Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Conference USA (21-12, 13-3)
Tulsa is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003. Back in 2003, and in 2002, the Golden Hurricane reached the Sweet Sixteen. That may be asking too much now, but this is one of the hottest teams in the country. Coach Danny Manning’s team has won 11 games in a row heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 1/12 Southern Miss (75-71), 1/23 Middle Tennessee State (58-53), 2/27 at UTEP (65-60)
Bad Losses: 11/29 vs TCU (65-72), 12/21 at TCU (58-70), 1/25 UAB (63-70)
Coach: Danny Manning (2 seasons at Tulsa)
Why They Can Surprise:
Tulsa takes good care of the ball and often win the turnover battle. The big backcourt consisting of 6-3 point guard Shaquille Harrison, 6-4 senior Tim Peete and 6-3 wing James Woodard can nab steals and get easy buckets the other way. Woodard is the best all-around scorer on the team and pretty much the only shooting threat Coach Manning has at his disposal. Harrison can attack the basket effectively, but his lack of a shot makes it easy for the opposition to drop their defense back. Turnovers will be key for this team if they are going to win a tournament game. The Golden Hurricane cannot score in bunches from beyond the arc, and they will get outrebounded by most quality opponents, so the only way they can get things moving on both ends of the floor is with turnovers.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Rashad Smith, a 6-7 sophomore, is another double-digit scorer. The guards may forget about him on occasion and this team is better off when working through Smith and fellow forward D’Andre Wright. Tulsa’s lack of experience could be the biggest issue. Of the eight players in the regular rotation, seven are sophomores. Tim Peete is a senior. This group did make a trip to the CBI last year, yet the trip was extremely brief as they lost in the first round against Wright State. Making it to the NCAAs bodes well for the future of the program, but for now it may not be the most memorable NCAA Tournament.
Probable Starters:
Shaquille Harrison, Sophomore, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 3.2 apg
Tim Peete, Senior, Guard, 5.2 ppg, 1.7 apg
James Woodard, Sophomore, Guard, 15.7 ppg, 1.8 apg, 5.8 rpg
Rashad Smith, Sophomore, Forward, 12.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg
D’Andre Wright, Sophomore, Forward, 7.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Lew Evans, Sophomore, Forward, 5.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Rashad Ray, Sophomore, Guard, 6.8 ppg, 2.4 apg
Brandon Swannegan, Sophomore, Forward, 4.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.5 bpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.2 (103rd in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.2 (122, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.1 (181, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.7 (50, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.9 (199, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.5 (239, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.6 (245, 7)
Rebound Margin: 0.6 (172, 11)
Assists Per Game: 13.2 (135, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.6 (102, 3)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 CBI First Round loss to Wright State
2010 NIT First Round loss to Kent State
2009 NIT First Round win over Northwestern
2009 NIT Second Round loss to Alabama
2009 NIT First Round win over Northwestern
2009 NIT Second Round loss Auburn
2008 CBI First Round win over Miami (OH)
2008 CBI Second Round win over Utah
2008 CBI Semifinals win over Houston
2008 CBI Finals win over Bradley
2003 NCAA Round of 64 win over Dayton
2003 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Wisconsin
2002 NCAA Round of 64 win over Marquette
2002 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kentucky
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
