GAME DAY: Tulsa On The Road To Face AAC Foe East Carolina

The Tulsa men's basketball team goes on the road to face American Athletic Conference foe East Carolina at 6 p.m. CT Tuesday at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, N.C.
 
Tuesday's contest is a rematch from two weeks ago – a 55-43 Golden Hurricane win in Tulsa. The Hurricane (11-6, 3-2 American) has won three in a row, including that win over ECU and a 60-51 victory over UConn at home on Thursday. The Pirates are 8-10 overall and 0-5 in league play, following a 89-69 defeat to UCF 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 17th meeting between Tulsa and East Carolina. Tulsa leads the series, 14-2. The Golden Hurricane has won five in a row in the series, including a 55-43 victory on Jan. 5 in Tulsa. TU won both meetings last season – 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 4-1 all-time vs ECU in Greenville.
 
About East Carolina
East Carolina averages 68.7 points and 35.3 rebounds per game, as well as a .426 field goal and .335 3-point percentage, while allowing 69.0 ppg, 35.4 rpg, a .429 field goal and a .311 3-point percentage. B.J. Tyson leads the Pirates with 14.4 points per game, adding 5.3 rebounds, and Caleb White averages 14.1 points, 2.3 assists and 2.5 3-pointers per outing. Kentrell Barkley puts up 9.2 points and leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per contest.
 
Tulsa Statistical Leaders
Shaquille Harrison leads the Golden Hurricane with 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game, scoring 16.4 points, while James Woodard leads the team with a 16.5 ppg average. He adds 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 3-pointers per game. Pat Birt adds 8.7 points, Rashad Smith scores 7.2 points, and Marquel Curtis puts up 6.7 points and 2.4 assists per outing. Tulsa averages 73.2 ppg, 34.5 rpg, a .444 field goal percentage, .332 3-point pct. and a .660 free throw pct. The Hurricane allows opponents 68.2 ppg, 36.7 rpg, a .406 field goal pct. and a .347 3-point pct.
 
Quick Hits
• Tulsa has won three games in a row, defeating East Carolina, 55-43, Tulane, 81-67, and UConn, 60-51.
• Tulsa defeated UConn, 60-51, on Thursday at the Reynolds Center. James Woodard led the Golden Hurricane with 20 points and nine rebounds and Shaquille Harrison tallied 13 points, eight boards and three assists.
• Through 17 games this season, Tulsa has a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio. TU has totaled 229 assists to 189 turnovers. In 2014-15 through 17 games, the Hurricane had 178 assists-207 turnovers–0.8 ratio.
•  Tulsa is 3-1 on the road this season.
•  Rashad Ray has a 3.5 assist-turnover ratio this season (39 assists to 111 turnovers). For his career, Ray has a 1.8 assist-turnover ratio, including a 2.4 ratio over his last three years (222 assists to 91 turnovers).
•  Harrison ranks 31st in the nation in steals (2.0 spg).
•  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.
•  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.
•  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 1,668 points, and fifth with 231 career 3-pointers. He needs nine threes to match Marcus Hill (1997-01) for fourth place, and needs 155 points to match Tracy Moore (1984-88) for fourth place.
     Harrison ranks fourth at TU with 218 career steals, and fifth with 386 career assists. He needs four steals to match Shea Seals (1993-97) for third place, and two assists to match Seals for fourth place.
     Brandon Swannegan has 134 career blocks, ranking fifth in TU history. He needs two blocks to match Eric Coley (1996-00) for fourth place.