It was a banner night for the state if Oklahoma. The NBA draft was FULL of players with ties to our state. Some were born here, some player their high school ball here and some spent thair college careers in our state. Take a look below at who went where.

6       Epke Udoh             Golden State,          Baylor,                   Edmond Santa Fe

12    Xavier Henry           Memphis,               Kansas,                  Putnam City

20    James Anderson     San Antonio,          Oklahoma State,   

29    Daniel Orton           Orlando,                 Kentucky,                Bishop McGuinness

44    Jerome Jordan       Milwaukee,             Tulsa,

47    Tiny Gallon             Milwaukee,             Oklahoma,

48    Latavious Williams   Miami,                 Tulsa 66ers,

54   Willie Warren           Clippers,               Oklahoma, 

Once again, Tulsa trailed at the half and once again they stormed back. For the second straight night, TU scored 47 second half points as they pulled away from Marshall, beating the Herd  80-64 in the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament. Jerome Jordan had a magnificent game, scoring 21 points and pulling down 12 rebounds while blocking two shots. Ben Uzoh added 18 and Justin Hurtt 15 for the Hurricane moves on to face the winner of the UTEP/UCF game at 3:00 Friday at the BOK Center.

Listen here to review the game with Tulsa head coach Doug Wojcik

Watch the video of the post game press conference with Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik and his players below.

We've heard from the coaches but what about the players? On Tuesday, the teams had the chance to practice on the court at the BOK Center. Before they began, Tulsa's Ben Uzoh, Justin Hurtt, and Jerome Jordan talked about the tournament and their team.

University of Tulsa's Steven Idlet and Jerome Jordan picked up post-season honors from Conference USA, as the league announced its' Sixth Man of the Year and all-defensive team selections today.
 
Idlet, a 6'10" sophomore from Prairie Grove, Arkansas, shares the honor for Sixth Man of the Year with Marshall's Diego Pena. It marks the second time in five years as a league member that Tulsa has had the Sixth Man of the Year. Anthony Price earned the award in the 2005-06 campaign.
 
Jordan, the seven-foot center who a day earlier was named to the C-USA second-team, earned all-defensive team accolades for the third consecutive year.
 
Idlet has averaged 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 31 games for the Hurricane. He has had four double-doubles and has scored in double-figures in 10 games and has also had double-digit rebounds five times this year.
 
He had career-highs of 18 points and 16 rebounds against Ohio earlier this season.
 
Jordan became the schools' and Conference USA's all-time leader for blocked shots with 328 career blocks. He averages 15.1 points and team-highs of 8.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, while shooting 55-percent from the field. Jordan has 10 double-doubles this year, while scoring in double-figures in 27 games and has had double-digit rebounds 11 times.
 
Jordan's defensive presence in the middle has been noticeable this year against opponents. He has blocked 77 shots this year to ranked among the nation's top-20 blocked shots leaders.

Wednesday night was Senior Night at the University of Tulsa. The Hurricane beat SMU 58-55 and while that was important, saying good-bye to three very important seniors was even bigger. Watch the video below to see the pre game ceremony and then the seniors speaking during to the crowd in the post game.

Seniors Ben Uzoh, Jerome Jordan and Bishop Wheatley take the floor at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for the final time on Wednesday night as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane plays host to the SMU Mustangs in a 7 pm game.
 
Fans are encouraged to come to the game early for the pre-game ceremony honoring the three seniors.
 
Tulsa enters the contest with a 20-9 overall record and 9-5 C-USA mark after coming off of an 85-73 victory at East Carolina on Saturday night. SMU comes into the game with a 14-14 mark and a league record of 7-7, as the Mustangs have registered an 8-5 record since the last time the two teams met on January 13th in Dallas.
 
In that first meeting, junior Justin Hurtt had a team-high 17 points while leading the Hurricane to a 63-56 victory in Dallas.
 
The three seniors have been a part of 90 victories, four straight 20-win seasons, two post-season tournament appearances and two trips to the Conference USA Championship Game in their Tulsa careers.
 
One of the most prolific players in school history, Uzoh has career averages of 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He will finish his career ranked among the top-5 for points, assists, three-pointers made, games played.
 
