Tulsa Basketball Welcomes Rival Wichita State for Blue Out Game

GAME #20: Tulsa (8-11, 2-4 AAC) vs. Wichita State (11-9, 1-5 AAC)
Date/Time:	Tuesday • January 21, 2025 • 2:00 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355) • Tulsa, Okla.
Coaches:	Tulsa – Eric Konkol (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, '00), 3rd Season Wichita State – Paul Mills (Texas A&M '96), 2rd Season
TV:	ESPN+ \| Josh Haley(PxP) and Pooh Williamson (Analyst)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM / Varsity Sports App (Bruce Howard & JR Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	143rd Meeting \| Wichita State Leads Series 78-64
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Notes:	Tulsa Notes \| Wichita State Notes \| The American Notes

TULSA, Okla. –– The University of Tulsa men's basketball team hosts its longtime rival Wichita State in the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Sunday afternoon.

Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and will air on ESPN+ with Josh Haley and Pooh Williamson 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 alongside analyst JR Rollo.

Sunday's ballgame is a Blue Out game, where fans are encouraged to wear blue in support of the Golden Hurricane. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive blue TU t-shirts.

This is the 143^rd meeting between the Golden Hurricane (8-11, 2-4 The American) and Shockers (11-8, 1-5 The American), making Wichita State Tulsa's most played opponent. From 1945 through 1996, the Hurricane and Shockers met as Missouri Valley Conference foes before TU's departure for the WAC. They met multiple times over the following years and then have played each other every season since 2010-11. The Shockers joined The American in 2017, when the series picked back up in full.

The Shockers lead the all-time series 78-64. The Golden Hurricane is 37-32 at home against Wichita State, but 5-8 in games played in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Tulsa has dropped 21 of the past 25 meetings in the series and is 3-13 in The American era. TU and WSU split the season series in 2023-24. The Hurricane won 79-68 in the Reynolds Center, pulling ahead late, while the Shockers returned the favor with a 79-63 win in Wichita just under a month later.

Tulsa is looking to snap a two-game skid after falling in overtime to East Carolina 85-76 on Tuesday. For the second consecutive game, Tulsa held a 10-point advantage in the second half but was unable to hold on. Dwon Odom sent the game to overtime with a pair of free throws in the waning seconds, and the Hurricane missed a chance to hit a game winner in regulation.

Odom finished the game with his third double-double of the season, scoring 19 points with 11 rebounds and dishing out seven assists. He is averaging 13.5 points per game to lead Tulsa. Keaston Willis is second in scoring at 13.3 points, while Tyshawn Archie (10.9) and Isaiah Barnes (10.0) also average double figures.

Willis is nearing a few milestones in his career. He has scored 1,878 points in his career, making him 128 short of the 2,000 mark. The graduate guard has scored in double figures in 99 games and has 97 career games with multiple 3-pointers.

Former Oral Roberts head coach Paul Mills is in his second season directing the Shockers men's basketball squad. The Shockers close out a two-game road trip on Sunday, having dropped a 61-53 decision at #24 Memphis earlier in the week. Wichita State turned it over 22 times in the loss.

Four Shockers average double figures in scoring, led by 14.0 points from Xavier Bell. Corey Washington (13.4) also pulls down 7.5 rebounds per game, and Justin Hill (13.2) leads the team by dishing out 3.4 assists per contest. Quincy Ballard (10.7) is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 10.7 boards per game. In addition, Ballard averages 1.7 blocks per game to lead the Wichita State defense

Following Sunday's contest, the Golden Hurricane will finish its homestand a rematch against UAB. Tulsa hosts the Blazers on Wednesday in the Reynolds Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN+.

Tulsa Basketball Welcomes Rival Wichita State for Blue Out Game

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tyshawn Archie

Isaiah Barnes

Dwon Odom

Keaston Willis