Friday, December 19
Bowling Green, Ky.
6:30 p.m.
Tulsa
at
Western Kentucky
Tulsa Heads to Western Kentucky for Final Non-Conference Road Test
12/18/2025 9:34:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BOWLING GREEN, Kent. — Riding a seven-game winning streak the Tulsa men's basketball team hits the road for the final time in non-conference play when they take on Western Kentucky on Friday in E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Date/Time: December 19, 2025 / 6:30 PM
Site: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Arena: E.A. Diddle Arena (7,523)
Radio: 99.5 FM Big Country, Learfield Network affiliates, and Varsity Network App
Talent: Bruce Howard (pxp) & J.R. Rollo (analyst)
Video: ESPN+
Talent: Tyler Eaton (pxp) & Craig McCormick (analyst)
Social Updates: @TUMBasketball | #ReignCane
History: Tulsa leads, 5-1
Streak: Tulsa, W4
MEDIA CENTRAL
STORY LINES
• Tulsa leads the American Conference in points per game (90.0), point differential (20.3), field goal percentage (.489), three-point percentage (.395), threes per game (11.3), free throw percentage (.789), rebound margin (11.5), assists per game (17.2), and assist to turnover ratio (1.64).
• The Golden Hurricane are the only program in the country to lead its conference in points per game, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free throw percentage.
• Tulsa has had one of the best offenses nationally and rank 18th in scoring offense, 14th in scoring margin, 9th free throw percentage, 17th in free throws made per game, 19th in three-point percentage, and are tied for tied for 14th in three-pointers per game.
• Tulsa is averaging 90.0 points per game this season, which would be the second most points per game in program history. The team has averaged 80-plus points per game 14 times with a school record of 90.8 set in 1983-84.
• Tulsa is one of 10 programs with 10-plus games with 80-plus points, tied for the most in the country.
• Tulsa is 10-1 for the first time since 1999-00 and for the fifth time in program history. The program also started 10-1 or better in 98-99, 83-84, 68-69.
• The Golden Hurricane are on a seven-game winning streak for the first time since the 2014-15 season when they won 12 in a row.
• Tulsa's seven-game winning streak is tied for the longest in the career of head coach Eric Konkol.
SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 7th meeting between the programs and the second meeting in Bowling Green.
• Tulsa has won five in a row in the series.
• The Golden Hurricane won the only other meeting at Western Kentucky, 73-65, on Dec. 4, 1995.
• These teams have only met once since that contest, a 65-49 Tulsa victory on Nov. 17, 2011, in Charleston, South Carolina.
• No team in series history has scored 80 points in a game.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Western Kentucky is 7-3 on the year, including a pair of games against American Conference foes. They lost to South Florida, 97-91, in overtime before defeating Wichita State, 75-70, in the Bahamas.
• One of the best teams in the country at getting to the free throw line, the Hilltoppers are averaging 21.3 makes (tied for 5th) and 28.8 attempts (6th in the nation) from the charity stripe this season.
• The Hilltoppers are getting 38.5 points per game from their bench, the 11th best rate in the country and the best in CUSA.
SEASON NOTEABLES
• Head coach Eric Konkol is closing in on 200 wins as a Division I coach. Konkol, tied for the fourth-longest tenured coach in the American, needs just 3 wins to reach that milestone.
• Tulsa won the Mayor's Cup despite Oral Roberts shooting .500 percent from the field and making 14 threes. Since the 2004-05 season per Stathead, it is Tulsa's first road win in which the opponent shot .500 percent or better from the field and made 10 or more threes. Last season, teams were 839-13 (.985) at home, shooting .500 percent or better from the field, and made more than 10 threes.
• The Golden Hurricane won their first in-season tournament, the Acrisure Holiday Invitational, since 2002 with a 63-60 victory over Northern Iowa.
• The Golden Hurricane have played two one-point games this season, in back-to-back games (Oral Roberts and Kansas State). It was the team's first back-to-back one-point finishes since 2011.
• Tulsa's 117-point performance against UAPB set a new Reynolds Center facility record for points in a game. It was the ninth-most points in a game in school history and is the program's first game with 115-plus points since 2000.
• Three opponents on the schedule are new to the Golden Hurricane men's basketball program, Oklahoma Christian, Manhattan Christian, and Denver.
• Tulsa received their highest ever NET ranking in the first batch of rankings, released on Dec. 1 at No. 27 in the country. The program's previous high was No. 52 back in 2020-21. Last season the Golden Hurricane finished ranked No. 271.
• Tulsa is 3-0 in coaches challenges this season.
