Golden Hurricane to Face East Carolina on Tuesday

GAME #19: TULSA (5-13, 1-6 AAC) at East Carolina (10-10, 1-6 AAC)
Date/Time:	Tuesday • Jan. 24, 2023 • 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum(7,100) • Greenville, N.C.
Coaches:	Tulsa – Eric Konkol (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, '00), 1st Season East Carolina - Michael Schwarts (Texas '99) 1st Season
TV:	ESPN+ \| Patrick Johnson (PXP) and Si Seymour (Analyst)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard & J.R. Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	29th Meeting \| Tulsa Leads 23-5
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa (PDF) \| ECU (PDF) \| The American (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. — After capturing its first conference win of the season, the University of Tulsa men's basketball team is back on the road to take on East Carolina in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Tuesday evening.

Tipoff for the American Athletic Conference matchup is set for 6 p.m. and will air on ESPN+. Patrick Johnson and Si Seymour 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.

Tulsa (5-13, 1-6 The American) and East Carolina (10-10, 1-6 The American) meet for the first time this season. Tulsa leads the all-time series 23-5 and has won seven of the 10 games played in North Carolina. However, the Pirates are coming off a season where they bested Tulsa twice, including the latest game 64-59 at home. Last season's games snapped a seven-game overall winning streak for Tulsa in the series and a four-game road streak.

The Hurricane enters the Tuesday game seeking its first true road win of the season. TU ended its seven-game slide and notched its first conference win of the season with an 81-79 overtime victory against Tulane on Saturday night in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. It was the second-straight overtime game for Tulsa and a tap-in at the buzzer sent both games to the extra period.

Sam Griffin led Tulsa with 23 points and knocked down four triples. Dalger recorded the first double-double of his career with a 15-point, 13-rebound performance which included the tip-in as time expired to send the game to overtime and then the first 3-pointer of the extra period. Anthony Pritchard scored 10 and added nine assists, the most of his season, while Brandon Betson added 13 points. Bryant Selebangue just missed out on a double-double, scoring eight points and coming down with 12 rebounds.

Griffin leads Tulsa in scoring as his average has jumped to 16.2 points per game. Betson is scoring 10.4 a game while continuing to shoot the 3-ball well, hitting 46.7 percent from that range, which leads the conference. He and Griffin have combined for 90 Tulsa 3-pointers this season, which is more than 60 percent of the team's 147.

Selebangue is the team, and conference, leader in rebounds, pulling down 9.3 a night. He also tops the conference charts in defensive (6.1) and offensive (3.1) rebounding. He continues to lead the conference in shooting, knocking down 67.1 percent of his attempts, which places him eighth in the nation. The sophomore transfer earned The American honor roll honors for his performance against SMU and Tulane as he averaged 16 points and 13 rebounds in the two games.

Just like the Hurricane, East Carolina entered the season with a new head coach. Michael Schwartz took over the program and holds a 10-10 record in his first season. After a good nonconference slate, ECU has similarly struggled to get going in The American play, starting 1-6. Most recently, the Pirates fell at Temple 73-58.

Javon Small leads the team in points and assists, averaging 15.8 and 5.6. His assists per game are second best in the conference behind Memphis' Kendric Davis, and he sits 20th in the nation. Brandon Johnson averages 12.3 points and 9.0 rebounds, which places him right behind Selebangue for the conference lead in the latter category. Johnson has a conference-high eight double-doubles.

ECU loves to crash the glass on offense, recording 12.5 offensive rebounds per game, which is third in the conference and 34th in the nation. Overall, the Pirates' 37.3 rebounds per contest is third in the league and 83rd in the NCAA.

Following Tuesday's game, the Golden Hurricane return home to host the Memphis Tigers on Sunday, Jan. 29. It will be the one time the two teams meet this season. Tipoff for the conference showdown is set for 4 p.m. and will air on ESPN2.

Golden Hurricane to Face East Carolina on Tuesday

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Betson

Sam Griffin

Anthony Pritchard

Bryant Selebangue