From SMU Rivals...
SMU is looking to win for the 16th time in its last 17 games Saturday night at Tulsa at 6 p.m. The Mustangs (19-4, 9-1) are playing their best basketball of the season, winning four consecutive games by at least 20 points including a 40 point blowout of ECU in their last game.
Tulsa (12-9, 6-3) has had an up and down season, punctuated over its last three games. The Golden Hurricane lost to ECU by three, but most recently played 14th ranked Cincinnati to a two-point game and held a double-digit second half lead.
The player SMU will have to key in on defensively is 6-foot-7 forward Junior Etou. The 240-pound Congolese big man is a force in the paint, cashing in 12.6 points-per-game and hauling in 6.9 rebounds a night. SMU successfully fended off UCF’s Tacko Fall in January and a similar game plan might be implemented here, with Ben Moore and Semi Ojeleye working in tandem.
The Tulsa offense is run through guards Jaleel Wheeler and Pat Birt. The latter is more likely to have a big scoring day, with 19 in two of his last five appearances, but it is actually Wheeler who is second on the team in scoring with 10.1 points-per-game. Birt was held to two points in 36 minutes against Cincinnati last week. A third guard, Sterling Taplin, leads Tulsa in assists with 3.5 per game.
SMU has advantages over Tulsa in several categories, but rebounding might be the most significant. Tulsa ranks 167th in the country in total rebounding, where as the Mustangs come in at 28th and have outrebounded 20 of 23 opponents this season.
Last season the teams split a pair of games with the road team winning each game. Tulsa upset then 16th ranked SMU 82-77 at Moody Coliseum in a rare home loss for the Mustangs.
SMU is looking to win for the 16th time in its last 17 games Saturday night at Tulsa at 6 p.m. The Mustangs (19-4, 9-1) are playing their best basketball of the season, winning four consecutive games by at least 20 points including a 40 point blowout of ECU in their last game.
Tulsa (12-9, 6-3) has had an up and down season, punctuated over its last three games. The Golden Hurricane lost to ECU by three, but most recently played 14th ranked Cincinnati to a two-point game and held a double-digit second half lead.
The player SMU will have to key in on defensively is 6-foot-7 forward Junior Etou. The 240-pound Congolese big man is a force in the paint, cashing in 12.6 points-per-game and hauling in 6.9 rebounds a night. SMU successfully fended off UCF’s Tacko Fall in January and a similar game plan might be implemented here, with Ben Moore and Semi Ojeleye working in tandem.
The Tulsa offense is run through guards Jaleel Wheeler and Pat Birt. The latter is more likely to have a big scoring day, with 19 in two of his last five appearances, but it is actually Wheeler who is second on the team in scoring with 10.1 points-per-game. Birt was held to two points in 36 minutes against Cincinnati last week. A third guard, Sterling Taplin, leads Tulsa in assists with 3.5 per game.
SMU has advantages over Tulsa in several categories, but rebounding might be the most significant. Tulsa ranks 167th in the country in total rebounding, where as the Mustangs come in at 28th and have outrebounded 20 of 23 opponents this season.
Last season the teams split a pair of games with the road team winning each game. Tulsa upset then 16th ranked SMU 82-77 at Moody Coliseum in a rare home loss for the Mustangs.
