THE GAME
• This is the 13th meeting between Tulsa and Temple and the 10th as American Athletic Conference members.
• Temple is 14-15 on the season ... the Owls come into the game after losing to USF 64-58 at home Sunday ... Temple is on a 3-game losing streak ... the Owls are 7-7 at home this year.
• This is the second of two games between Tulsa and Temple this year ... Tulsa claimed a 70-44 victory on Jan. 3, which was Tulsa's first AAC game and Temple's second.
• Temple has a 6-10 record in the American Athletic Conference, while Tulsa is 12-4 in conference play.
THE SERIES
• This is the 13th meeting between Tulsa and Temple … Tulsa holds the series advantage at 9-3.
• The series is tied in Philadelphia at 3-3 … Temple has won the last 2 games at home in the series … Tulsa won 3 of the first 4 road games at Temple.
• In Tulsa's 3 road wins at Temple, the Hurricane has won by a 4.3 margin, while in the 3 losses Temple has a 5.3 win margin over the Hurricane.
LAST WIN AGAINST TEMPLE
• Jeriah Horne and Brandon Rachal combined for 42 points as Tulsa opened the AAC schedule with a 70-44 win.
• Horne had his 4th 20-point game this season with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-16 from the field and 4 three-pointers and added a team-high 7 rebounds.
• Rachal added 19 points on 8-of-13 overall and 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
• The Hurricane connected on 51-percent of its field goals and made 8 three-pointers on the night, while scoring 32 points in the paint.
• Tulsa's defense was stifling on the night as the Hurricane held the Owls to season opponent lows of 27.7-percent from the field and 20-percent on 3-pointers.
• The Owls didn't reach its 30th point until the 10:21 mark of the second half and its 40th point with 4:49 remaining in the contest.
• Leading by 18 points at halftime, Tulsa's second-half lead stayed at 15 points or above for the entire period, capping out at 27 points twice.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
• Temple was picked to finish the season 7th in the preseason AAC Coaches' Poll.
• Senior guard Quinton Rose became the first American player in the history of the league to break the 1,800-career point barrier … Rose also has an AAC career-high of 229 steals.
• Rose was a preseason first-team all-conference selection, while junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis was a second-team preseason selection.
• Rose has a team-leading 16.3 scoring average, while Pierre-Louis is second on the Owls in scoring with an 11.5 average … Pierre-Louis has a team-high 8.3 rebounding average.
• Temple will honor 5 seniors in their final home game against Tulsa.
A TULSA WIN WOULD
• Give Tulsa their 10th win against Temple in series history, and give the Hurricane a 4-3 record against the Owls in Philadelphia.
• Give the Hurricane their 21st win of the season ... it would be the first 21-win season since the Hurricane won 23 games in Frank Haith's first year as the Tulsa head coach in 2014-15.
• Give Tulsa a 13-4 record in AAC play, the most since Tulsa won 14 games as a first-year AAC member in 2014-15.
• Will even Tulsa's road record to 6-6 this season, while improve Tulsa's AAC road record to 5-3.
THE SENIORS
• Tulsa's 2 seniors, Martins Igbanu and Lawson Korita, have been a part of 72 wins in their Tulsa careers, while also helping the Hurricane win 40 American Athletic Conference contests.
• Igbanu has been a force for the Hurricane in his four years of action ... he currently ranks 22nd all-time in scoring for Tulsa with 1,273 points and 21st in career rebounds with 617.
• Igbanu this season is averaging 13.2 points and 5.1 rebounds, while shooting 56-percent from the field and 69-percent from the free throw line.
• Korita has started 22 games this season, the second most on the team, scoring 7.1 points and has pulled down 2.8 rebounds ... in 6 of the last 7 games, he has scored in double figures for the Hurricane, including a career-high 20 points vs. UCF.
HOLDING THE OPPOSITION TO UNDER 20 IN THE FIRST HALF
• The Hurricane has held three conference opponents to 17 or fewer points in the first half this season ... Temple (17), Memphis (17) and USF (11).
• At USF, the Tulsa defense held the Bulls to 11 points in the first half on 5-of-17 from the field for 29% and 0-6 from the three-point line … USF's 11 first-half points tied an AAC record for fewest points allowed in a half in a league game … UCF held Temple to 11 points on Dec. 31, 2016, also in the first half.
HURRICANE TRIO EARN WEEKLY AWARDS
• Three Tulsa players have been named the American Athletic Conference's Player of the Week award this year … twice for Brandon Rachal and once each for Martins Igbanu and Elijah Joiner.
• In addition, Rachal (1 time), Igbanu (twice) and Jeriah Horne (twice) have been named to the league's weekly honor roll.
• Tulsa had 3 consecutive AAC Players of the Week from Jan. 20 to Feb. 3 –– Rachal, Igbanu and Joiner.
• The latest was Elijah Joiner (Feb. 3) after a 22-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist and buzzer-beating game-winning 3-pointer vs. #23 Wichita State.
