Golden Hurricane Faces Knights in AutoNation Orange Bowl Basketball Classic

GAME #11: Tulsa (4-6, 0-0 AAC) vs. UCF (7-2, 0-0 Big 12)
Date/Time:	Saturday • December 14, 2024 • 1:00 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Amerant Bank Arena (20,737) • Sunrise, Fla.
Coaches:	Tulsa – Eric Konkol (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, '00), 3rd Season UCF – Johnny Dawkins (Duke '86), 9th Season
TV:	ESPNU \| Mike Corey (PxP) and Perry Clark (Analyst)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM / Varsity Sports App (Bruce Howard & JR Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	30th Meeting \| Tulsa Leads Series 15-14
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Notes:	Tulsa Notes \| UCF Notes \| The American Notes

SUNRISE, Fla. –– The University of Tulsa men's basketball team makes its second trip to Florida this season as the Golden Hurricane takes on former The American conference foe UCF in the 30^th Annual AutoNation Orange Bowl Classic inside Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. (CT) and will air on ESPNU with Mike Corey and Perry Clark on the call. Fans can also catch the contest on Big Country 99.5 FM and the Varsity Network app. Bruce Howard will bring fans the action.

Tulsa (4-6) and UCF (7-2) play the first game of the two-game event with Tulane and Florida State to follow.

Longtime foes in Conference USA and The American, TU and UCF have met 29 prior times. Between 2006 and 2023, the Hurricane and Knights met at least once per season until UCF made its move to the Big 12. Tulsa has won 15 of those contests, while UCF came away with 14 wins. The Knights have gotten the better of the Hurricane of late, winning seven of the past 10 matchups. The Orange Bowl is the first neutral site meeting between the schools and first nonconference matchup since 1989.

Saturday's game is the third neutral venue game for the Hurricane and Knights. Tulsa split its pair of games in Jacksonville near the end of November, while UCF dropped games to Wisconsin and LSU at the Greenbriar Tip-off in West Virginia. The Knights' 109-102 loss to LSU came in overtime, meaning both TU and UCF have dropped triple overtime games this season.

Tulsa is coming in off its second three-game losing streak of the season after dropping games at home to Oklahoma State and Southern. This gives the Hurricane three losses in the Donald W. Reynolds Center after having four in the total 2023-24 campaign.

Keaston Willis had a return to form against Southern, knocking down five 3-pointers, tying his best efforts for the season, en route to a season-high 23 points along with seven rebounds. He and Tyshawn Archie, who scored 17 for the fifth time in his career, led the Hurricane offense. Freshman Ian Smikle scored 11 points, getting into double figures for the first time. Smikle also led the team with eight rebounds as he continued to grow in his fifth straight start.

Brought in to be a 3-point marksman, Willis has been that this season for Tulsa, sitting second in the American Athletic Conference with 27 made 3-pointers. He averages 2.7 made triples per game, which is third-best in The American. He has eight games with multiple made baskets from long range with five games where he's knocked down three or more. Not just a volume shooter, Willis is knocking down his 3-point efforts at a 39.7 percent clip.

In his ninth year with the Knights, head coach Johnny Dawkins has UCF playing at a high level as they near their second conference season in the Big 12. UCF has yet to play a true road game this season, but its only losses came in a pair of neutral site games, and UCF is riding a three-game winning streak into the Orange Bowl Classic. The Knights also had an impressive win over a ranked Texas A&M to open the season alongside a win over The American's FAU a week later.

UCF may no longer be in The American, but it doesn't mean the Knights have cut all ties to their former conference. Leading scorer Jordan Ivy-Curry is a former guard who spent three of his four prior seasons at UTSA before heading to Orlando. Ivy-Curry was a big-time scorer in San Antonio and hasn't slowed down with his new team, averaging 16.0 points per game, one of three to average double figures. The other two are Darius Johnson (15.7) and Keyshawn Hall (14.7). Hall is the team's leading rebound at 6.9 boards per game, while Johnson is averaging more than four assists per game.

Following Saturday's contest, the Golden Hurricane will take another week before hosting Mississippi Valley State in the Reynolds Center on Saturday, December 21. Tipoff against the Delta Devils is set for 2 p.m. (CT).

Golden Hurricane Faces Knights in AutoNation Orange Bowl Basketball Classic

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Players Mentioned

Tyshawn Archie

Ian Smikle

Keaston Willis