TU Guards Earn All-AAC Status

Tulsa guards James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison earned All-American Athletic Conference awards, as Woodard was named to the first team, and Harrison was selected to the second team in a vote by the conference head coaches, the league office announced Tuesday.

Woodard and Harrison, both juniors, are the top two leading scorers for the Golden Hurricane, which finished second in The American Conference with a 14-4 record, and a 21-9 overall mark. This is Woodard's first career first-team all-conference honor, and the first career all-conference award for Harrison.

Woodard, a native of Arcadia, Okla., averages 14.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while making 2.7 3-pointers per contest. He has scored in double digits 25 times this season, at least 20 points six times. He has connected on 39 percent of his 3-point attempts, and made at least three 3-pointers in 15 games. He ranks third in The American in scoring overall and second in league games with 15.1 points per game, and also ranks second in the conference in 3-pointers, including 2.9 per league game.

Harrison, who hails from Kansas City, Mo., averages 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He has scored in double figures 19 times, and 20 points seven times, and recorded at least three assists in 19 games. He has compiled 112 assists and a 1.7 assist/turnover ratio. In conference play, he has averaged 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. He ranks eighth in The American in scoring, second in steals, seventh in assists, 11th in field goal percentage (.454), 19th in rebounds, and ninth in assist/turnover ratio. In league games, he is also eighth in scoring, second in steals and ninth in assists.

The guards, which have led the Hurricane throughout the season, have combined to average 28.3 points – 43 percent of the team's points this year. Woodard was named the American Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 8 and Jan. 19. He was a second-team All-Conference USA selection in 2014, and was a Preseason All-American Conference first team pick this year. Harrison was named the American Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 12.

The second-seeded Golden Hurricane (21-9, 14-4 American) opens the American Athletic Conference Championship at 6 p.m. CT Friday with a quarterfinal matchup against the winner of No. 7-seed Tulane and No.10-seed Hosuton. The game will be televised on ESPNU.