GAME DAY: Tulsa vs. East Carolina

The Tulsa men's basketball team returns home to play host to American Athletic Conference foe East Carolina at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
 
The Golden Hurricane (8-6, 0-2 American) is seeking its first league win of the young conference season after dropping its first two contests to top-25 nationally ranked opponents, 81-69 to No. 17 SMU and 76-57 to No. 22 Cincinnati. The Pirates (8-6, 0-1 American) are also looking for their first league win after dropping the conference opener to UCF, 71-68, on Saturday.
 
The game will be broadcast on Big Country 99.5 FM and the Golden Hurricane Radio Network, and televised on ESPNews.
 
The Series
This will be the 16th meeting between Tulsa and East Carolina. Tulsa leads the series, 13-2. The Golden Hurricane has won four in a row in the series, including both meetings last season. In 2014-15, TU won, 66-64 in Greenville, and 69-58 in Tulsa. The last Pirates win was 72-63 in Tulsa in 2013. ECU also won, 59-45, in 2006 in Greenville. While 14 matchups have come since 2006, the Hurricane won the very first meeting, 86-63, in 1984 in Tulsa. TU is 6-1 all-time at home vs ECU.
 
About East Carolina
East Carolina averages 72.1 points and 37.1 rebounds per game, as well as a .437 field goal and .350 3-point percentage, while allowing 67.2 ppg, 33.6 rpg, a .414 field goal and a .287 3-point percentage. B.J. Tyson leads the Pirates with 15.1 points per game, adding 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists, and Caleb White averages 14.1 points, 2.6 assists and 2.3 3-pointers per outing. Kentrell Barkley puts up 9.9 points and leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per contest.
 
Tulsa Statistical Leaders
Shaquille Harrison leads the Golden Hurricane with 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game. James Woodard averages 15.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 3-pointers per game.Pat Birt adds 8.2 points, and Marquel Curtis puts up 7.4 points and 2.4 assists per outing. Tulsa averages 74.9 ppg, 34.4 rpg, a .448 field goal percentage, .330 3-point pct. and a .669 free throw pct. The Hurricane allows opponents 71.2 ppg, 35.6 rpg, a .423 field goal pct. and a .388 3-point pct.
 
Quick Hits
•  Tulsa fell at No. 22 Cincinnati, 76-57, on Saturday. Shaquille Harrison led the Golden Hurricane with 21 points, six assists and two steals, and Pat Birt tallied 13 points and a team-high six rebounds.
•  Through 14 games this season, Tulsa has a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio. TU has totaled 190 assists to 157 turnovers. In 2014-15 through 14 games, the Hurricane had 154 assists-170 turnovers–0.9 ratio.
•  Tulsa is 4-3 at home this season.
•  Harrison ranks fifth in the NCAA in getting to the free throw line. He has 128 attempts, and ranks 16th in made free throws (82). Harrison also ranks 77th in the nation in scoring (17.9 ppg) and 41st in steals (2.1 spg).
•  Rashad Ray has a 4.9 assist-turnover ratio this season (34 assists to seven turnovers). For his career, Ray has a 1.8 assist-turnover ratio, including a 2.5 ratio over his last three years (217 assists to 87 turnovers).
•  The Hurricane has scored 90 points in four games so far this season. It is the most 90-point games since 2013-14, when Tulsa scored 90 points five times, and is the second-most since 2000-01.
•  The Tulsa bench averages 22.6 points per game, and has accounted for 30 percent of the team's total points this season. The Hurricane is led by Pat Birt (8.2) and Marquel Curtis (7.4 ppg) off the bench. Brandon Swannegan contributes 4.9 points per game off the bench.
•  Harrison is on the 2016 Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Early Season Watch List, from the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
•  Harrison has been nominated for the Allstate NABC Good Works Team, which recognizes players at all levels of college basketball who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement.
•  TU nabbed the first two American Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards of the season. Woodard won the award on Nov. 16, and Harrison received the honor on Nov. 23.
•  Tulsa is playing this season with nine seniors – the most seniors on one roster in the country.
•  The Hurricane returned 97 percent of its scoring and 98 percent of its minutes to the team in 2015-16 – one of only five schools in the country to return at least 90 percent of its scoring and minutes this year.
•  The Golden Hurricane is in its second season as a member of the American Athletic Conference.
•  Tulsa is in its second year season under the direction of head coach Frank Haith. In his first season, the Hurricane posted a 23-11 overall record and a 14-4 conference record. TU finished second in the American Athletic Conference regular season, played in the semifinals of the conference tournament, and reached the second round of the postseason NIT.
 
Tulsa Career Top-10 Rankings
James Woodard ranks fifth in TU career scoring with 1,627 points, and sixth with 222 career 3-pointers. He needs five threes to match Justin Hurtt (2007-11) for fifth place, and 196 points to match Tracy Moore (1984-88) for fourth place. Harrison ranks fourth at TU with 213 career steals, and fifth with 371 career assists. He needs nine steals to match Shea Seals (1993-97) for third place, and 17 assists to match Seals for fourth place. Brandon Swannegan has 131 career blocks, ranking fifth in TU history. He needs five blocks to match Eric Coley (1996-00) for fourth place.