Media release...
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa men's basketball team will conclude a season-opening four-game homestand and continue play in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Holiday Invitational when it hosts Little Rock at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Monday's game is a Buck Night at the Reynolds Center where fans can enjoy $5 upper bowl tickets, $2 sodas and $1 popcorn.
The Golden Hurricane (3-0) will look to improve to a 4-0 start for the second time under head coach Frank Haith. Tulsa kept its undefeated start to the 2018-19 campaign alive with a late rally to top California Baptist last Friday afternoon. DaQuan Jeffries scored a season-high 19 points, while Martins Igbanu had 18 points to lead the way for TU.
Through three games, Jeffries leads the Hurricane in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). He has paced the team in scoring the last two contests, while Elijah Joiner has scored in double-figures twice off the bench so far this season.
Meanwhile, the Trojans (2-1) are coming off a 87-59 setback at No. 6 Nevada last Friday night in Reno. Rayjon Tucker led the way with 21 points in the team's first loss of the campaign. The Little Rock roster features eight underclassmen and the squad is led by freshman Markquis Nowell's 19.0 ppg. Nowell made his collegiate debut with 34 points, a record for a Little Rock player in their first game.
TU and Little Rock have evenly split the previous 10 games in the series, but the Trojans have claimed the last two meetings.
Fast Break Points
• Tulsa is in its 108th season of basketball and fifth season in the American Athletic Conference.
• TU will continue play in the Continental Tires Las Vegas Holiday Invitational at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19 when it hosts Little Rock at the Reynolds Center. The Hurricane then will travel to Las Vegas for matchups against No. 6 Nevada (Nov. 22) and Southern Illinois or UMass (Nov. 23) at Orleans Arena.
• TU and Little Rock have evenly split 10 previous meetings. The Trojans have won the last two matchups in the series.
• DaQuan Jeffries had 19 points while Martins Igbanu finished with 18 points to lead Tulsa to an 82-79 win over California Baptist last Friday afternoon at the Reynolds Center. CBU made 13 3-pointers and neither team led by more than three points over the final 12:24.
• With 20 assists already this season, Sterling Taplin has moved to 15th place on the program's all-time charts with 295. Taplin moved past Paul Pressey (1980-82) on the list in the win over Cal Baptist (Nov. 16).
• DaQuan Jeffries leads the team in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). He has led the team in scoring twice this season, including a season-high 19 points against CBU (Nov. 16)
• The Hurricane return three starters and eight letterwinners from last year's team, which went 19-12 overall and 12-6 to finish fourth in The American.
• Tulsa will play 13 games in 2018-19 against opponents that participated in the postseason last year. Seven of those matchups will come at home, including back-to-back contests against Oklahoma State (Dec. 5) and K-State (Dec. 8).
• TU has notched 46 league wins since joining The American, which ranks third behind only Cincinnati (57) and SMU (51) during that span (2014-present).
• Tulsa was picked to finish ninth in The American Preseason Poll. TU has finished better than its preseason prediction in all four seasons under head coach Frank Haith.
Notes
The Game
• Tulsa will host Little Rock at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center in the second game of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.
• Fans in the Tulsa area can tune to Big Country 99.5 FM with Bruce Howard and former Hurricane player J.R. Rollo on the call. Live audio from the game also can be found on tulsahurricane.com or by using the TuneIn app.
Scouting the Trojans
• Little Rock was picked to finish 12th in the 12-team Sun Belt Conference under first-year head coach Darrell Walker.
• The Trojans return a pair of starters and four letterwinners from last year's team, which went 7-25 overall and finished 12th in the Sun Belt with a 4-14 league record.
• Little Rock is off to a 2-1 start to the season and is coming off a 87-59 setback at No. 6 Nevada last Friday night in Reno. Rayjon Tucker led the way with 21 points in the team's first loss of the campaign.
• The Trojans roster features eight underclassmen and the squad is led by freshman Markquis Nowell's 19.0 ppg. Nowell made his collegiate debut with 34 points, a record for a Little Rock player in their first game.
The Series
• Monday's matchup will mark the 11th all-time meeting between Tulsa and Little Rock. The teams have evenly split the previous 10 games in the series. TU owns a 4-2 advantage in games played in Tulsa.
• The Trojans have won the last two meetings, including a 72-62 contest on Dec. 3, 2016, in Little Rock. Tulsa's last win over the Trojans came on Dec. 7, 2014, in Little Rock. TU's last win over Little Rock in Tulsa came on Dec. 10, 2013.
A Tulsa Win Would ...
• Improve Tulsa's record to 4-0 on the season, which would match TU's best start under head coach Frank Haith (2015-16 team also started 4-0).
• Give Tulsa its 12th victory in its last 13 regular-season games dating back to last season.
• Give Tulsa its 19th win in the last 21 games at the Donald W. Reynold Center.
• Improve Tulsa's all-time record against Little Rock to 6-5.
Last Time Out
• DaQuan Jeffries scored nine of his team-high 19 points in the final six minutes to help Tulsa rally and defeat California Baptist, 82-79, last Friday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Martins Igbanu added a season-high 18 points to help TU start the season 3-0 for the second time under head coach Frank Haith. Elijah Joiner also came off the bench to chip in with 10 points.
