From Todays U...
As the 2015-16 college hoops season nears, everyone is talking about UConn, SMU and Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference.
No one seems to be talking about Tulsa.
And that’s where everyone is making a mistake.
UConn and SMU are trendy picks to win the AAC this season, and for good reasons — the Huskies return an experienced team that is only two years removed from a national championship, and the Mustangs have been trending up the past couple of seasons with Larry Brown at the helm.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati has been the definition of consistency. The Bearcats have made the NCAA Tournament for five consecutive seasons, and have built a reputation under head coach Mike Cronin of being a tough, defensive-minded team.
While all of those are good reasons to pick UConn, SMU or even Cincinnati this season, people are still overlooking Tulsa, which could end up having the best year out of the entire bunch.
Tulsa, coming off a 23-11 season and trip to the Postseason NIT, is an ideal dark horse candidate to win the AAC this season.
Why?
The main reason is experience. The Golden Hurricane, led by second-year coach Frank Haith, returns all five staters and its top seven players overall — from a team that finished second in the conference last season.
That alone is reason to believe Tulsa will compete for a conference championship again this season.
But when you look at the quality of players on the Tulsa roster, it becomes even more clear how special this season could be for the Golden Hurricane.
Tulsa’s offense is built around strong guard play. It has one of the most experienced, talented backcourts in the country in James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison. Last season, the duo combined to average 27.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
Woodard was a first-team All-AAC selection last season, while Harrison was a second-team pick. This season, don’t be surprised if the two seniors share honors on the first team.
But as good as Woodard and Harrison are, they can’t do it all by themselves, and there are some areas where Tulsa must improve this season if it wants to win the AAC.
One area where Tulsa must improve is frontcourt production. Last season, the Golden Hurricane’s big men didn’t put much pressure on opposing defenses, which at times made it harder for Woodard and Harrison to operate on offense.
Haith has been very vocal this offseason in saying he needs more offensive output from the frontcourt. Luckily, the Golden Hurricane has a few options to turn to for more production.
Senior forward Rashad Smith will have the most pressure on him to increase his offensive production this season. Smith averaged 8.4 ppg last season after averaging 12.0 as a sophomore and 14.5 as a freshman.
While the decreasing scoring averages are alarming, Smith has shown in the past he is capable of being a serviceable low-post scorer. And with two of the best guards in the conference in the backcourt, that’s all Tulsa needs and will expect from Smith.
If Smith can regain his freshman form and provide a low-post offensive threat for the Golden Hurricane, it will open up better looks for Woodard and Harrison and allow them to be more aggressive.
And if Woodard and Harrison are getting good looks and being aggressive, Tulsa will be hard to beat.
Last year was a learning season for Tulsa under a new coach. Most of the season was spent learning and adjusting to a new system. This year, the players understand the system and know what the expectations are.
That familiarity, combined with experience and talent, are reasons why Tulsa should not be counted out in the AAC race.
Tulsa may not be the favorite, but it’s a dark horse — and you should pay attention.
As the 2015-16 college hoops season nears, everyone is talking about UConn, SMU and Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference.
No one seems to be talking about Tulsa.
And that’s where everyone is making a mistake.
UConn and SMU are trendy picks to win the AAC this season, and for good reasons — the Huskies return an experienced team that is only two years removed from a national championship, and the Mustangs have been trending up the past couple of seasons with Larry Brown at the helm.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati has been the definition of consistency. The Bearcats have made the NCAA Tournament for five consecutive seasons, and have built a reputation under head coach Mike Cronin of being a tough, defensive-minded team.
While all of those are good reasons to pick UConn, SMU or even Cincinnati this season, people are still overlooking Tulsa, which could end up having the best year out of the entire bunch.
Tulsa, coming off a 23-11 season and trip to the Postseason NIT, is an ideal dark horse candidate to win the AAC this season.
Why?
The main reason is experience. The Golden Hurricane, led by second-year coach Frank Haith, returns all five staters and its top seven players overall — from a team that finished second in the conference last season.
That alone is reason to believe Tulsa will compete for a conference championship again this season.
But when you look at the quality of players on the Tulsa roster, it becomes even more clear how special this season could be for the Golden Hurricane.
Tulsa’s offense is built around strong guard play. It has one of the most experienced, talented backcourts in the country in James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison. Last season, the duo combined to average 27.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
Woodard was a first-team All-AAC selection last season, while Harrison was a second-team pick. This season, don’t be surprised if the two seniors share honors on the first team.
But as good as Woodard and Harrison are, they can’t do it all by themselves, and there are some areas where Tulsa must improve this season if it wants to win the AAC.
One area where Tulsa must improve is frontcourt production. Last season, the Golden Hurricane’s big men didn’t put much pressure on opposing defenses, which at times made it harder for Woodard and Harrison to operate on offense.
Haith has been very vocal this offseason in saying he needs more offensive output from the frontcourt. Luckily, the Golden Hurricane has a few options to turn to for more production.
Senior forward Rashad Smith will have the most pressure on him to increase his offensive production this season. Smith averaged 8.4 ppg last season after averaging 12.0 as a sophomore and 14.5 as a freshman.
While the decreasing scoring averages are alarming, Smith has shown in the past he is capable of being a serviceable low-post scorer. And with two of the best guards in the conference in the backcourt, that’s all Tulsa needs and will expect from Smith.
If Smith can regain his freshman form and provide a low-post offensive threat for the Golden Hurricane, it will open up better looks for Woodard and Harrison and allow them to be more aggressive.
And if Woodard and Harrison are getting good looks and being aggressive, Tulsa will be hard to beat.
Last year was a learning season for Tulsa under a new coach. Most of the season was spent learning and adjusting to a new system. This year, the players understand the system and know what the expectations are.
That familiarity, combined with experience and talent, are reasons why Tulsa should not be counted out in the AAC race.
Tulsa may not be the favorite, but it’s a dark horse — and you should pay attention.
