Tulsa To Host Oral Roberts In PSO Mayor's Cup

The Tulsa men’s basketball team plays host to crosstown rival Oral Roberts at 3 p.m. Saturday in the annual PSO Mayor’s Cup at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

The Golden Hurricane (5-2), which won 66-56 at Oklahoma State on Wednesday, leads the all-time Mayor’s Cup series, 32-18. The Golden Eagles (6-2) have won five of their last six games, but lost to New Mexico, 91-75, on Tuesday. TU is looking to halt a two-game slide in the series against ORU. Tulsa beat ORU, 72-68 in 2012, but the Golden Eagles won, 74-68 in 2013, and 77-68 in 2014.

The game will be broadcast on Big Country 99.5 FM and the Golden Hurricane Radio Network, and televised on ESPN3.com.

TULSA (5-2) vs. ORAL ROBERTS (6-2)

Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, • 3 p.m. • Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355)

TV: ESPN3.com (Dave Raymond and Jerod Ward)

Radio: Big Country 99.5 FM and the Golden Hurricane Radio Network (Bruce Howard and J.R. Rollo)

Internet: Live Audio on Hurricane Vision

Live Stats: www.TulsaHurricane.com

Twitter: @TUMBasketball | @TulsaHurricane

Instagram: TulsaMBasketball

The Coaches

Tulsa: Frank Haith (Elon ’88)

Career Record: 233-142 (12th year) Record at Tulsa: 28-13 (second year)

Oral Roberts: Scott Sutton (Oklahoma State, ‘95)

Career Record: 312-210 (17th year)  Record at ORU: same

The Series

This will be the 51st meeting between Tulsa and Oral Roberts. Tulsa leads the series, 32-18. The Golden Eagles have won two in a row in the series, including season-opening wins in 2013 at TU (74-68) and 2014 at ORU (77-68). The Golden Hurricane won four in a row in the series between 2008-12, including a 72-68 win in 2012 at the Mabee Center, and an 83-68 win in 2010 at the Reynolds Center. The first contest between TU and ORU took place March 4, 1974 – an 85-84 Hurricane win at the Fairgrounds Pavilion. TU is 17-6 all-time against ORU at home, and 5-2 in the Reynolds Center.

Quick Hits

•  TU vs. ORU is the second matchup of Tulsa’s in-state rivalry week to begin December. The Hurricane defeated Oklahoma State, 66-56, Wednesday in Stillwater.

•  This is the second of three games in seven days for Tulsa. TU will play host to Iona on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

•  Tulsa picked up a 66-56 road win at Oklahoma State on Wednesday. Marquel Curtis tallied 10 second-half points and seven rebounds, James Woodard scored 15 points and Shaquille Harrison scored 14 points for TU.

• Harrison ranks third in the nation with 77 free throw attempts, an average of 11 per game. He ranks 11th in the country in made free throws, with 48. He also ranks 54th in scoring (19.3 ppg) and 39th in steals (2.3 spg).

•  As a team, the Golden Hurricane ranks 24th in the NCAA in free throw attempts with 199 (28.4 per game) and 28th in made free throws with 139.

•  The Tulsa bench averages 26.1 points per game and has accounted for nearly 35 percent of the team’s total points this season. The Hurricane is led by Marquel Curtis (10.1 ppg) and Pat Birt (8.7) off the bench. Brandon Swannegan contributes 5.4 points per game off the bench. Curtis plays 27.9 minutes, Birt averages 22.0 minutes, and Swannegan averages 15.9 minutes per game off the bench.

•  Harrison is on the 2016 Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Early Season Watch List, released by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Dec. 2

•  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.

•  Woodard ranks tied for eighth in TU career scoring with 1,520 points, and sixth with 202 career 3-pointers. He needs 22 points to match Justin Hurtt (2007-11) for seventh place.

•  Harrison ranks fourth at TU with 200 career steals, and fifth with 346 career assists. He needs 22 steals to match Shea Seals (1993-97) for fourth place.

•  Brandon Swannegan has 127 career blocks, ranking fifth in TU history. He needs nine blocks to match Eric Coley (1996-00) for fourth place.

•  Harrison was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 23. TU nabbed the first two conference weekly honors of the season. Woodard won the award on Nov. 16.

•  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.