HOT HAND
• Tulsa got off to a terrific start offensively, scoring 80+ points in each of the first six contests.
• It was the program's longest such streak since the 2001-02 season, a streak of seven games. That team would score 80+ points 19 times.
• The program's single season record is 21 times, set back in 1983-84, under head coach Nolan Richardson.
• Tulsa has averaged 80 or more points in a season 14 times but not since 2001-02.
• Tulsa has three games scoring 100-plus points this season, their most 100-point performances in a year since 1995-96.
• Last season the Golden Hurricane scored 80-plus points 10 times, already matching that total.
• The only school to hold Tulsa under 80 points is Northern Iowa, who at 58.0 points per game is third nationally in defense.
• Tulsa leads the American Conference in points per game (90.0), point differential (20.3), field goal percentage (.489), three-point percentage (.395), threes per game (11.3), free throw percentage (.789), rebound margin (11.5), assists per game (17.2), and assist to turnover ratio (1.64).
SPREADING THE LOVE
• Tulsa has had at least 15 assists in 10 of 11 games of the season. The Golden Hurricane reached that mark just 12 times last season.
• Thrice this season Tulsa has had at least 20 assists in a game, tying a school record also set in 1993-94, 2015-16, 2018-19, and 2020-21.
• Tulsa has assisted on .589 of made field goals this season, 189-of-321.
LONGEVITY IN THE LEAGUE
• Head coach Eric Konkol enters his fourth season with the Golden Hurricane.
• Konkol enters the year tied for the fourth-longest tenured coach in the American Conference.
• Only Penny Hardaway (Memphis, 8th season), Ron Hunter (Tulane, 7th season), and Andy Kennedy (UAB, 6th season) have been in the league longer.
• East Carolina head coach, and former Tulsa assistant, Michael Scwartz, is also entering his fourth season leading his program.
NEW LOOK ROSTER
• The Golden Hurricane roster features 11 newcomers in 2025-26, 8 transfers and 3 freshmen.
• David Green headlines the group after two stellar seasons at Rhode Island, where he averaged 14.2 points per game the last two seasons. Green previously played for Eric Konkol back in 2021-22 at Louisiana Tech where he averaged 7.2 points and 3.0 rebounds off the bench in Konkol's final season in Ruston.
• Miles Barnstable is a scoring threat anywhere on the floor. After starting his collegiate career at DIII Wisconsin-Whitewater, Barnstable has scored 1,449 points entering his senior season. Last season he was the Summit League Newcomer of the Year and All-Conference First Team at St. Thomas.
• Myles Rigsby and Terrance Ford Jr. bring a championship pedigree to the roster after transferring from the Sun Belt Conference. Rigsby's Troy Trojans defeated Ford's Arkansas State Red Wolves in the SBC Championships last season to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament after the two sides were part of a four-way tie for the regular season crown.
• Romad Dean is a veteran presence after spending 3 seasons at Fordham. The senior started 32 games last season, averaging 6.9 points and 5.6 rebounds and shooting .342 from deep.
• From the JUCO level, Ade Popoola is a scoring threat after averaging 18.6 points a year ago. He was ranked the No. 7 JUCO transfer by Rivals and the No. 11 JUCO transfer by JUCOrecruiting.com.
• Doryan Onwuchekwa brings depth to the post after grabbing 4.9 boards in just 18.2 minutes of action last year at Georgia Tech while local product Carter Benton transfers from Pacific, appearing in 19 games for the Tigers last season.
• TU's roster will also feature 3 true freshmen. KJ Martin Jr. joined the team last spring after graduating high school early but did not appear in a game. Jaylen Lawal joins the team as a 3-star recruit out of high school while Leon Sifferlin joins the roster with international experience from France.
BACK ON THE BENCH
• Three players return who saw game action last season to the Golden Hurricane.
• Ian Smikle headlines the returners for the Golden Hurricane. Last season the West Palm Beach, Florida native earned American Conference All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 5.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Last season he pulled down 183 rebounds, the third most by a freshman in program history.
• Tyler Behrend and Cal Conroy also saw action last season for the Golden Hurricane. Behrend appeared in 16 games, averaging 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds while Conroy saw time in 2 contests.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Golden Hurricane used a big first half to defeat New Mexico State, 83-70, at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas.
• Tulsa shot .636 (14-of-22) in the first half and .571 (8-of-14) from three in the win.
• Tylen Riley carried the offense with 29 points on 6-of-9 shooting and went 4-for-5 from three. The junior was 13-for-13 from the free throw line, the second most makes in a game without a miss in program history and the fifth most makes in a game without a miss this season.