• The week before (Jan. 27), Igbanu averaged 19.5 points and 8.0 boards in wins over #20 Memphis and UConn.
• On Jan, 20, Brandon Rachal earned his second weekly honor with 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in road wins at ECU and Tulane.
THE HURRICANE AT HOME VS. THE ROAD
• Tulsa ended the home season averaging 5.7 more points at the Reynolds Center than on the road this year.
• Tulsa scored 69.4 points in 17 games at the Reynolds Center, while scoring 63.7 points in 11 road games.
• The Hurricane shot 47.0% from the field at the Reynolds Center as compared to 40.9% on the road … 35.8% to 24.6% from 3-point range … Tulsa's free throw shooting is similar in both home and road games – 71.8% to 69.5% from the free throw line.
• Of Tulsa's 410 FGs made at home, 57.1 percent of those came off of an assist … but on the road only 46.1 percent of Tulsa's FGs have come after an assist.
• Tulsa holds the opposition to 57.1 points at home, while on the road Tulsa opponents score 11.8 more points with 68.9 points in 11 games.
IGBANU STRONG CANDIDATE FOR AAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• In 16 American Athletic Conference games, all off the bench, Martins Igbanu has averaged 16.3 points and 6.1 rebounds, while shooting .611 (88-of-144) from the field and .709 (83-of-117) from the free throw line.
• The senior is a leading candidate for the American Athletic Conference's Player of the Year Award and the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
• In league games only, Igbanu is ranked 5th in the league for scoring (16.3), 2nd for FG percentage (.611) and 10th for rebounding (6.1).
• Igbanu, Memphis freshman Precious Achiuwa, ECU sophomore Jayden Gardner and Tulane senior Christian Thompson are the only AAC players to rank among the top-10 in those 3 categories for AAC games.
• Igbanu has led the Tulsa team to a current first-place tie in the American Athletic Conference.
• He has scored in double-figures in 10 of the last 12 contests, and 11 of Tulsa's 16 AAC games, and has 4 double-digit rebounding games in the last 13 contests ... he has recorded 3 double-doubles within the last 10 games – UConn (1/26), ECU (2/12) and Tulane (2/25).
• Igbanu was named the American Athletic Conference's Player of the Week on Jan. 27 for his 28-point, 10-rebound performance at UConn ... for 2 straight weeks (Feb. 10 & Feb. 17), Igbanu was named to the AAC weekly honor roll.
• This is the 13th meeting between Tulsa and Temple and the 10th as American Athletic Conference members.
• Temple is 14-15 on the season ... the Owls come into the game after losing to USF 64-58 at home Sunday ... Temple is on a 3-game losing streak ... the Owls are 7-7 at home this year.
• This is the second of two games between Tulsa and Temple this year ... Tulsa claimed a 70-44 victory on Jan. 3, which was Tulsa's first AAC game and Temple's second.
• Temple has a 6-10 record in the American Athletic Conference, while Tulsa is 12-4 in conference play.
THE SERIES
• This is the 13th meeting between Tulsa and Temple … Tulsa holds the series advantage at 9-3.
• The series is tied in Philadelphia at 3-3 … Temple has won the last 2 games at home in the series … Tulsa won 3 of the first 4 road games at Temple.
• In Tulsa's 3 road wins at Temple, the Hurricane has won by a 4.3 margin, while in the 3 losses Temple has a 5.3 win margin over the Hurricane.
LAST WIN AGAINST TEMPLE
• Jeriah Horne and Brandon Rachal combined for 42 points as Tulsa opened the AAC schedule with a 70-44 win.
• Horne had his 4th 20-point game this season with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-16 from the field and 4 three-pointers and added a team-high 7 rebounds.
• Rachal added 19 points on 8-of-13 overall and 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
• The Hurricane connected on 51-percent of its field goals and made 8 three-pointers on the night, while scoring 32 points in the paint.
• Tulsa's defense was stifling on the night as the Hurricane held the Owls to season opponent lows of 27.7-percent from the field and 20-percent on 3-pointers.
• The Owls didn't reach its 30th point until the 10:21 mark of the second half and its 40th point with 4:49 remaining in the contest.
• Leading by 18 points at halftime, Tulsa's second-half lead stayed at 15 points or above for the entire period, capping out at 27 points twice.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
• Temple was picked to finish the season 7th in the preseason AAC Coaches' Poll.
• Senior guard Quinton Rose became the first American player in the history of the league to break the 1,800-career point barrier … Rose also has an AAC career-high of 229 steals.
• Rose was a preseason first-team all-conference selection, while junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis was a second-team preseason selection.
• Rose has a team-leading 16.3 scoring average, while Pierre-Louis is second on the Owls in scoring with an 11.5 average … Pierre-Louis has a team-high 8.3 rebounding average.
• Temple will honor 5 seniors in their final home game against Tulsa.
