TU Men Return Home To Host UConn

The Tulsa men's basketball team is back at home for a key American Athletic Conference game against UConn at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
 
The Golden Hurricane is 10-6 overall and 2-2 in American Athletic Conference play, while the Huskies are 11-4 overall and 2-1 in the American Athletic Conference. The Hurricane has won two games in a row, winning at home over East Carolina, 55-43, and at Tulane, 81-67, on Sunday. UConn has won six of its last seven games, including an 81-78 win over Memphis on Saturday.
 
TU fans are encouraged to wear black for Thursday's Black Out Game.
 
The game will be broadcast on Big Country 99.5 FM and the Golden Hurricane Radio Network, and televised on ESPN2.

The Series
This will be the fifth meeting between Tulsa and UConn. UConn leads the series, 3-1. The Golden Hurricane won last season in Tulsa, 66-58, on Jan. 13. The Huskies won twice last year in Hartford, Conn. – 70-45 on Feb. 12 and 47-42 on March 14 in the American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals. UConn also won the first meeting between the schools, 89-68, in 1978 in New Haven, Conn.
 
About UConn
UConn averages 78.5 points and 37.3 rebounds per game, as well as a .486 field goal and .381 3-point percentage, while allowing 64.6 ppg, 34.1 rpg, a .383 field goal and a .318 3-point percentage. Rodney Purvis leads the team with 15.1 points per game and a .457 3-point percentage, and Shonn Miller adds 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Daniel Hamilton scores 12.9 points, and paces the team with 8.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per outing, while Sterling Gibbs puts up 12.5 points per game.
 
Tulsa Statistical Leaders
Shaquille Harrison leads the Golden Hurricane with 16.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game. James Woodard averages 16.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 3-pointers per game.Pat Birt adds 8.9 points, Rashad Smith scores 7.4 points, and Marquel Curtis puts up 7.1 points and 2.5 assists per outing. Tulsa averages 74.0 ppg, 34.1 rpg, a .449 field goal percentage, .339 3-point pct. and a .658 free throw pct. The Hurricane allows opponents 69.2 ppg, 36.6 rpg, a .412 field goal pct. and a .354 3-point pct.
 
Quick Hits
• Tulsa has won two games in a row, defeating East Carolina, 55-43, and Tulane, 81-67, after dropping its first two league games to SMU and at Cincinnati.
• Tulsa defeated Tulane, 81-67, on Sunday in New Orleans. Pat Birt sunk seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points, while James Woodard nailed five treys and put up 21 points to lead the Golden Hurricane.
• Through 16 games this season, Tulsa has a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio. TU has totaled 219 assists to 181 turnovers. In 2014-15 through 16 games, the Hurricane had 168 assists-196 turnovers–0.8 ratio.
•  Tulsa is 5-3 at home this season.
•  Against Tulane, the Hurricane made 13-of-20 3-pointers, the most since Nov. 11, 2012. The .650 3-point percentage is believed to be the highest in program history.
•  Pat Birt made seven threes at Tulane, on 7-of-10 shooting. The seven treys tied for the third-most in a single game, and the 70 percent 3-point percentage is fifth-best at TU.
•  Rashad Ray has a 3.7 assist-turnover ratio this season (37 assists to 10 turnovers). For his career, Ray has a 1.8 assist-turnover ratio, including a 2.4 ratio over his last three years (220 assists to 90 turnovers).
•  Harrison ranks 10th in the NCAA in getting to the free throw line. He has 129 attempts, and ranks 39th in made free throws (82). Harrison also ranks 35th in the nation in steals (2.1 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 1,648 points, and tied for fifth with 227 career 3-pointers. He has matched Justin Hurtt (2007-11) for fifth place, and needs 175 points to match Tracy Moore (1984-88) for fourth place.
     Harrison ranks fourth at TU with 217 career steals, and fifth with 383 career assists. He needs five steals to match Shea Seals (1993-97) for third place, and five 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.