The 6'3" senior from San Antonio, Texas, is the only player in school history ranked among the top-10 for scoring, assists, steals and blocks. He ranks third on both the school's all-time scoring list with 1,869 points and the career assists chart with 392. He has led Tulsa in scoring in 46 career games, 67 times in assists, 50 times in steals and 22 times in rebounding, while posting 105 career double-figure scoring games.
 
Uzoh leads Tulsa in scoring with a 15.6 average and assists at 4.5 per game, while also pulling down 4.8 rebounds from his point guard position. He has scored 20+ points in 11 games this season.
 
Jordan, from Kingston,Jamaica, holds the school records for career (324), single-season (143) and single-game (8) blocked shots. He ranks second on the school's career rebounding list with 917 boards, and is the Conference USA's sixth-ranked rebounder of all-time. Jordan also ranks 11th on the school's career scoring chart with 1,404 points.
 
This year, he averages 15.1 points and leads the Hurricane in rebounds at 8.7 per game and blocked shots with a 2.5 average.
 
Wheatley, from Cedar Hill, Texas, is a fifth-year senior for the Hurricane as he came to Tulsa in Doug Wojcik's first recruiting class. He has career averages of 3.9 points and 3.2 rebounds, while tallying 5.3 points and 3.6 rebounds this season.
 
Tulsa junior Justin Hurtt is coming off of a career-high 34-point performance at East Carolina over the weekend. He is averaging 14.4 points and 3.2 rebounds for the Hurricane this season.
 
The Mustangs are led by senior guard Derek Williams' 17.1 scoring average, while junior Papa Dia chips in with 12.5 points and a team-leading 8.6 rebounds. Senior Mouhammad Faye averages 10.7 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Mustangs.

Since the earlier loss to Tulsa, the Mustangs have won eight games, and have lost its five games by just an average 6.6 points per game.
 
This is the 38th meeting between Tulsa and SMU, as the Hurricane lead the series 26-11. Tulsa has won the last nine games, dating back to Feb. 22, 2006, and has posted a 10-4 mark at home in the series.
 
Tickets still remain for the game and can be purchased for as low as $10 by calling 918-631-GoTU (4688) or online at www.TulsaHurricane.com <http://www.TulsaHurricane.com> . The game can be heard on KRMG Radio 740 AM/FM 102.3 or online at www.TulsaHurricane.com.
 
Tulsa host the 2010 GMC Sierra Conference USA Championship next week, March 10-13, at the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa. Tickets can be purchased online at www.bokcenter.com

Tonights game between Tulsa and Marshall is BIG. Big because both teams are fighting for seeding in the Conference USA tournament. Big because TU is 8-3 in the league and the Herd stand at 6-4. And big because both teams are......well......big. Once again C-USA's two premiere 7-footers will meet as Tulsa's Jerome Jordan will battle freshman Hassan Whiteside.

But before we get to the action, how about a look at how TU got to Huntington and a look around the Cam Henderson Center.

Remember, the game comes up at 5:30 with a 6:00 tip off on KRMG.

Tulsa trailed by as many as 15 in the first half before scratching their way back to beat Marshall 73-69 Wednesday night at the Reynolds Center. The Hurricane takes their home court winning streak to 22 games, 4th best in the nation.

Listen here as TU head coach Doug Wojcik talks about the game and another big win!

Jerome Jordan scored a season high 24 including 10-13 from the free throw line and grabbed 12 rebounds. Justin Hurtt aded 18 for Tulsa and Steven Idlet scored 11 before he fouled out.

Coming off it's first ever win at UCF, Tulsa finds itself tied for first place in Conference USA as February begins. The Hurricane won't be able to take a breath as dangerous Marshall comes to call on Wednesday.The Herd began as one of C-USA's surprise teams before losing four in a row leading up to this game. Marshall will being the "other" best bigf man in the league in freshman Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside averages five blocks per game to go alonng with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Monday, TU head coach Doug Wojcik held a news conference to discuss his team, this weeks games and what February may bring. The reporters are not near a mic so you won't hear the questionss. But you can listen to the entire Monday news conference right here.

Tulsa and UCF will meet for the second time this season on Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Hurricane visit the Knights for a 4 pm tip off with pre game at 3:30 on KRMG. Last time out, TU lost to UAB and UCF is coming off of 65-43 loss at SMU. 

