From the SMU Rivals site...
This season will always be considered a special one in SMU history regardless of what happens in March. The Mustangs have been shorthanded all year and their perseverance amidst uncertainty has won the admiration of fans and experts alike. However, with support comes expectation, and as the calendar turns to its most mad month, SMU must maintain its high level of play in order to cement this team’s legacy.
Step one in the final stretch of the season comes on Thursday when the Tulsa Golden Hurricane comes to Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m. Although it already has its ticket all but punched for the NCAA tournament, this game still represents a lot for SMU.
A win would clinch a share of the AAC regular season title for the Mustangs and would put it within one game of a perfect home record on the season. The streaking Ponies have won 11 straight and 21 of 22 overall since December started.
Tulsa (14-14, 8-8) has been streaking recently as well, but in both directions. The Golden Hurricane went through a six-game losing streak against the class of the conference recently but has since rebounded with back-to-back wins against USF and ECU.
Tulsa is built similarly to SMU in terms of scoring balance but is led by forward Junior Etou who paces the team with 12.2 points-per-game. The 6-foot-7 presence has had outbursts of 22 and 23 in two of his last three games but has been held under 10 in three of his last five efforts. His 18 led the way in the first matchup against SMU and he will need to have a strong game inside for Tulsa to open up its offense. The Congolese transfer from Rutgers University has also hit 40 of 90 three-point attempts this season, posing a rare dual-threat.
Jaleel Wheeler, Sterling Taplin and Pat Birt, all guards, round out the lineup and score close to 10 points a night. Taplin is the biggest three-point threat from the guard position, hitting 42.1%.
For Tulsa to win at Moody Coliseum, as it did on Feb. 10, 2016, it will have to have a good shooting night, considering its defensive inefficiency which has it giving up exactly 10 more points-per-game than SMU.
Tulsa is 3-7 on the road this season, with two of those wins coming in conference play. The Golden Hurricane is 0-2 against AP top-25 teams this season, both losses to Cincinnati.
This season will always be considered a special one in SMU history regardless of what happens in March. The Mustangs have been shorthanded all year and their perseverance amidst uncertainty has won the admiration of fans and experts alike. However, with support comes expectation, and as the calendar turns to its most mad month, SMU must maintain its high level of play in order to cement this team’s legacy.
Step one in the final stretch of the season comes on Thursday when the Tulsa Golden Hurricane comes to Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m. Although it already has its ticket all but punched for the NCAA tournament, this game still represents a lot for SMU.
A win would clinch a share of the AAC regular season title for the Mustangs and would put it within one game of a perfect home record on the season. The streaking Ponies have won 11 straight and 21 of 22 overall since December started.
Tulsa (14-14, 8-8) has been streaking recently as well, but in both directions. The Golden Hurricane went through a six-game losing streak against the class of the conference recently but has since rebounded with back-to-back wins against USF and ECU.
Tulsa is built similarly to SMU in terms of scoring balance but is led by forward Junior Etou who paces the team with 12.2 points-per-game. The 6-foot-7 presence has had outbursts of 22 and 23 in two of his last three games but has been held under 10 in three of his last five efforts. His 18 led the way in the first matchup against SMU and he will need to have a strong game inside for Tulsa to open up its offense. The Congolese transfer from Rutgers University has also hit 40 of 90 three-point attempts this season, posing a rare dual-threat.
Jaleel Wheeler, Sterling Taplin and Pat Birt, all guards, round out the lineup and score close to 10 points a night. Taplin is the biggest three-point threat from the guard position, hitting 42.1%.
For Tulsa to win at Moody Coliseum, as it did on Feb. 10, 2016, it will have to have a good shooting night, considering its defensive inefficiency which has it giving up exactly 10 more points-per-game than SMU.
Tulsa is 3-7 on the road this season, with two of those wins coming in conference play. The Golden Hurricane is 0-2 against AP top-25 teams this season, both losses to Cincinnati.