A TULSA WIN WOULD
• Give Tulsa their 10th win against Temple in series history, and give the Hurricane a 4-3 record against the Owls in Philadelphia.
• Give the Hurricane their 21st win of the season ... it would be the first 21-win season since the Hurricane won 23 games in Frank Haith's first year as the Tulsa head coach in 2014-15.
• Give Tulsa a 13-4 record in AAC play, the most since Tulsa won 14 games as a first-year AAC member in 2014-15.
• Will even Tulsa's road record to 6-6 this season, while improve Tulsa's AAC road record to 5-3.
THE SENIORS
• Tulsa's 2 seniors, Martins Igbanu and Lawson Korita, have been a part of 72 wins in their Tulsa careers, while also helping the Hurricane win 40 American Athletic Conference contests.
• Igbanu has been a force for the Hurricane in his four years of action ... he currently ranks 22nd all-time in scoring for Tulsa with 1,273 points and 21st in career rebounds with 617.
• Igbanu this season is averaging 13.2 points and 5.1 rebounds, while shooting 56-percent from the field and 69-percent from the free throw line.
• Korita has started 22 games this season, the second most on the team, scoring 7.1 points and has pulled down 2.8 rebounds ... in 6 of the last 7 games, he has scored in double figures for the Hurricane, including a career-high 20 points vs. UCF.
HOLDING THE OPPOSITION TO UNDER 20 IN THE FIRST HALF
• The Hurricane has held three conference opponents to 17 or fewer points in the first half this season ... Temple (17), Memphis (17) and USF (11).
• At USF, the Tulsa defense held the Bulls to 11 points in the first half on 5-of-17 from the field for 29% and 0-6 from the three-point line … USF's 11 first-half points tied an AAC record for fewest points allowed in a half in a league game … UCF held Temple to 11 points on Dec. 31, 2016, also in the first half.
HURRICANE TRIO EARN WEEKLY AWARDS
• Three Tulsa players have been named the American Athletic Conference's Player of the Week award this year … twice for Brandon Rachal and once each for Martins Igbanu and Elijah Joiner.
• In addition, Rachal (1 time), Igbanu (twice) and Jeriah Horne (twice) have been named to the league's weekly honor roll.
• Tulsa had 3 consecutive AAC Players of the Week from Jan. 20 to Feb. 3 –– Rachal, Igbanu and Joiner.
• The latest was Elijah Joiner (Feb. 3) after a 22-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist and buzzer-beating game-winning 3-pointer vs. #23 Wichita State.
• The week before (Jan. 27), Igbanu averaged 19.5 points and 8.0 boards in wins over #20 Memphis and UConn.
• On Jan, 20, Brandon Rachal earned his second weekly honor with 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in road wins at ECU and Tulane.
THE HURRICANE AT HOME VS. THE ROAD
• Tulsa ended the home season averaging 5.7 more points at the Reynolds Center than on the road this year.
• Tulsa scored 69.4 points in 17 games at the Reynolds Center, while scoring 63.7 points in 11 road games.
• The Hurricane shot 47.0% from the field at the Reynolds Center as compared to 40.9% on the road … 35.8% to 24.6% from 3-point range … Tulsa's free throw shooting is similar in both home and road games – 71.8% to 69.5% from the free throw line.
• Of Tulsa's 410 FGs made at home, 57.1 percent of those came off of an assist … but on the road only 46.1 percent of Tulsa's FGs have come after an assist.
• Tulsa holds the opposition to 57.1 points at home, while on the road Tulsa opponents score 11.8 more points with 68.9 points in 11 games.
IGBANU STRONG CANDIDATE FOR AAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• In 16 American Athletic Conference games, all off the bench, Martins Igbanu has averaged 16.3 points and 6.1 rebounds, while shooting .611 (88-of-144) from the field and .709 (83-of-117) from the free throw line.
• The senior is a leading candidate for the American Athletic Conference's Player of the Year Award and the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
• In league games only, Igbanu is ranked 5th in the league for scoring (16.3), 2nd for FG percentage (.611) and 10th for rebounding (6.1).
• Igbanu, Memphis freshman Precious Achiuwa, ECU sophomore Jayden Gardner and Tulane senior Christian Thompson are the only AAC players to rank among the top-10 in those 3 categories for AAC games.
• Igbanu has led the Tulsa team to a current first-place tie in the American Athletic Conference.
• He has scored in double-figures in 10 of the last 12 contests, and 11 of Tulsa's 16 AAC games, and has 4 double-digit rebounding games in the last 13 contests ... he has recorded 3 double-doubles within the last 10 games – UConn (1/26), ECU (2/12) and Tulane (2/25).
• Igbanu was named the American Athletic Conference's Player of the Week on Jan. 27 for his 28-point, 10-rebound performance at UConn ... for 2 straight weeks (Feb. 10 & Feb. 17), Igbanu was named to the AAC weekly honor roll.
