TU's Sweet Sixteen Appearance Means More to the University in the Long Run

Thursday, March 23rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The Golden Hurricane's spot in the "Sweet Sixteen" puts the University of Tulsa in unfamiliar territory - the national limelight. No one knows how far the team will go in the playoffs, but a publicity payoff may come no matter what the team accomplishes.

Long after the last hoop is sunk, the University of Tulsa may win some points from the exposure of a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. If T-U wins Friday, the payoffs build for athletic, student, and even faculty recruiting. "The last time that this happened, we got a larger applicant pool and some of those are very good quality students," said University of Tulsa provost Roger Blais.

The most obvious payoff is in sports recruiting, and pride in the team including the teams TU plays against. "Somebody else said they didn't know Tulsa was in Oklahoma and we've been in the top 25 all year long," said TU basketball player Eric Coley. I think after Friday will they know how to pronounce my name and they will know where Tulsa is located."

The biggest winner, though may be T-U's sports recruiting. "For more than just a chance to go to the Final Four, this is big from recruiting and a lot of other areas that will affect or enchance our program down the line," said T-U head basketball coach Bill Self.

Fans are primed for the game. They're ready to see the T-U team go farther than any T-U basketball team has before.

A small supply of t-shirts with the sweet sixteen logo was the most popular item at the T-U book store, where most fans bought more than one. "My parents, wife, and son, they all want them," said Tulsa fan Rob Millikan.