UP NEXT
• Tulsa closes out non-conference play on Monday at home against Denver with a 2 p.m. start.
Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.
Date/Time: December 19, 2025 / 6:30 PM
Site: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Arena: E.A. Diddle Arena (7,523)
Radio: 99.5 FM Big Country, Learfield Network affiliates, and Varsity Network App
Talent: Bruce Howard (pxp) & J.R. Rollo (analyst)
Video: ESPN+
Talent: Tyler Eaton (pxp) & Craig McCormick (analyst)
Social Updates: @TUMBasketball | #ReignCane
History: Tulsa leads, 5-1
Streak: Tulsa, W4
MEDIA CENTRAL
STORY LINES
• Tulsa leads the American Conference in points per game (90.0), point differential (20.3), field goal percentage (.489), three-point percentage (.395), threes per game (11.3), free throw percentage (.789), rebound margin (11.5), assists per game (17.2), and assist to turnover ratio (1.64).
• The Golden Hurricane are the only program in the country to lead its conference in points per game, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free throw percentage.
• Tulsa has had one of the best offenses nationally and rank 18th in scoring offense, 14th in scoring margin, 9th free throw percentage, 17th in free throws made per game, 19th in three-point percentage, and are tied for tied for 14th in three-pointers per game.
• Tulsa is averaging 90.0 points per game this season, which would be the second most points per game in program history. The team has averaged 80-plus points per game 14 times with a school record of 90.8 set in 1983-84.
• Tulsa is one of 10 programs with 10-plus games with 80-plus points, tied for the most in the country.
• Tulsa is 10-1 for the first time since 1999-00 and for the fifth time in program history. The program also started 10-1 or better in 98-99, 83-84, 68-69.
• The Golden Hurricane are on a seven-game winning streak for the first time since the 2014-15 season when they won 12 in a row.
• Tulsa's seven-game winning streak is tied for the longest in the career of head coach Eric Konkol.
SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 7th meeting between the programs and the second meeting in Bowling Green.
• Tulsa has won five in a row in the series.
• The Golden Hurricane won the only other meeting at Western Kentucky, 73-65, on Dec. 4, 1995.
• These teams have only met once since that contest, a 65-49 Tulsa victory on Nov. 17, 2011, in Charleston, South Carolina.
• No team in series history has scored 80 points in a game.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Western Kentucky is 7-3 on the year, including a pair of games against American Conference foes. They lost to South Florida, 97-91, in overtime before defeating Wichita State, 75-70, in the Bahamas.
• One of the best teams in the country at getting to the free throw line, the Hilltoppers are averaging 21.3 makes (tied for 5th) and 28.8 attempts (6th in the nation) from the charity stripe this season.
• The Hilltoppers are getting 38.5 points per game from their bench, the 11th best rate in the country and the best in CUSA.
SEASON NOTEABLES
• Head coach Eric Konkol is closing in on 200 wins as a Division I coach. Konkol, tied for the fourth-longest tenured coach in the American, needs just 3 wins to reach that milestone.
• Tulsa won the Mayor's Cup despite Oral Roberts shooting .500 percent from the field and making 14 threes. Since the 2004-05 season per Stathead, it is Tulsa's first road win in which the opponent shot .500 percent or better from the field and made 10 or more threes. Last season, teams were 839-13 (.985) at home, shooting .500 percent or better from the field, and made more than 10 threes.
• The Golden Hurricane won their first in-season tournament, the Acrisure Holiday Invitational, since 2002 with a 63-60 victory over Northern Iowa.
• The Golden Hurricane have played two one-point games this season, in back-to-back games (Oral Roberts and Kansas State). It was the team's first back-to-back one-point finishes since 2011.
• Tulsa's 117-point performance against UAPB set a new Reynolds Center facility record for points in a game. It was the ninth-most points in a game in school history and is the program's first game with 115-plus points since 2000.
• Three opponents on the schedule are new to the Golden Hurricane men's basketball program, Oklahoma Christian, Manhattan Christian, and Denver.
• Tulsa received their highest ever NET ranking in the first batch of rankings, released on Dec. 1 at No. 27 in the country. The program's previous high was No. 52 back in 2020-21. Last season the Golden Hurricane finished ranked No. 271.
• Tulsa is 3-0 in coaches challenges this season.
HOT HAND
• Tulsa got off to a terrific start offensively, scoring 80+ points in each of the first six contests.
• It was the program's longest such streak since the 2001-02 season, a streak of seven games. That team would score 80+ points 19 times.
