GAME #12
Tulsa Golden Hurricane (7-4, 4-2) vs. Memphis Tigers (6-4, 2-1)
Date/Time: Sunday - Jan. 17, 2021 - 2:00 p.m. (CT) - ESPN+
Site: Reynolds Center (8,355) - Tulsa, Okla.
The Game
ā¢ Tulsa will take on the Memphis Tigers in a conference matchup in the Reynolds Center Sunday afternoon on ESPN+.
ā¢ The game is the 12th contest for Tulsa (7-4) this season ... the Tigers are 6-4 on the season winning their last game 58-57 in a conference home contest against USF on Dec. 29 .. the last three Memphis games against Temple, UCF and SMU were postponed due to Covid-19.
Scouting the Tigers
ā¢ Memphis was picked to finish 2nd in the preseason American Athletic Conference Coaches Poll ... the Tigers return 8, including three starters from last season, when the team went 21-10 and 10-8 in conference play.
ā¢ The U of M added three players in the offseason who are making an immediate impact with Virginia Tech transfer Landers Nolly II and Evansville transfer DeAndre Williams ... the Tigers also welcome 5-star forward Moussa Cisse.
ā¢ The Tigers opened their season losing two of their first three contests ... they beat Saint Maryās 73-56, before falling to WKU 75-69 and VCU 70-59 ... all three contests were a part of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic.
ā¢ The Tigers are led in scoring by transfer Landers Nolly II who is averaging 13.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game ... forward DJ Jeffries is averaging 11.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game for Memphis.
ā¢ Memphis is led by Head Coach Penny Hardaway, who was been at the helm of the Tigers for the last 3 seasons and holds a 49-28 record.
The Series
ā¢ This will be the 49th contest between the Golden Hurricane and the Tigers ... the Hurricane is 5-6 against the Tigers in the Reynolds Center.
ā¢ Tulsa under Frank Haith has not lost to the Tigers in the Reynolds Center with a 5-0 record.
ā¢ Memphis holds a 29-20 series advantage over TU, with the Hurricane winning the last contest earlier this season on Dec. 21, 2021 ... the Hurricane won the contest 56-49, behind 14 points from Austin Richie.
A Tulsa Win Would
ā¢ Give the Hurricane its 8th win of the season, moving Tulsa to 8-4 on the year.
ā¢ Move Tulsaās all-time record against Memphis to 29-21.
ā¢ Continue Frank Haithās undefeated record against the Tigers in the Reynolds Center ... extending his streak to 6-0.
This Season Against Memphis
ā¢ Tulsa stormed back from down 6 with 4:32 left in the game, going on an 18-5 run to defeat the Memphis Tigers, 56-49 on Dec. 21.
ā¢ Austin Richie led the Hurricane in scoring with 14 off the bench, including 11 in the second half. ... Rey Idowu was a force in the paint scoring 13 points and grabbing 5 rebounds.
ā¢ The Hurricane held Memphis to a season low 32.1-percent (17-53) from the field, allowing only 5 made field goals in the second half.
ā¢ Memphisā leading scorer Landers Nolley II was held to 8 points by the Hurricane, shooting 20-percent (2-10) from the field.
Last Time the Tigers Entered the Reynolds Center
ā¢ The Hurricane captured an 80-40 victory over the #23 Memphis Tigers at the Reynolds Center on Jan. 22, 2020.
ā¢ The 80-40 victory against #20 Memphis on Jan. 22, 2020 was the largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent in school history ... the previous largest margin was 26 when Tulsa defeated #10 LSU 84-58 at the Tulsa Fairground Pavilion on December 22, 1952.
ā¢ Tulsa defeating the ranked Tigers by 40 is the worst loss for a ranked team by a non-ranked team in 27 years in NCAA DI basketball.
ā¢ The win was only the second time in school history that the Hurricane defeated Memphis when they were ranked ... the previous time was a 90-85 victory at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion in January 1971.
The Hurricane in the Rankings
ā¢ As of Jan. 15, 2021, the Golden Hurricane has moved to 68th in the NET Rankings ... the ranking is 4th in the American Athletic Conference trailing No. 11 Houston who is ranked 7th, Wichita State at 50 and SMU at 58.
ā¢ The Hurricane received 5 votes in the AP Top-25 poll on Jan. 11 after a 7-3 start to the season.
ā¢ Tulsa has played in 8 Quad 1 and Quad 2 matchups this season ... TU has a 4-4 record in those games including a Quad 1 victory against Houston, ranked No. 5 at the time.
ā¢ This season the American Athletic Conference has been a strong conference with the lowest ranked NET team being higher than the lowest in the Big Ten, Big East, SEC, and Pac 12.
The Emergence of Idowu
ā¢ Rey Idowu is in his first seaosn with the Golden Hurricane ... the forward transferred to TU after two seasons at Illinois State where he averaged 3.6 points and 2.9 rebounds.
ā¢ This season the 6ā9ā big man has come on strong for Tulsa ... he is third in scoring and rebounds for TU, averaging 8.6 points and 4.6 rebounds off of the bench.
ā¢ Idowu tied his career-high with 16 points against Cincinnati ... he shot 7-8 (87.5%) from the field and 2-4 (50%) from the free throw line, while grabbing 4 rebounds.
ā¢ The Melbourne, Fla. native is third in the American Athletic Conference in field goal percentage with a .563 (40-71) clip ... he is second on the team in field goal percentage trailing only Darien Jacksonās .727 mark .
