Wednesday, December 31
Tulsa, Okla.
1 p.m.
Tulsa
vs
Rice
Golden Hurricane Open Conference Play Against Rice in Wednesday Matinee
12/30/2025 3:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa takes the court for the final time in 2025 when they host Rice at 1 p.m. in the Reynolds Center on Wednesday. The Golden Hurricane are 12-1 for the first time since 1999-00 and have won nine in a row heading into their American Conference opener against the Owls. Tickets start at just $10 for the game which will be televised on ESPNU.
TICKETS
Date/Time: December 31, 2025 / 1 PM
Site: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Arena: Reynolds Center (8,355)
Radio: 1170 AM, Learfield Network affiliates, and Varsity Network App
Talent: Bruce Howard (pxp) & J.R. Rollo (analyst)
Video: ESPNU
Talent: Chuckie Kempf (pxp) & Tim Welsh (analyst)
Social Updates: @TUMBasketball | #ReignCane
History: Tulsa leads, 30-8
Streak: Rice, W2
MEDIA CENTRAL
STORY LINES
• Tulsa leads the American Conference in points per game (89.4), point differential (17.6), field goal percentage (.483), three-point percentage (.383), threes per game (10.8), free throw percentage (.779), rebound margin (9.2), and assist to turnover ratio (1.62), as of Dec. 28.
• Tulsa has had one of the best offenses nationally and rank tied for 25th in scoring offense, 26th in scoring margin, 18th free throw percentage, 15th in free throws made per game, 32nd in three-point percentage, and 25th in three-pointers per game entering the week.
• Tulsa is averaging 89.4 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 five programs with 12 games with 80-plus points, tied for the second most in the country. High Point leads with 13, while Gonzaga, Murray State, and Winthrop also have 12 games with 80-plus points.
• Tulsa is 12-1 for the first time since 1999-00 and for the fourth time in program history. The program also started 12-1 or better in 83-84 and 68-69.
• The Golden Hurricane are on a nine-game winning streak for the first time since the 2014-15 season when they won 12 in a row. The winning streak is the longest in the career of head coach Eric Konkol.
• Head coach Eric Konkol is going for his 200th career win.
• Tulsa is the only school in the American Conference to reach 10 non-conference wins and have 10 wins before conference play and before the month of January for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
• David Green was named the American Conference Player of the Week after scoring 23 points against Denver on 8-of-9 shooting.
SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 39th meeting between the programs, Tulsa leads 30-8 all-time.
• Rice won both games last season, but the Golden Hurricane had won the previous 17 in the series.
• Tulsa is 15-2 against Rice at home, with the only two defeats by a combined 13 points.
• Eric Konkol is 11-4 in his career against Rice.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Rice is 6-7 in the second season under Rob Lanier.
• The Owls have won four of their last five heading into conference play, including an 81-62 victory over Oral Roberts and a pair of wins over the Sun Belt Conference in Texas State and Arkansas State.
• Rice is third in the American Conference in three point percentage at .372.
SEASON NOTABLES
• 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 1 win 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 three one-point games this season, with two in back-to-back games (Oral Roberts and Kansas State). It was the team's first back-to-back one-point finishes since 2011. The team is 2-1 in one-point games this season. It's the team's most one-point games since 2008-09.
• 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 surpassing that total with 12.
• The only school to hold Tulsa under 80 points is Northern Iowa, who at 58.1 points per game is second nationally in defense.
• Tulsa leads the American Conference in points per game (89.4), point differential (17.6), field goal percentage (.483), three-point percentage (.383), threes per game (10.8), free throw percentage (.779), rebound margin (9.2), and assist to turnover ratio (1.62).
SPREADING THE LOVE
• Tulsa has had at least 15 assists in 11 of 13 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 .571 of made field goals this season, 216-of-378.
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.
• 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
• Tulsa had a wire-to-wire, 90-85, victory over Denver to close out non-conference play on Dec. 22.
• At 3,595 it was the highest attended game this season in the Reynolds Center.
• David Green had an efficient game, scoring 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 6-of-7 from the free throw line in just 19:34 of action. The senior also added three rebounds and two steals in the win.
