short.

This season's matchup will feature two of the best teams in the nation when it comes to defending the 3-point line. Houston is ranked second and Tulsa sixth in the nation for 3-point defense, holding opponents to 24 percent and 26.2 percent respectively from deep. Tulsa has held opponents under 30 percent in nine of its 11 games, with Oregon State (37.5 percent) and Oklahoma State (33.3 percent) being the lone exceptions. Two times, TU has held opponents under 20 percent from beyond the arc.

Tulsa enters Wednesday's matchup with a 4-7 record after dropping its nonconference finale 76-64 to Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles on Dec. 21. The Hurricane trailed just 38-35 at the break but shot 33.3 percent from the field and 3-point range in the second half as LMU was able to pull away. The Lions bested Tulsa on the glass, holding a 44-31 advantage, including 16-8 on the offensive boards. This helped LMU win the second chance points battle 18-1, and points in the paint 42-18. Sam Griffin led Tulsa with 13 points and Anthony Pritchard added 12 with five assists.

Griffin continues to pace the Hurricane in scoring, averaging 15.0 per game. He's joined by Brandon Betson (11.5) and Bryant Selebangue (10.8) in double-figure scoring averages, and Selebangue also adds 8.0 rebounds per game, which is second in the conference. Betson is now the league leader in 3-point percentage, connecting on 46.4 percent of his long balls.

Houston boasts a 12-1 record as it enters the conference schedule, which is tied for the second-most wins in nonconference play in the school's history. Only the 2018-19 team's 13 win tops this year's total.

The Cougars are a tough team to score against, holding opponents to 49.8 points per game and 32.7 percent from the floor, both of which lead the nation. Houston is 2-0 on the road this season, which includes a 69-61 win against No. 2 Virginia.

Marcus Sasser leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.0 points per game. He is the lone Cougar to score in double figures, but Jarace Walker (9.6) and Tramon Mark (9.1) are close to the mark. J'Wan Roberts is the team's leader on the glass, grabbing 7.2 boards per game.

Following the Wednesday matchup, Tulsa will hit the road to welcome the New Year. The SMU Mustangs will host the Hurricane for a 2 p.m. tipoff on New Year's Day. That game will air on ESPNU. The conference roadtrip will continue with a 6 p.m. game at Tulane on Jan. 4 on ESPN+.

Golden Hurricane Welcomes #3 Houston to Open Conference Play

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Betson

Sam Griffin

Anthony Pritchard

Bryant Selebangue