Tulsa leads the overall series 6-4 after a 90-70 win in Tulsa two weeks ago, but in Orlando, UCF leads the series 4-0. Three of those four meetings have gone down to the wire, as two were decided by one and two points, and a third went to triple overtime, a six-point UCF win.

Watch the video below for a brief tour of the happenings here in Orlando.

In the earlier game, junior Justin Hurtt scored a career-best 22 points, while 7'0" senior Jerome Jordan added a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, and fellow senior Ben Uzoh added 16 points.

Uzoh leads the Hurricane in scoring with a 16.4 average and in assists at 4.1 per game, while Jordan averages 14.6 points and is the team-leader in rebounds at 8.3 and blocks with 2.8 per game. Hurtt is next in scoring for Tulsa with a 14.1 average.

UCF's A.J. Rompza tallied 19 points in 21 minutes against the Hurricane in the first meeting. A.J. Tyler and Isaac Sosa lead the Knights in scoring with averages of 10.3 and 10.0 points, respectively.

The Tulsa-UCF game will be televised in Tulsa on Cox-Channel 3 and can be heard on KRMG Radio 740 AM/FM 102.3.

Tulsa returns home to face one of C-USA's most surprising teams and one of the league leaders in the Marshall Thundering Herd on Wednesday night at 7 pm. The Herd has suffered two last second losses against 6-0 UAB and 5-1 Memphis in its' last two contests.

Tulsa battled from a 15-point second-half deficit to defeat Oral Roberts 57-52 in the Mayor's Cup on Wednesday night in front of 9,303 fans at the Mabee Center.

Listen as coach Wojcik talked about the win from the locker room.

 
Jerome Jordan led the Hurricane (15-3, 4-0 C-USA) with 17 points and eight rebounds. Justin Hurtt added 11 points and Steven Idlet chipped in 10 points and three blocks. Joe Richard posted eight points, eight rebounds and two steals.
 
Kevin Ford led ORU (10-10) with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Dominique Morrison and Warren Niles each added 11 points each.
 
Tulsa fell behind 15 points with 17:42 left in the second half, but slowly climbed back into the game throughout the second period.
 
The Hurricane grabbed its first lead since the 17:05 mark in the first half when a pair of Hurtt free throws gave Tulsa a 51-49 lead with 2:38 remaining.
 
Kevin Ford had a chance to tie the game for ORU after a Richard foul put him at the line with 1:56 left in the game. Ford connected on only one-of-two free throws to cut the deficit to 51-50.
 
Richard pushed the lead to 53-50 on a put-back slam off of a Ben Uzoh missed jumper with 37 seconds remaining.
 
ORU scored on the following possession as Dominique Morrison rattled in a fall-away jumper with 29.2 seconds to cut the lead to 53-52. Tulsa broke the ensuing full-court press as Jordan found a wide open Steven Idlet for a slam dunk, giving Tulsa a 55-52 lead with 19 seconds on the clock.
 
Uzoh drilled two free throws with 8.2 seconds on the clock to seal the 57-52 victory.
 
"A lot of the guys contributed, but the fact that we held them to two offensive rebounds in the second half won us the game," Head Coach Doug Wojcik said.  They had 11 in the first half.  We worked on rebounding, rebounding and rebounding to prepare for this game."
 
In the first half, Tulsa and ORU traded baskets early with the Golden Eagles taking an 11-10 lead at the 14:21 mark. ORU then went on a 12-0 run over the next 9:57 to build a 23-10 lead. Jordan ended TU's scoring drought with a jumper at the 4:25 mark.
 
The Golden Hurricane continued on an 11-4 spurt over the next four minutes, cutting the deficit to 27-21 on a Hurtt three-pointer with just 18 seconds remaining in the half. ORU ended the half with a Dominique Morrison three-pointer at the buzzer, extending the lead to 30-21.
 
"It was a hard-fought, ugly game, but we found a way to win," Wojcik said.  "Honestly, give the kids all of the credit in the world. They hung in there and fought for the win.  This was a great win for us, it was a great night and I am very happy for our guys, especially the seniors."
 
Tulsa will return to action on Saturday, as the Golden Hurricane hosts Rice beginning at 2:00 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.  With the purchase of a men's ticket, fans can stay FREE for the women's game against Marshall starting at 5:00 p.m.

