TU media release...
Holiday Promo: Fans are encouraged to bring a stuffed teddy bear to Saturday's game for a halftime teddy bear toss. All stuffed animals collected will be donated to the St. Francis Children's Hospital in Tulsa.
Fast Break Points
• Tulsa is in its 108th season of basketball and fifth season in the American Athletic Conference.
• TU will close the week with a 3:30 p.m. matchup against No. 15/16 Kansas State on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• TU leads the all-time series against the Wildcats, 6-1, and it has won all three meetings in Tulsa. The Hurricane took last year's meeting, 61-54, which was played at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita.
• Tulsa has won 12 consecutive home games and 21 of its last 23 contests at the Reynolds Center dating back to last season. The squad is 6-0 at home this season.
• TU is coming off a 74-71 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday night. DaQuan Jeffries scored a game-high 20 points and the Hurricane led throughout the second half after opening the period with a 9-0 run.
• With 50 assists this season, Sterling Taplin has moved to ninth place on the program's all-time charts with 325. Taplin needs 11 more assists to move up to No. 8 on the list.
• Jeffries leads the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg and he is second on the squad with 5.2 rebounds per outing.
• Tulsa's .725 free throw shooting percentage leads The American, while its 161 makes and 222 attempts rank among the top 40 in the nation.
• 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.
• 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.
The Game
• Tulsa will close the week with a second-straight home matchup against a Big 12 Conference opponent, as it will host No. 15/16 Kansas State at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8.
• The game can be seen on the CBS Sports Network, while fans in the Tulsa area can tune to Big Country 99.5 FM with Bruce Howardand former Hurricane player J.R. Rollo on the call. Live audio from the game also can be found by using the TuneIn app.
Scouting the Wildcats
• Kansas State was picked to finish second in the Big 12 Conference as the team returns all five starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's squad, which went 25-12 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.
• The Wildcats enter Saturday's game coming off an 83-71 loss at Marquette last Saturday in the team's first true-road game of the season. K-State won the Paradise Jam with victories over Eastern Kentucky, Penn and Missouri.
• Five players average at least 7.5 ppg, led by 6-foot-10 senior Dean Wade's 15.4 ppg. Wade also leads the team on the glass at 7.7 rpg.
• K-State is forcing 17.7 turnovers per outing, which ranks 19th in the country, and the squad is averaging 20.3 points off those turnovers per game
The Series
• Saturday's matchup marks the eighth all-time meeting between Tulsa and Kansas State. The Golden Hurricane lead the series, 6-1, including a 61-54 win over the Wildcats last season in Wichita.
• TU has won all three previous meetings in Tulsa. This will be the first game between the programs in Tulsa since a 72-61 Hurricane victory on Dec. 12, 1990.
• K-State's only win in the series came on Dec. 14, 1989, when the Wildcats took a 75-69 win in Manhattan.
Last Meeting
• Junior Etou scored a game-high 22 points behind a season-best five 3-pointers and the Tulsa defense limited Kansas State to just 32.1-percent shooting as the Golden Hurricane defeated the Wildcats 61-54 on Dec. 9, 2017, at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita.
• Martins Igbanu got his first start of the season in place of an injured DaQuan Jeffries and scored 10 points. Sterling Taplin added nine points, a career-high eight rebounds and six assists.
• TU held K-State to then-season lows of 54 points, a 32.1-percent effort from the floor and just 12.9-percent from behind the arc. The Hurricane snapped the Wildcats' 23-game non-conference winning streak in home venues.
A Tulsa Win Would ...
• Improve Tulsa's record to 7-3 on the season, which would tie the team's best 10-game start under Frank Haith.
• Give Tulsa its first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 16 SMU, 82-77, on Feb. 10, 2016 in Dallas.
• Give Tulsa its third straight win over Kansas State and improve its record in the all-time series to 7-1.
• Improve Tulsa's home record to 7-0 this season and give the team its 22nd win in its last 24 games at home. It would be Tulsa's 13th consecutive home victory.
Last Time Out
• DaQuan Jeffries scored 20 points and Tulsa held off a late charge from Oklahoma State for a 74-71 win over the Cowboys on Wednesday night at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Jeriah Horne came off the bench to score a season-best 16 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Lawson Korita (career-high 13 points/7 rebounds) and Martins Igbanu (10 points/8 rebounds) also scored in double-figures.
• Tulsa opened the second half on a 9-0 run to grab a double-digit lead. The Hurricane led throughout the second half and held off a late charge from the Cowboys, who hit three 3-pointers in the final minute.