• The Hurricane got off to a quick 10-2 start, but CBU erased the deficit and took a 43-42 lead at halftime thanks to eight 3-pointers in the opening half. The Lancers would attempt 42 triples in the contest, a record for a TU opponent.
• TU trailed 72-69 with 5:19 to play, but outscored California Baptist 13-7 the rest of the way for the win.
• Tulsa hit 30 free throws, which was the most for the Hurricane since making 34 against Ohio on Nov. 20, 2015.
Taplin Leads the Way
• Senior point guard Sterling Taplin has developed into one of the top point guards in The American and he was named preseason second-team all-conference in a vote by the league's head coaches.
• The East Amherst, N.Y., native is the team's leading returning scorer after he registered a career-best 11.8 ppg last season. He also set career bests with 3.7 rpg and 4.4 apg, which also ranked fourth in The American.
• Taplin's 11.8 ppg last season ranks 11th among returners in The American. In all, he set career highs last season in field goals (127), 3-pointers (38), points (354), rebounds (112) and assists (132).
• In addition, he has climbed to No. 15 on the program's career-assists charts with 295.
Home Cookin'
• After hosting the first TU men's basketball game on Dec. 29, 1998, the Golden Hurricane is in its 21st season in the Donald W. Reynolds Center this year.
• Tulsa has posted an overall record of 242-72 (.771) in its 20+ seasons, including a 3-0 mark this season.
• The building has seen 42 sellouts and 1,866,837 fans have witnessed Tulsa basketball at the Reynolds Center.
• The Hurricane has won 18 of its last 20 games in the Reynolds Center, including nine straight victories.
Roster Experience
• Despite having seven newcomers on the roster for 2018-19, Tulsa features 11 players with Division I experience.
• Those 11 players have totaled 18 years of Division I experience, led by three years from senior Sterling Taplin.
• Even with the influx of newcomers, Tulsa is one of just seven Division I programs without a scholarship freshman on the roster. TU's only freshman is walk-on George Christopolous, who is redshirting this season.
• Counting walk-ons, TU is one of just seven Division I programs to have one or fewer total freshmen on their roster.
Up Next
• Tulsa will head west to Las Vegas for the final two games of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Holiday Invitational. First up is a matchup with No. 6 Nevada at 3 p.m. (CT) on Thanksgiving Day from the Orleans Arena.
• TU then will face either Southern Illinois or UMass on Friday, Nov. 23 at 9 p.m. (CT) or 11:30 p.m. (CT).
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa men's basketball team will conclude a season-opening four-game homestand and continue play in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Holiday Invitational when it hosts Little Rock at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Monday's game is a Buck Night at the Reynolds Center where fans can enjoy $5 upper bowl tickets, $2 sodas and $1 popcorn.
The Golden Hurricane (3-0) will look to improve to a 4-0 start for the second time under head coach Frank Haith. Tulsa kept its undefeated start to the 2018-19 campaign alive with a late rally to top California Baptist last Friday afternoon. DaQuan Jeffries scored a season-high 19 points, while Martins Igbanu had 18 points to lead the way for TU.
Through three games, Jeffries leads the Hurricane in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). He has paced the team in scoring the last two contests, while Elijah Joiner has scored in double-figures twice off the bench so far this season.
Meanwhile, the Trojans (2-1) are coming off a 87-59 setback at No. 6 Nevada last Friday night in Reno. Rayjon Tucker led the way with 21 points in the team's first loss of the campaign. The Little Rock roster features eight underclassmen and the squad is led by freshman Markquis Nowell's 19.0 ppg. Nowell made his collegiate debut with 34 points, a record for a Little Rock player in their first game.
TU and Little Rock have evenly split the previous 10 games in the series, but the Trojans have claimed the last two meetings.
Fast Break Points
• Tulsa is in its 108th season of basketball and fifth season in the American Athletic Conference.
• TU will continue play in the Continental Tires Las Vegas Holiday Invitational at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19 when it hosts Little Rock at the Reynolds Center. The Hurricane then will travel to Las Vegas for matchups against No. 6 Nevada (Nov. 22) and Southern Illinois or UMass (Nov. 23) at Orleans Arena.
• TU and Little Rock have evenly split 10 previous meetings. The Trojans have won the last two matchups in the series.
• DaQuan Jeffries had 19 points while Martins Igbanu finished with 18 points to lead Tulsa to an 82-79 win over California Baptist last Friday afternoon at the Reynolds Center. CBU made 13 3-pointers and neither team led by more than three points over the final 12:24.
• With 20 assists already this season, Sterling Taplin has moved to 15th place on the program's all-time charts with 295. Taplin moved past Paul Pressey (1980-82) on the list in the win over Cal Baptist (Nov. 16).
• DaQuan Jeffries leads the team in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). He has led the team in scoring twice this season, including a season-high 19 points against CBU (Nov. 16)
• The Hurricane return three starters and eight letterwinners from last year's team, which went 19-12 overall and 12-6 to finish fourth in The American.