Tulsa and Houston don't like each other much. That feeling really carries over into sports and today, in Houston, Tulsa would like to strike a blow! It's the Hurriciane and the Cougars in a big Conference USA basketball game and this arena has been a death trap for Tulsa. In Doug Wojcik's first year, Houston led 23-1 early. Two years ago, the Cougars pulled away late. The last time TU has won in this oil town was wait for it......February 9th, 1963.

Some facts about both teams.

Freshman Bryson Pope scored a career-high 14 points and Justin Hurtt added 11 for the Hurricane (9-1). Damian Windham and Antonio Lofton led the Cougars(3-7) with 12 points each.

Listen here to TU hrad cosch Doug Wojcik from the TU locker room after the win.

All five Tulsa starters scored in the first 2:45 as the Hurricane jumped to a 12-2 lead. Tulsa led 42-23 at halftime.

Jordan, a 7-foot center, dominated inside in the second half. He scored Tulsa's first seven points, and his rebound slam with 6:00 left made it 71-43.

Chicago State shot just 31.8 percent (21 of 66) and made 1 of 17 3-pointers. The Cougars had 11 shots blocked, four by Joe Richard and three by Jordan.

It's the first of two preliminary round games of the 2009 Hoop TV Las Vegas Classic for the Hurricane. Tulsa also faces Chicago State on Saturday night before heading off to Las Vegas to play Nebraska on Tuesday, Dec. 21st at 4:30 pm (CT).

Tulsa has posted a 7-1 record and will be looking for its 15th straight home victory dating back to last season. The Hurricane has four double-figure scorers including co-leaders Ben Uzoh and Justin Hurtt, tallying 15.5 points per game. In Tulsa's last two games, Hurtt averaged 21.0 points in victories over Oklahoma State and Ohio, while Uzoh enters the game in sixth-place on the school's career scoring chart.

Jackson State (0-7) is looking for its first win of the season after having lost its top player, Grant Maxey, earlier this season. The Tigers are led by 6'5" guard Garrison Johnson, scoring at a 16.8 clip, and 6'7" forward Tyrone Hanson, averaging 11.0 points per game.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at www.TulsaHurricane.com, by calling the TU athletic ticket office at 918-631-3200, or stopping by the ticket office at the Reynolds Center. Ticket prices start at only $10.

Tulsa came out smoking hot and playing intense defense. The Hurricane led Oklahoma State by 15 at the half and extended that to as many as 21 in the second before finishing out an 86-65 win.

The Tulsa defense held the Pokes to 40% shooting and James Anderson was held to 10 points on 3 of 15 shooting. Tulsa dominated on the boards as well, outrebounding OSU 41-24 on the boards.

Listen here as Doug Wojcik recaps the game from the Tulsa locker room.

OSU and TU looks like a heck of a basketball game. Sometimes numbers can tell a story and sometimes they are misleading. We'll let you make up your mind about that, just look below. The NCAA compiles every stat possible, we've added them for both teams so compute away!

TULSA

OKLAHOMA STATE

It was the first time the Bears won on their home court against the Hurricane in the last six games in Springfield, and broke a five-game Tulsa winning streak in the series.

Hear TU head coach Doug Wojcik from the locker room after the game.

Tulsa's Jerome Jordan finished the game with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Ben Uzoh totaled 20 points for the Hurricane. MSU's Adam Leonard scored a game-high 24 points, while center Caleb Patterson added 17 points.

The Bears jumped on the Hurricane early and continued it's strong shooting throughout the game and finished at 52-percent from the field and 56-percent from three-point range. After Tulsa scored the first two points of the game, MSU built its first double-digit lead, 14-4, at the 16:05 mark, while the Hurricane took only its second lead of the entire game at 23-21 on a Donte Medder three-pointer at the 8:54 mark.

MSU closed out the half with a 19-9 run to take a 42-30 lead into halftime. For the Hurricane, Medder and Justin Hurtt shared the first-half scoring lead for Tulsa with 8 points. Caleb Patterson led the first-half attack for the Bears with 10 points as the Bears shot 54-percent from the field.

In the second half, the Bears started out strong again, but the Hurricane battled back as the seniors Uzoh and Jordan combined for 35 of Tulsa's 45 second-half points. Tulsa cut the Bears lead which reached 21 points to three points with 2:17 left in the contest. But, MSU connected on 11-of-14 free throws in the final 1:44 to hold onto the victory. Leonard hit 7-of-8 free throws and Will Creekmore, a Tulsa native, hit 4-of-6 freebies.

