Saturday, December 6
Tulsa, Okla.
2 p.m.
Tulsa
vs
Missouri State
Tulsa Welcomes Missouri State to the Reynolds Center Looking for Fifth Straight Win
12/5/2025 10:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa dominated Manhattan Christian 111-60 on Tuesday night at the Donald W. Reynolds Center, scoring 111 in a game for the first time since Dec. 30, 2000 against Prairie View. With the win, Tulsa improved to 7-1 for the first time since the 2019-20 season and are a win away from head coach Eric Konkol matching the best start to a season in his career.
Date/Time: December 6, 2025 / 2 PM
Site: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Arena: Reynolds Center (8,355)
Radio: 99.5 FM Big Country , Learfield Network affiliates, and Varsity Network App
Talent: Bruce Howard (pxp) & J.R. Rollo (analyst)
Video: ESPN+
Talent: Chad McKee (pxp) & Pooh Williamson (analyst)
Social Updates: @TUMBasketball | #ReignCane
History: Missouri State leads, 22-21
In Tulsa: Tulsa leads, 14-5
PROMOTIONS
From 1-3 p.m. in the Intercollegiate Entrance of the Reynolds Center, there will be a men's basketball garage sale with all proceeds going to the team's Loyal Always True Fund. Gold jerseys will be $100, other jerseys $50, and all other items $20. The first 1,000 fans will also receive special Tulsa Golden Hurricane wrapping paper.
STORY LINES
• The Golden Hurricane look to tie the all-time series with Missouri State in the 44th meeting between the schools.
• Tulsa is averaging 86.5 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 the school record of 90.8 set in 1983-84.
• Tulsa scored 111 points against Manhattan Christian last time out. It was the first time reaching 111 points since Dec. 30, 2000, against Prairie View when they scored 115.
• Tulsa leads the American Conference in field goal percentage (.481), three-pointers per game (10.5), rebound margin (11.3), and assists (17.3).
• The Golden Hurricane are one of 26 programs with at least seven 80-plus point performances this season.
• Tulsa is off to its best start in the Konkol era at 7-1. The Golden Hurricane are looking for their first 8-1 start since 2009-10.
• At 7-1, Eric Konkol is off to the second-best start to his coaching career. His 2015-16 Louisiana Tech squad, his first season as a head coach, got off to an 8-1 start.
SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 44th all-time meeting between the programs.
• Tulsa looks to avenge last season's 111-106 defeat in 3 overtimes in Springfield. It was the third game in the series to go to overtime.
• Each of the last five games in the series have been decided by single digits, including two one-possession games and last season's triple overtime contest.
• Tulsa is 14-5 all-time at home in the series and won 7-0 in a row at home. The last time Missouri State won in Tulsa was back in 1996.
• The series first started with a 37-30 Tulsa victory back on January 16, 1932, in Springfield.
• The Golden Hurricane are 16-5 in the series after starting the series 5-17.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Missouri State comes in at 4-3 win a win over Northeastern State, 92-71, on Sunday.
• Saturday marks just the second road game this season for the Bears.
• Cuonzo Martin enters his second stint as head coach of the Bears. He is 74-67 all-time at Missouri State.
• Senior Keith Palek III leads them in points (17.0), rebounds (7.1), and assists (3.7) per game.
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 6 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.
• 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.
• Three opponents on the schedule are new to the Golden Hurricane men's basketball program, Oklahoma Christian, Manhattan Christian, and Denver.
• Tulsa is 2-0 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.
• The Golden Hurricane lead the American Conference in shooting with a .481 (234-for-486) shooting percentage.
• The team is also second in the league in three-point percentage, connecting from long range at a .372 (84-266) clip. Only Rice's .373 (90-241) percentage is better.
• The Golden Hurricane also lead the league in three-pointers made per game (10.5) and are second in the league in points per game (86.5).
• Miles Barnstable is second in the American in field goal percentage (.519) and second in three-point percentage (.451).
SPREADING THE LOVE
• Tulsa has had at least 15 assists in seven of eight 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 leads the American Conference at 17.3 assists per game.
• Tulsa has assisted on .590 of made field goals this season, 138-of-234.
NOTHING BUT NET
• 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.
• The Golden Hurricane remain the highest ranked team in the American Conference with South Florida next highest at 75.
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 put on a scoring clinic in a 111-60 win over Manhattan Christian.