• The program's single season record is 21 times, set back in 1983-84, under head coach Nolan Richardson.
• Tulsa has averaged 80 or more points in a season 14 times but not since 2001-02.
• Tulsa has three games scoring 100-plus points this season, their most 100-point performances in a year since 1995-96.
• Last season the Golden Hurricane scored 80-plus points 10 times, already matching that total.
• The only school to hold Tulsa under 80 points is Northern Iowa, who at 58.0 points per game is third nationally in defense.
• Tulsa leads the American Conference in points per game (90.0), point differential (20.3), field goal percentage (.489), three-point percentage (.395), threes per game (11.3), free throw percentage (.789), rebound margin (11.5), assists per game (17.2), and assist to turnover ratio (1.64).
SPREADING THE LOVE
• Tulsa has had at least 15 assists in 10 of 11 games of the season. The Golden Hurricane reached that mark just 12 times last season.
• Thrice this season Tulsa has had at least 20 assists in a game, tying a school record also set in 1993-94, 2015-16, 2018-19, and 2020-21.
• Tulsa has assisted on .589 of made field goals this season, 189-of-321.
LONGEVITY IN THE LEAGUE
• Head coach Eric Konkol enters his fourth season with the Golden Hurricane.
• Konkol enters the year tied for the fourth-longest tenured coach in the American Conference.
• Only Penny Hardaway (Memphis, 8th season), Ron Hunter (Tulane, 7th season), and Andy Kennedy (UAB, 6th season) have been in the league longer.
• East Carolina head coach, and former Tulsa assistant, Michael Scwartz, is also entering his fourth season leading his program.
NEW LOOK ROSTER
• The Golden Hurricane roster features 11 newcomers in 2025-26, 8 transfers and 3 freshmen.
• David Green headlines the group after two stellar seasons at Rhode Island, where he averaged 14.2 points per game the last two seasons. Green previously played for Eric Konkol back in 2021-22 at Louisiana Tech where he averaged 7.2 points and 3.0 rebounds off the bench in Konkol's final season in Ruston.
• Miles Barnstable is a scoring threat anywhere on the floor. After starting his collegiate career at DIII Wisconsin-Whitewater, Barnstable has scored 1,449 points entering his senior season. Last season he was the Summit League Newcomer of the Year and All-Conference First Team at St. Thomas.
• Myles Rigsby and Terrance Ford Jr. bring a championship pedigree to the roster after transferring from the Sun Belt Conference. Rigsby's Troy Trojans defeated Ford's Arkansas State Red Wolves in the SBC Championships last season to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament after the two sides were part of a four-way tie for the regular season crown.
• Romad Dean is a veteran presence after spending 3 seasons at Fordham. The senior started 32 games last season, averaging 6.9 points and 5.6 rebounds and shooting .342 from deep.
• From the JUCO level, Ade Popoola is a scoring threat after averaging 18.6 points a year ago. He was ranked the No. 7 JUCO transfer by Rivals and the No. 11 JUCO transfer by JUCOrecruiting.com.
• Doryan Onwuchekwa brings depth to the post after grabbing 4.9 boards in just 18.2 minutes of action last year at Georgia Tech while local product Carter Benton transfers from Pacific, appearing in 19 games for the Tigers last season.
• TU's roster will also feature 3 true freshmen. KJ Martin Jr. joined the team last spring after graduating high school early but did not appear in a game. Jaylen Lawal joins the team as a 3-star recruit out of high school while Leon Sifferlin joins the roster with international experience from France.
BACK ON THE BENCH
• Three players return who saw game action last season to the Golden Hurricane.
• Ian Smikle headlines the returners for the Golden Hurricane. Last season the West Palm Beach, Florida native earned American Conference All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 5.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Last season he pulled down 183 rebounds, the third most by a freshman in program history.
• Tyler Behrend and Cal Conroy also saw action last season for the Golden Hurricane. Behrend appeared in 16 games, averaging 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds while Conroy saw time in 2 contests.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Golden Hurricane used a big first half to defeat New Mexico State, 83-70, at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas.
• Tulsa shot .636 (14-of-22) in the first half and .571 (8-of-14) from three in the win.
• Tylen Riley carried the offense with 29 points on 6-of-9 shooting and went 4-for-5 from three. The junior was 13-for-13 from the free throw line, the second most makes in a game without a miss in program history and the fifth most makes in a game without a miss this season.
UP NEXT
• Tulsa closes out non-conference play on Monday at home against Denver with a 2 p.m. start.
Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.
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