Tulsa returns home to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a Wednesday night contest at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 pm. The game has been billed "Hurricane Hoops for Hunger", in which fans are asked to bring non-perishable food items to the game to help benefit the Community Food bank of Eastern Oklahoma.

Tulsa is in rare territory. The Hurricane hasn't started 5-0 since their Elite Eight year of 1999-2000. Add 2009-'10 to that list after Tuesdays 79-65 win over the Lions of Loyola-Marymount. Ben Uzoh led Tulsa with a superb overall game that included 22 points and 11 rebounds to go with five assists.

Listen here as head coach Doug Wojcik talks about the win from a happy locker room!

Jerome Jordan had 11 points but more importantly blocked six shots to make him the all time shot blocker for TU with 276.

The Hurricane held Loyola to 39% shooting and allowed Lions star Drew Viney only 12 shots from the field.

Tulsa will hit the road for a BIG game on Saturday at Missouri State before coming home to host Oklahoma State next Wednesday night.

Tulsa has a 4-6 overall mark and a 2-4 league record, while Southern Miss is 6-4, 4-2 and needs a win to keep its hopes alive of winning the Conference USA East Division title. USM trails the East-leading East Carolina Pirates, but the two teams face next week in Greenville, NC.

The Hurricane leads the series 3-2-1, and captured a 34-17 victory in the last visit to Hattiesburg in 2005.

Tulsa will face another potent offense as the Golden Eagles ranks second behind Houston for points scored at 33.2 points and also rushes for a league second-best 191 yards per game. USM is led by one of the top running backs in Conference USA history, Damien Fletcher, who averages 87.7 yards rushing this year. Golden Eagles sophomore quarterback Austin Davis has a 150.6 passing efficiency while throwing for 1,165 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The nation's leading all-purpose runner, sophomore Damaris Johnson, will look to give Tulsa a spark against the Golden Eagles. The 5'8" receiver and return specialist has a team-leading 846 receiving yards, 950 kickoff return yards and 256 punt return yards.

The game will be televised on CBS College Sport network. Tulsa fans are invited to attend the official watch party at the Fair Meadows Sports Grill.

Tulsa basketball

The Tulsa men's basketball team hosts South Alabama at the Donald W. Reynolds Center in a Saturday afternoon matinee. Tulsa puts its' 3-0 record on the line against the 3-1 Jaguars in a 3 pm game.

USA is coming off of a Thursday night 82-53 win against Spring Hill College, while the Hurricane has captured double-digit wins over St. Mary's, FIU and UALR.

It's the first meeting between the two teams since Tulsa captured a two-point lead against South Alabama in the 1981 NIT quarterfinals, en route to winning the school's first of two NIT championships.

Tulsa seniors Ben Uzoh and Jerome Jordan lead the Hurricane attack, as Uzoh averages 15.0 points and Jordan 13.3 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Jordan is nearing some milestones -- 700 rebounds and 266 blocks, which would tie the school's all-time record. Jordan needs seven rebounds to reach 700 and seven blocks to tie Michael Ruffin for the blocks record.

The Jaguars are led by 6'5" freshman forward Brock Martino and junior guard Tim Williams, as the duo are each averaging 13.5 points.

Tickets still remain and can be purchased for as low as $10. The game can be heard on Newstalk AM 740 KRMG Radio.

Jerome Jordan scored 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds as Tulsa ran away from Arkansas Little Rovk 59-45. Freshman Dante Medder added 10 while Ben Uzoh and Joe Richard had 9 each.

The Hurricane held the Trojans to 34% shooting with tough defense in moving to 3-0 for the first time in Doug Wojcik's career at Tulsa.

TU will be off until Saturday when they host South Alabama.

Tulsa got 20 points from Ben Uzoh and 16 from Justin Hurtt as the Hurricane hammered Florida International 81-49. GU outrebounded Isiah Thomas' team 54-31 and held the Golden Panthers to 23% shooting from the field.

Bryson Pope had 8 points and 7 rebounds while Jerome Jordan added 12 points and 7 boards.

TU moves to 2-0 on the year with Arkansas-Little Rovk coming to town for a rare Tuesday afternoon game at 1:00 at the Reynolds Center.