Holiday Promo: Fans are encouraged to bring a stuffed teddy bear to Saturday's game for a halftime teddy bear toss. All stuffed animals collected will be donated to the St. Francis Children's Hospital in Tulsa.
Fast Break Points
• Tulsa is in its 108th season of basketball and fifth season in the American Athletic Conference.
• TU will close the week with a 3:30 p.m. matchup against No. 15/16 Kansas State on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• TU leads the all-time series against the Wildcats, 6-1, and it has won all three meetings in Tulsa. The Hurricane took last year's meeting, 61-54, which was played at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita.
• Tulsa has won 12 consecutive home games and 21 of its last 23 contests at the Reynolds Center dating back to last season. The squad is 6-0 at home this season.
• TU is coming off a 74-71 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday night. DaQuan Jeffries scored a game-high 20 points and the Hurricane led throughout the second half after opening the period with a 9-0 run.
• With 50 assists this season, Sterling Taplin has moved to ninth place on the program's all-time charts with 325. Taplin needs 11 more assists to move up to No. 8 on the list.
• Jeffries leads the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg and he is second on the squad with 5.2 rebounds per outing.
• Tulsa's .725 free throw shooting percentage leads The American, while its 161 makes and 222 attempts rank among the top 40 in the nation.
• 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.
• 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.
The Game
• Tulsa will close the week with a second-straight home matchup against a Big 12 Conference opponent, as it will host No. 15/16 Kansas State at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8.
• The game can be seen on the CBS Sports Network, while fans in the Tulsa area can tune to Big Country 99.5 FM with Bruce Howardand former Hurricane player J.R. Rollo on the call. Live audio from the game also can be found by using the TuneIn app.
Scouting the Wildcats
• Kansas State was picked to finish second in the Big 12 Conference as the team returns all five starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's squad, which went 25-12 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.
• The Wildcats enter Saturday's game coming off an 83-71 loss at Marquette last Saturday in the team's first true-road game of the season. K-State won the Paradise Jam with victories over Eastern Kentucky, Penn and Missouri.
• Five players average at least 7.5 ppg, led by 6-foot-10 senior Dean Wade's 15.4 ppg. Wade also leads the team on the glass at 7.7 rpg.
• K-State is forcing 17.7 turnovers per outing, which ranks 19th in the country, and the squad is averaging 20.3 points off those turnovers per game
The Series
• Saturday's matchup marks the eighth all-time meeting between Tulsa and Kansas State. The Golden Hurricane lead the series, 6-1, including a 61-54 win over the Wildcats last season in Wichita.
• TU has won all three previous meetings in Tulsa. This will be the first game between the programs in Tulsa since a 72-61 Hurricane victory on Dec. 12, 1990.
• K-State's only win in the series came on Dec. 14, 1989, when the Wildcats took a 75-69 win in Manhattan.
Last Meeting
• Junior Etou scored a game-high 22 points behind a season-best five 3-pointers and the Tulsa defense limited Kansas State to just 32.1-percent shooting as the Golden Hurricane defeated the Wildcats 61-54 on Dec. 9, 2017, at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita.
• Martins Igbanu got his first start of the season in place of an injured DaQuan Jeffries and scored 10 points. Sterling Taplin added nine points, a career-high eight rebounds and six assists.
• TU held K-State to then-season lows of 54 points, a 32.1-percent effort from the floor and just 12.9-percent from behind the arc. The Hurricane snapped the Wildcats' 23-game non-conference winning streak in home venues.
A Tulsa Win Would ...
• Improve Tulsa's record to 7-3 on the season, which would tie the team's best 10-game start under Frank Haith.
• Give Tulsa its first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 16 SMU, 82-77, on Feb. 10, 2016 in Dallas.
• Give Tulsa its third straight win over Kansas State and improve its record in the all-time series to 7-1.
• Improve Tulsa's home record to 7-0 this season and give the team its 22nd win in its last 24 games at home. It would be Tulsa's 13th consecutive home victory.
Last Time Out
• DaQuan Jeffries scored 20 points and Tulsa held off a late charge from Oklahoma State for a 74-71 win over the Cowboys on Wednesday night at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Jeriah Horne came off the bench to score a season-best 16 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Lawson Korita (career-high 13 points/7 rebounds) and Martins Igbanu (10 points/8 rebounds) also scored in double-figures.
• Tulsa opened the second half on a 9-0 run to grab a double-digit lead. The Hurricane led throughout the second half and held off a late charge from the Cowboys, who hit three 3-pointers in the final minute.
