Tulsa Back on the Road for Meeting with SMU

Saturday, January 20

Dallas, Texas

2:00 PM

Tulsa

SMU

Photo by: Bill Powell

Tulsa Back on the Road for Meeting with SMU

1/19/2024 3:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball

GAME #18: Tulsa (10-7, 1-4 AAC) at SMU (12-5, 3-1 AAC)
Date/Time:	Saturday • January 20, 2023 • 2:00 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Moody Coliseum (7,000) • Tulsa, Okla
Coaches:	Tulsa – Eric Konkol (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, '00), 2nd Season SMU – Rob Lanier (St. Bonaventure '90), 2nd Season
TV:	ESPN+ \| John Liddle (PXP) and Brian Burton (Analyst) Breanna Sorenson (Sideline Reporter)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM / Varsity Sports App (Bruce Howard & JR Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	61st Meeting \| Tulsa leads 33-27
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa (PDF) \| SMU (PDF) \| The American (PDF)

DALLAS, Texas –– Fresh off a dominating win on Wednesday, the University of Tulsa men's basketball team will attempt to keep the momentum rolling with a road matchup against longtime foe SMU on Saturday afternoon in Moody Coliseum.

Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. and will air on ESPN+ with John Liddle, Brian Burton and sideline reporter Breanna Sorenson bringing fans the action. Fans can also catch the game on Big Country 99.5 FM and the Varsity Network app. Bruce Howard and JR Rollo have the call.

Saturday marks the 61st meeting all-time between the storied programs, and is also the final time the two are scheduled to meet in the regular season as conference opponents, as SMU prepares to depart for the ACC next season. Since joining the WAC together in 1996, the teams have played each other consistently every season with few exceptions. SMU and Tulsa both left for Conference USA in 2005, and then the Mustangs left for The American in 2013 with Tulsa a year later.

Overall, the Hurricane holds a 33-27 advantage in the series. However, SMU has had the upper hand as of late, taking the past six meetings and 15 of the past 20 dating back to 2012. The Golden Hurricane is 19-11 in road games in the series. SMU won both matchups a year ago, a 92-67 game in Dallas before a tight 79-76 overtime game in the Reynolds Center just 17 days later.

Tulsa is coming in off a big 107-78 win over UTSA to capture its first conference win of the season and move to 10-7 and 1-4 in The American. The Golden Hurricane broke the 100-point barrier for the first time since beating Northeastern State 107-74 in 2021. PJ Haggerty scored 25 to lead five Tulsa scorers in double figures. Cobe Williams, Isaiah Barnes and Tyshawn Archie all scored 17, and Jared Garcia added 12.

The Hurricane shot incredibly well in the ballgame, hitting 59 percent from the field, 55.2 from 3-pointers and 82.6 at the charity stripe. Tulsa will hope to have a similar offensive performance against one of the best defenses in the country and nation in SMU if the Hurricane wants to get a conference road win that has eluded the team.

Haggerty has scored 20 or more points in six of the past seven games, three in a row, and hit double figures in 16 of Tulsa's 17 contests. He averages a team-high 19.2 points per game and leads the nation in freshman scoring. Cobe Williams has increased his scoring to 13.2 points per contest after consecutive 17-point performances and five straight double-digit scoring performances. The graduate guard is leading the team with 32 made 3-pointers and has knocked down multiple in each of the past seven games, going 18-of-44 (40.1 percent) in that stretch.

Carlous Williams is another player to step up from beyond the arc. After starting the season 3-of-15 (20 percent) on 3-pointers, Williams has connected on 10-of-22 (45.4 percent) in league play. Freshman Matt Reed has hit six of his nine (66.7 percent) 3-point attempts in The American play after shooting 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) in the nonconference slate.

As mentioned, the Mustangs defense is a tough nut to crack. SMU boasts a 12-5 record, 3-1 in The American. Its lone loss was a 3-point defeat at Memphis and all 12 wins have been by double digits. SMU's defense gives opposition teams nightmares, allowing just 61.9 points per game, which is second in the conference and eighth nationally. The defense stifles opposing offenses, holding teams to just 36.7 percent from the floor, which leads the conference and is second in the NCAA, and 25.5 percent on 3-pointers, which tops the nation.

Preseason All-AAC selection Zhuric Phelps leads the SMU offense, averaging 14.1 points per game. Chuck Harris (13.1) also records a scoring average in double figures. Samuell Williamson just missed joining the other two in double figures, averaging 9.1 points per contest. However, Williamson is the team's leader on the glass, pulling down 6.8 rebounds per contest.

After Saturday's game, the Hurricane have a bit of a break before its next game. Tulsa won't return to action until the following Saturday, Jan. 27, as TU travels back to Texas. This time, the Hurricane will play at Rice, an old conference opponent who is in its first season in The American. Tipoff for the Saturday evening meeting is set for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.