We all know this could be a banner year for Tulsa basketball. The Hurricane have been picked to win Conference USA and have the tournament in town at the BOK Center. But its not just the folks around here who are taking notice. Read the article below from NCAA.com to see what some others are saying about the TU program.

By Anthony Oliva III
NCAA.com

Overshadowed by Memphis' deep NCAA Tournament runs, gaudy winning streaks and NBA lottery picks sits another Conference USA team that quietly has won 70 games the past three seasons, including 25 in each of the last two.

That's the way things have gone for Tulsa lately - excellence in near silence. But this year, with Tulsa returning almost all of its key contributors, and Memphis perceived to take a hit with the loss of four key starters and its figurehead coach, the 2009-10 season could be the perfect storm for the Golden Hurricane

Tulsa is believed by many to be the favorite to win the C-USA this year, something Memphis has done handily the last four years, winning 61 consecutive conference games and taking all four C-USA Tournaments. During that stretch, only one other C-USA team, UAB in 2005-06, made the NCAA Tournament - something Tulsa has it sights set firmly on this season.

The Golden Hurricane return five of their top six scorers and have two seniors on the preseason all-conference team, in center Jerome Jordan, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, and guard Ben Uzoh. Throw in the fact that the C-USA Tournament will be played in Tulsa this year - as opposed to Memphis the last two seasons - and you can tell why expectations are high.

"I don't know if we have gotten any more [hype] than what we deserve or don't deserve," Tulsa Head Coach Doug Wojcik said. "I think we're on the radar which I think we do deserve. The expectations are the way the program has been built and to some degree it comes with the territory."

When you look at years past, it's hard to understand how Tulsa hasn't received this level of recognition. In conference play last year, the Golden Hurricane went 12-4. Three of those games were lost by a combined four points, including a one-point heartbreaker to Memphis when Antonio Anderson, now graduated, scored at the buzzer for the Tigers.

"It's hard to be perfect," Wojcik said.

The only other loss came at the hands of - you guessed it - Memphis. Tulsa, and the rest of the C-USA for that matter, hopes that this year will be a different scenario.  

"I think every team in the league is pumped up for Memphis," said Uzoh, who with the rest of this senior class has yet to beat Memphis. "They haven't been beaten. They set the bar of where everyone else wants to get. It's definitely a game that you look forward to."

Tulsa has added motivation - as if it needed any more - when it faces Memphis, since it lost to the Tigers in the last two C-USA Tournament finals. In retrospect, the Golden Hurricane needed to win those games, which were played in Memphis, to make the NCAA Tournament. This year's conference tournament is being played in Tulsa and the Golden Hurricane are aiming for a different result if they can make it that far.

"Hopefully we'll get a few more fans this year," Jordan joked.

The losses in the C-USA finals kept the Golden Hurricane from an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. It got them a bid to the CBI Tournament in 2007-08, which they won, and a bid to the NIT last year. But improving and finally reaching the NCAA tournament this year would be what coach Wojcik called the "natural progression of the program."

If there was ever a year for Tulsa to make the leap, it's this year. Everything appears to be falling into place and the team knows that.

"This year the newcomers and returning guys all came in with a different mindset that this year we're really going to try to do something special," Jordan said. "It has really paid off. We're moving in the right directions right now."

Still, Memphis looms over C-USA like the 7-foot Jordan does over opponents. And, if Tulsa expects to dethrone Memphis, Jordan is going to be a vital asset. Jordan averaged 13.8 points and 8.6 rebounds last year. He was first in the conference in blocked shots and shooting percentage, and second in the league in rebounding.

"He's been working hard he's been getting better each and every year," Uzoh said. "It's been like day and night with him. He's just becoming a student of the game. He's picking things up quick. His IQ is really, really strong and he encourages everyone and makes everyone better."

Jordan mentioned that he is working on a more well-rounded offensive game. He is trying to extend his range and improve his moves when facing the basket. He wants to do this to avoid constant double teams in the post. But, if he does get double teamed, he does have another weapon on the wing and that's Uzoh.

For his career, Uzoh has averaged 13.2 points and over five rebounds a game. He was selected to the C-USA second team last year, but his greatest contributions may come as the floor general.