• Tulsa will play 13 games in 2018-19 against opponents that participated in the postseason last year. Seven of those matchups will come at home, including back-to-back contests against Oklahoma State (Dec. 5) and K-State (Dec. 8).
• TU has notched 46 league wins since joining The American, which ranks third behind only Cincinnati (57) and SMU (51) during that span (2014-present).
• Tulsa was picked to finish ninth in The American Preseason Poll. TU has finished better than its preseason prediction in all four seasons under head coach Frank Haith.
Notes
The Game
• Tulsa will host Little Rock at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center in the second game of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.
• Fans in the Tulsa area can tune to Big Country 99.5 FM with Bruce Howard and former Hurricane player J.R. Rollo on the call. Live audio from the game also can be found on tulsahurricane.com or by using the TuneIn app.
Scouting the Trojans
• Little Rock was picked to finish 12th in the 12-team Sun Belt Conference under first-year head coach Darrell Walker.
• The Trojans return a pair of starters and four letterwinners from last year's team, which went 7-25 overall and finished 12th in the Sun Belt with a 4-14 league record.
• Little Rock is off to a 2-1 start to the season and is coming off a 87-59 setback at No. 6 Nevada last Friday night in Reno. Rayjon Tucker led the way with 21 points in the team's first loss of the campaign.
• The Trojans roster features eight underclassmen and the squad is led by freshman Markquis Nowell's 19.0 ppg. Nowell made his collegiate debut with 34 points, a record for a Little Rock player in their first game.
The Series
• Monday's matchup will mark the 11th all-time meeting between Tulsa and Little Rock. The teams have evenly split the previous 10 games in the series. TU owns a 4-2 advantage in games played in Tulsa.
• The Trojans have won the last two meetings, including a 72-62 contest on Dec. 3, 2016, in Little Rock. Tulsa's last win over the Trojans came on Dec. 7, 2014, in Little Rock. TU's last win over Little Rock in Tulsa came on Dec. 10, 2013.
A Tulsa Win Would ...
• Improve Tulsa's record to 4-0 on the season, which would match TU's best start under head coach Frank Haith (2015-16 team also started 4-0).
• Give Tulsa its 12th victory in its last 13 regular-season games dating back to last season.
• Give Tulsa its 19th win in the last 21 games at the Donald W. Reynold Center.
• Improve Tulsa's all-time record against Little Rock to 6-5.
Last Time Out
• DaQuan Jeffries scored nine of his team-high 19 points in the final six minutes to help Tulsa rally and defeat California Baptist, 82-79, last Friday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Martins Igbanu added a season-high 18 points to help TU start the season 3-0 for the second time under head coach Frank Haith. Elijah Joiner also came off the bench to chip in with 10 points.
• The Hurricane got off to a quick 10-2 start, but CBU erased the deficit and took a 43-42 lead at halftime thanks to eight 3-pointers in the opening half. The Lancers would attempt 42 triples in the contest, a record for a TU opponent.
• TU trailed 72-69 with 5:19 to play, but outscored California Baptist 13-7 the rest of the way for the win.
• Tulsa hit 30 free throws, which was the most for the Hurricane since making 34 against Ohio on Nov. 20, 2015.
Taplin Leads the Way
• Senior point guard Sterling Taplin has developed into one of the top point guards in The American and he was named preseason second-team all-conference in a vote by the league's head coaches.
• The East Amherst, N.Y., native is the team's leading returning scorer after he registered a career-best 11.8 ppg last season. He also set career bests with 3.7 rpg and 4.4 apg, which also ranked fourth in The American.
• Taplin's 11.8 ppg last season ranks 11th among returners in The American. In all, he set career highs last season in field goals (127), 3-pointers (38), points (354), rebounds (112) and assists (132).
• In addition, he has climbed to No. 15 on the program's career-assists charts with 295.
Home Cookin'
• After hosting the first TU men's basketball game on Dec. 29, 1998, the Golden Hurricane is in its 21st season in the Donald W. Reynolds Center this year.
• Tulsa has posted an overall record of 242-72 (.771) in its 20+ seasons, including a 3-0 mark this season.
• The building has seen 42 sellouts and 1,866,837 fans have witnessed Tulsa basketball at the Reynolds Center.
• The Hurricane has won 18 of its last 20 games in the Reynolds Center, including nine straight victories.
Roster Experience
• Despite having seven newcomers on the roster for 2018-19, Tulsa features 11 players with Division I experience.
• Those 11 players have totaled 18 years of Division I experience, led by three years from senior Sterling Taplin.
• Even with the influx of newcomers, Tulsa is one of just seven Division I programs without a scholarship freshman on the roster. TU's only freshman is walk-on George Christopolous, who is redshirting this season.
• Counting walk-ons, TU is one of just seven Division I programs to have one or fewer total freshmen on their roster.
Up Next
• Tulsa will head west to Las Vegas for the final two games of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Holiday Invitational. First up is a matchup with No. 6 Nevada at 3 p.m. (CT) on Thanksgiving Day from the Orleans Arena.
• TU then will face either Southern Illinois or UMass on Friday, Nov. 23 at 9 p.m. (CT) or 11:30 p.m. (CT).