• Tylen Riley continues to score for Tulsa, finishing with 18 points along with six rebounds and four assists.
UP NEXT
• Tulsa hits the road to face North Texas on January 4 in Denton.
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.
TICKETS
Date/Time: December 31, 2025 / 1 PM
Site: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Arena: Reynolds Center (8,355)
Radio: 1170 AM, Learfield Network affiliates, and Varsity Network App
Talent: Bruce Howard (pxp) & J.R. Rollo (analyst)
Video: ESPNU
Talent: Chuckie Kempf (pxp) & Tim Welsh (analyst)
Social Updates: @TUMBasketball | #ReignCane
History: Tulsa leads, 30-8
Streak: Rice, W2
MEDIA CENTRAL
STORY LINES
• Tulsa leads the American Conference in points per game (89.4), point differential (17.6), field goal percentage (.483), three-point percentage (.383), threes per game (10.8), free throw percentage (.779), rebound margin (9.2), and assist to turnover ratio (1.62), as of Dec. 28.
• Tulsa has had one of the best offenses nationally and rank tied for 25th in scoring offense, 26th in scoring margin, 18th free throw percentage, 15th in free throws made per game, 32nd in three-point percentage, and 25th in three-pointers per game entering the week.
• Tulsa is averaging 89.4 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 five programs with 12 games with 80-plus points, tied for the second most in the country. High Point leads with 13, while Gonzaga, Murray State, and Winthrop also have 12 games with 80-plus points.
• Tulsa is 12-1 for the first time since 1999-00 and for the fourth time in program history. The program also started 12-1 or better in 83-84 and 68-69.
• The Golden Hurricane are on a nine-game winning streak for the first time since the 2014-15 season when they won 12 in a row. The winning streak is the longest in the career of head coach Eric Konkol.
• Head coach Eric Konkol is going for his 200th career win.
• Tulsa is the only school in the American Conference to reach 10 non-conference wins and have 10 wins before conference play and before the month of January for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
• David Green was named the American Conference Player of the Week after scoring 23 points against Denver on 8-of-9 shooting.
SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 39th meeting between the programs, Tulsa leads 30-8 all-time.
• Rice won both games last season, but the Golden Hurricane had won the previous 17 in the series.
• Tulsa is 15-2 against Rice at home, with the only two defeats by a combined 13 points.
• Eric Konkol is 11-4 in his career against Rice.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Rice is 6-7 in the second season under Rob Lanier.
• The Owls have won four of their last five heading into conference play, including an 81-62 victory over Oral Roberts and a pair of wins over the Sun Belt Conference in Texas State and Arkansas State.
• Rice is third in the American Conference in three point percentage at .372.
SEASON NOTABLES
• 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 1 win 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 three one-point games this season, with two in back-to-back games (Oral Roberts and Kansas State). It was the team's first back-to-back one-point finishes since 2011. The team is 2-1 in one-point games this season. It's the team's most one-point games since 2008-09.
• 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 surpassing that total with 12.
• The only school to hold Tulsa under 80 points is Northern Iowa, who at 58.1 points per game is second nationally in defense.
• Tulsa leads the American Conference in points per game (89.4), point differential (17.6), field goal percentage (.483), three-point percentage (.383), threes per game (10.8), free throw percentage (.779), rebound margin (9.2), and assist to turnover ratio (1.62).
SPREADING THE LOVE
• Tulsa has had at least 15 assists in 11 of 13 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 .571 of made field goals this season, 216-of-378.
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.
• 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
• Tulsa had a wire-to-wire, 90-85, victory over Denver to close out non-conference play on Dec. 22.
• At 3,595 it was the highest attended game this season in the Reynolds Center.
• David Green had an efficient game, scoring 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 6-of-7 from the free throw line in just 19:34 of action. The senior also added three rebounds and two steals in the win.
• Tylen Riley continues to score for Tulsa, finishing with 18 points along with six rebounds and four assists.
UP NEXT
• Tulsa hits the road to face North Texas on January 4 in Denton.
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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