• Tulsa had six players finish in double figures, led by 18 from Miles Barnstable.
• Tulsa had 61 rebounds in a game for the second time this season and had 21 assists. It was their third game with 20+ assists in a season, matching a school record.
UP NEXT
• Tulsa closes a three-game homestand against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. before hitting the road for the next two.
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 6, 2025 / 2 PM
Site: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Arena: Reynolds Center (8,355)
Radio: 99.5 FM Big Country , Learfield Network affiliates, and Varsity Network App
Talent: Bruce Howard (pxp) & J.R. Rollo (analyst)
Video: ESPN+
Talent: Chad McKee (pxp) & Pooh Williamson (analyst)
Social Updates: @TUMBasketball | #ReignCane
History: Missouri State leads, 22-21
In Tulsa: Tulsa leads, 14-5
PROMOTIONS
From 1-3 p.m. in the Intercollegiate Entrance of the Reynolds Center, there will be a men's basketball garage sale with all proceeds going to the team's Loyal Always True Fund. Gold jerseys will be $100, other jerseys $50, and all other items $20. The first 1,000 fans will also receive special Tulsa Golden Hurricane wrapping paper.
STORY LINES
• The Golden Hurricane look to tie the all-time series with Missouri State in the 44th meeting between the schools.
• Tulsa is averaging 86.5 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 the school record of 90.8 set in 1983-84.
• Tulsa scored 111 points against Manhattan Christian last time out. It was the first time reaching 111 points since Dec. 30, 2000, against Prairie View when they scored 115.
• Tulsa leads the American Conference in field goal percentage (.481), three-pointers per game (10.5), rebound margin (11.3), and assists (17.3).
• The Golden Hurricane are one of 26 programs with at least seven 80-plus point performances this season.
• Tulsa is off to its best start in the Konkol era at 7-1. The Golden Hurricane are looking for their first 8-1 start since 2009-10.
• At 7-1, Eric Konkol is off to the second-best start to his coaching career. His 2015-16 Louisiana Tech squad, his first season as a head coach, got off to an 8-1 start.
SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 44th all-time meeting between the programs.
• Tulsa looks to avenge last season's 111-106 defeat in 3 overtimes in Springfield. It was the third game in the series to go to overtime.
• Each of the last five games in the series have been decided by single digits, including two one-possession games and last season's triple overtime contest.
• Tulsa is 14-5 all-time at home in the series and won 7-0 in a row at home. The last time Missouri State won in Tulsa was back in 1996.
• The series first started with a 37-30 Tulsa victory back on January 16, 1932, in Springfield.
• The Golden Hurricane are 16-5 in the series after starting the series 5-17.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Missouri State comes in at 4-3 win a win over Northeastern State, 92-71, on Sunday.
• Saturday marks just the second road game this season for the Bears.
• Cuonzo Martin enters his second stint as head coach of the Bears. He is 74-67 all-time at Missouri State.
• Senior Keith Palek III leads them in points (17.0), rebounds (7.1), and assists (3.7) per game.
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 6 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.
• 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.
• Three opponents on the schedule are new to the Golden Hurricane men's basketball program, Oklahoma Christian, Manhattan Christian, and Denver.
• Tulsa is 2-0 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.
• The Golden Hurricane lead the American Conference in shooting with a .481 (234-for-486) shooting percentage.
• The team is also second in the league in three-point percentage, connecting from long range at a .372 (84-266) clip. Only Rice's .373 (90-241) percentage is better.
• The Golden Hurricane also lead the league in three-pointers made per game (10.5) and are second in the league in points per game (86.5).
• Miles Barnstable is second in the American in field goal percentage (.519) and second in three-point percentage (.451).
SPREADING THE LOVE
• Tulsa has had at least 15 assists in seven of eight 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 leads the American Conference at 17.3 assists per game.
• Tulsa has assisted on .590 of made field goals this season, 138-of-234.
NOTHING BUT NET
• 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.
• The Golden Hurricane remain the highest ranked team in the American Conference with South Florida next highest at 75.
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 put on a scoring clinic in a 111-60 win over Manhattan Christian.
• Tulsa had six players finish in double figures, led by 18 from Miles Barnstable.
• Tulsa had 61 rebounds in a game for the second time this season and had 21 assists. It was their third game with 20+ assists in a season, matching a school record.
UP NEXT
• Tulsa closes a three-game homestand against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. before hitting the road for the next two.
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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