Tulsa Golden Hurricane (7-4, 4-2) vs. Memphis Tigers (6-4, 2-1)
Date/Time: Sunday - Jan. 17, 2021 - 2:00 p.m. (CT) - ESPN+
Site: Reynolds Center (8,355) - Tulsa, Okla.
The Game
ā¢ Tulsa will take on the Memphis Tigers in a conference matchup in the Reynolds Center Sunday afternoon on ESPN+.
ā¢ The game is the 12th contest for Tulsa (7-4) this season ... the Tigers are 6-4 on the season winning their last game 58-57 in a conference home contest against USF on Dec. 29 .. the last three Memphis games against Temple, UCF and SMU were postponed due to Covid-19.
Scouting the Tigers
ā¢ Memphis was picked to finish 2nd in the preseason American Athletic Conference Coaches Poll ... the Tigers return 8, including three starters from last season, when the team went 21-10 and 10-8 in conference play.
ā¢ The U of M added three players in the offseason who are making an immediate impact with Virginia Tech transfer Landers Nolly II and Evansville transfer DeAndre Williams ... the Tigers also welcome 5-star forward Moussa Cisse.
ā¢ The Tigers opened their season losing two of their first three contests ... they beat Saint Maryās 73-56, before falling to WKU 75-69 and VCU 70-59 ... all three contests were a part of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic.
ā¢ The Tigers are led in scoring by transfer Landers Nolly II who is averaging 13.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game ... forward DJ Jeffries is averaging 11.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game for Memphis.
ā¢ Memphis is led by Head Coach Penny Hardaway, who was been at the helm of the Tigers for the last 3 seasons and holds a 49-28 record.
The Series
ā¢ This will be the 49th contest between the Golden Hurricane and the Tigers ... the Hurricane is 5-6 against the Tigers in the Reynolds Center.
ā¢ Tulsa under Frank Haith has not lost to the Tigers in the Reynolds Center with a 5-0 record.
ā¢ Memphis holds a 29-20 series advantage over TU, with the Hurricane winning the last contest earlier this season on Dec. 21, 2021 ... the Hurricane won the contest 56-49, behind 14 points from Austin Richie.
A Tulsa Win Would
ā¢ Give the Hurricane its 8th win of the season, moving Tulsa to 8-4 on the year.
ā¢ Move Tulsaās all-time record against Memphis to 29-21.
ā¢ Continue Frank Haithās undefeated record against the Tigers in the Reynolds Center ... extending his streak to 6-0.
This Season Against Memphis
ā¢ Tulsa stormed back from down 6 with 4:32 left in the game, going on an 18-5 run to defeat the Memphis Tigers, 56-49 on Dec. 21.
ā¢ Austin Richie led the Hurricane in scoring with 14 off the bench, including 11 in the second half. ... Rey Idowu was a force in the paint scoring 13 points and grabbing 5 rebounds.
ā¢ The Hurricane held Memphis to a season low 32.1-percent (17-53) from the field, allowing only 5 made field goals in the second half.
ā¢ Memphisā leading scorer Landers Nolley II was held to 8 points by the Hurricane, shooting 20-percent (2-10) from the field.
Last Time the Tigers Entered the Reynolds Center
ā¢ The Hurricane captured an 80-40 victory over the #23 Memphis Tigers at the Reynolds Center on Jan. 22, 2020.
ā¢ The 80-40 victory against #20 Memphis on Jan. 22, 2020 was the largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent in school history ... the previous largest margin was 26 when Tulsa defeated #10 LSU 84-58 at the Tulsa Fairground Pavilion on December 22, 1952.
ā¢ Tulsa defeating the ranked Tigers by 40 is the worst loss for a ranked team by a non-ranked team in 27 years in NCAA DI basketball.
ā¢ The win was only the second time in school history that the Hurricane defeated Memphis when they were ranked ... the previous time was a 90-85 victory at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion in January 1971.
The Hurricane in the Rankings
ā¢ As of Jan. 15, 2021, the Golden Hurricane has moved to 68th in the NET Rankings ... the ranking is 4th in the American Athletic Conference trailing No. 11 Houston who is ranked 7th, Wichita State at 50 and SMU at 58.
ā¢ The Hurricane received 5 votes in the AP Top-25 poll on Jan. 11 after a 7-3 start to the season.
ā¢ Tulsa has played in 8 Quad 1 and Quad 2 matchups this season ... TU has a 4-4 record in those games including a Quad 1 victory against Houston, ranked No. 5 at the time.
ā¢ This season the American Athletic Conference has been a strong conference with the lowest ranked NET team being higher than the lowest in the Big Ten, Big East, SEC, and Pac 12.
The Emergence of Idowu
ā¢ Rey Idowu is in his first seaosn with the Golden Hurricane ... the forward transferred to TU after two seasons at Illinois State where he averaged 3.6 points and 2.9 rebounds.
ā¢ This season the 6ā9ā big man has come on strong for Tulsa ... he is third in scoring and rebounds for TU, averaging 8.6 points and 4.6 rebounds off of the bench.
ā¢ Idowu tied his career-high with 16 points against Cincinnati ... he shot 7-8 (87.5%) from the field and 2-4 (50%) from the free throw line, while grabbing 4 rebounds.
ā¢ The Melbourne, Fla. native is third in the American Athletic Conference in field goal percentage with a .563 (40-71) clip ... he is second on the team in field goal percentage trailing only Darien Jacksonās .727 mark .
