NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tulsa did not find itself intimidated.
Outmanned, maybe. But the Golden Hurricane did not back away from this fight.
"We may be a small school, but we can play with anyone," said TU's Marcus Hill.
Tulsa has one tough cowboy and rode him to the Sweet Sixteen on Sunday at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.
Cincinnati, which spent a season intimidating opponents, found itself looking up in this battle.
"We took a look at how small they were and probably underestimated them," said Cincinnati's Jermaine Tate.
Eric Coley, TU's senior forward who spends his spare time as a rodeo cowboy, would not be intimidated by Cincy's high- flying trash talkers.
If there was a defining moment in this game, it came with about five minutes to go in the first half when Pete Mickeal, one of Cincy's many stars, was fouled hard near midcourt by Coley.
Mickeal whipped around, walked toward Coley and tried to stare him down.
Coley did not back down. He stared back. Then, Coley, like the tough bullrider he is, took control.
"We took (some comments by Cincy players a day earlier) as a slap in the face," said Coley. "Maybe they now know where Tulsa is and what my name is. They think just because we're from the midwest that we can't play ball.
"When they came out on the floor they took the balls and told us to go to the other end of the floor. They thought they could just talk. It isn't how you talk. It is how tough you are."
Tulsa was tougher, more confident and poised in a 69-61 victory over Cincinnati in the second round of the NCAA Tournament South Regional.
"Tulsa played very hard," said Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins. "They played within themselves. Those are signs of a well-coached team.
"Eric Coley is a tough matchup. He's a lot like the players we used to have, 6- foot-5 guys who can do a lot of things."
Huggins probably wished he had a few like him on this day.
"Eric Coley makes us go," said Hill.
The victory sends Tulsa to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in school history and third time in the last seven years.
"I think they thought they could intimidate us," said Self. "Our kids weren't going to back down. I knew they wouldn't back down.
"There was never any doubt in their minds that they could beat Cincinnati. A year ago (in the second round), there was probably some doubt in our minds that we could beat Duke. That was not the case this year. Our kids felt like we were the better team and we were going to win."
The Golden Hurricane earned a trip to Austin because it was resourceful enough to withstand Cincy's best run, then put it away in a wondrous five-minute period late in the second half.
Coley, leading the way with 16 points and 16 rebounds, seemed to will the Hurricane to this victory.
He was a dominant player at times. When Tulsa needed it most, Coley grabbed a rebound, started a break or scored.
"Eric Coley is the best defensive player in the country," said Self. "He was absolutely terrific. I think he had something to prove on the national stage. He belongs right up there with all of the other great players in the nation. That was the best game he has ever played.
"I really don't care how other people perceive us. We have a nice team. In a series, maybe Cincinnati beats us more times. But this is a one-shot deal. I thought we were the better team and proved it today."
Coley wasn't alone in being the hero on this day. He provided some of the key sparks, but Greg Harrington and Dante Swanson, a couple of the little guys, played big when it counted most.
Harrington came back in the game, after sitting with foul trouble, when Tulsa trailed by five.
He and Swanson became key factors in a 14-0 Hurricane run that wiped out a 50-45 deficit. Swanson's 3-pointer was the first bucket in a five-minute span that pushed TU to a 59-50 lead with about four minutes to go.
There was little question it was where this game was won.
Cincy had rubbed out a 16-point TU lead in the first half and come all the way back to take the lead.
It appeared Tulsa had finally run out of gas on what had been a terrific season.
"We do seem to operate best when we feel our backs are against the wall," said Self.
Outmanned, maybe. But the Golden Hurricane did not back away from this fight.
"We may be a small school, but we can play with anyone," said TU's Marcus Hill.
Tulsa has one tough cowboy and rode him to the Sweet Sixteen on Sunday at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.
Cincinnati, which spent a season intimidating opponents, found itself looking up in this battle.
"We took a look at how small they were and probably underestimated them," said Cincinnati's Jermaine Tate.
Eric Coley, TU's senior forward who spends his spare time as a rodeo cowboy, would not be intimidated by Cincy's high- flying trash talkers.
If there was a defining moment in this game, it came with about five minutes to go in the first half when Pete Mickeal, one of Cincy's many stars, was fouled hard near midcourt by Coley.
Mickeal whipped around, walked toward Coley and tried to stare him down.
Coley did not back down. He stared back. Then, Coley, like the tough bullrider he is, took control.
"We took (some comments by Cincy players a day earlier) as a slap in the face," said Coley. "Maybe they now know where Tulsa is and what my name is. They think just because we're from the midwest that we can't play ball.
"When they came out on the floor they took the balls and told us to go to the other end of the floor. They thought they could just talk. It isn't how you talk. It is how tough you are."
Tulsa was tougher, more confident and poised in a 69-61 victory over Cincinnati in the second round of the NCAA Tournament South Regional.
"Tulsa played very hard," said Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins. "They played within themselves. Those are signs of a well-coached team.
"Eric Coley is a tough matchup. He's a lot like the players we used to have, 6- foot-5 guys who can do a lot of things."
Huggins probably wished he had a few like him on this day.
"Eric Coley makes us go," said Hill.
The victory sends Tulsa to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in school history and third time in the last seven years.
"I think they thought they could intimidate us," said Self. "Our kids weren't going to back down. I knew they wouldn't back down.
"There was never any doubt in their minds that they could beat Cincinnati. A year ago (in the second round), there was probably some doubt in our minds that we could beat Duke. That was not the case this year. Our kids felt like we were the better team and we were going to win."
The Golden Hurricane earned a trip to Austin because it was resourceful enough to withstand Cincy's best run, then put it away in a wondrous five-minute period late in the second half.
Coley, leading the way with 16 points and 16 rebounds, seemed to will the Hurricane to this victory.
He was a dominant player at times. When Tulsa needed it most, Coley grabbed a rebound, started a break or scored.
"Eric Coley is the best defensive player in the country," said Self. "He was absolutely terrific. I think he had something to prove on the national stage. He belongs right up there with all of the other great players in the nation. That was the best game he has ever played.
"I really don't care how other people perceive us. We have a nice team. In a series, maybe Cincinnati beats us more times. But this is a one-shot deal. I thought we were the better team and proved it today."
Coley wasn't alone in being the hero on this day. He provided some of the key sparks, but Greg Harrington and Dante Swanson, a couple of the little guys, played big when it counted most.
Harrington came back in the game, after sitting with foul trouble, when Tulsa trailed by five.
He and Swanson became key factors in a 14-0 Hurricane run that wiped out a 50-45 deficit. Swanson's 3-pointer was the first bucket in a five-minute span that pushed TU to a 59-50 lead with about four minutes to go.
There was little question it was where this game was won.
Cincy had rubbed out a 16-point TU lead in the first half and come all the way back to take the lead.
It appeared Tulsa had finally run out of gas on what had been a terrific season.
"We do seem to operate best when we feel our backs are against the wall," said Self.
, that was a Final 4 team. Perhaps one of the best Elite 8 teams of all time. Yep, I said that.