"He's developed so much since he got here his freshman this year just in terms of his leadership skills," Jordan said of Uzoh. "He's always been able to score and do all the little things for us to help us win games, but he's really turned into a point guard for us. He's vocal on the court and he helps all the players around him get better."

Tulsa also returns senior guard Justin Hurtt who averaged 9.6 points a game and shot 39 percent from 3-point range last year. Throw in senior Bishop Wheatley, junior Glenn Andrews and sophomore Steven Idlet and Tulsa has an experienced nucleus to go along with freshman guard Donte Medder and guard-forward Bryson Pope. Wojcik says both freshmen should make an "immediate impact."

And as things fall into place more and more, those goals of winning the C-USA and making the NCAA tournament seem to be in reach. As a result, Tulsa's getting noticed.

"None of us have been there yet so we don't deserve anything more than we've gotten, but there is a better awareness of us than there has been in the past," Wojcik said. "But just like any conference, unfortunately in today's world, that's non BCS, we need to look at ourselves and see if we're getting a second team in the tournament."

If everything goes the Golden Hurricanes' way this year, they won't have to worry about being the second team - and they'll have stepped way, way out of the shadows.

Tulsa jumped out to an 18-2 lead, then allowed St Mary's to roar back to tie the game at 30 each. That was the end of the good news for the Rattlers as Tulsa pulled away to 72-47 win to open the 2008-'09 season.

Listen as Doug Wojcik talks about the game from the Hurricane locker room.

Ben Ozoh and Justin Hurtt had 16 each while Steven Idlet put down a career high 15 in the win. Jerome Jordan scored only nine but it was his presence that allowed Idlet to score some clean up points.

TU outrebounded the Rattlers 36-27 and forced 18 turnovers.

The Hurricane will only have a day to rest before hosting Isiah Thomas' Florida International.

Senior guard Ben Uzoh added 12 points and a team-high seven assists, while sophomore Steven Idlet had 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Junior Justin Hurtt added 11 points as 10 Golden Hurricane players got in the scoring column. No SNU player scored in double digits as Marchello Vealy led the way with nine points.

Tulsa shot 58-percent from the field, while limiting SNU to just 27-percent shooting for the night. Southern Nazarene scored the first basket of the game on a Xavier Alexander layup, but a Justin Hurtt three-point basket on Tulsa's next trip down the floor gave the Hurricane a lead it would never relinquish.

Tulsa went ahead by double digits on a Ben Uzoh layup to make it 15-5 at the 14:41 mark of the first half. SNU cut Tulsa's lead to single digits three times before the Hurricane would take a 20-10 lead with 10:19 to play in the fist half. The Hurricane built that first-half lead to 19 points and ended the half with a 42-25 lead.

After intermission, Tulsa kept its lead between 12 and 19 points for the first eight minutes until a steal by freshman Donte Medder and a jumper by Hurtt put the Hurricane over 20 points, 57-36, with 11:46 remaining in the game. SNU was unable to cut the Hurricane lead to under 20 points the rest of the way.

Jordan tallied 10 points and nine rebounds in the second half as the Hurricane added to its 17-point halftime lead, building its margin to 39 points with 2:26 to play in the game.

The 35-point victory was a tune-up to the regular season that starts on Friday night for the Hurricane against St. Mary's. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm at the Reynolds Center.

Tickets for the season opener can be purchased for as low as $10 by calling the TU athletic ticket office at 631-GoTU (4688) or online at www.TulsaHurricane.com.

Can you believe that basketball season is only a few days away. On Friday, November 13th, TU tips off at home against St. Mary's for what is a much anticipated season. Head coach Doug Wojcik talked Monday about his team and their upcoming season.

Jordan, a 7'0" center from Kingston, Jamaica, averaged 13.8 points, and a team-leading 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks last year, while earning first-team all-conference honors and all-defensive team accolades as well. He was named the C-USA Player of the Week four times a year ago.

The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2009-10 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2010 NCAA Men's Final Four in Indianapolis, Ind.

"The level of talent is exceptional across all teams, conferences and classes, which further underscores just how many candidates have a legitimate chance to win this award," said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. "We are looking forward to the start of the season and to see who will end the year as the winner of the Naismith Trophy, the most prestigious award in college basketball."

Jordan averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 16 C-USA regular season games, while shooting 59-percent from the field and 77-percent from the free throw line. Jordan scored over 20 points in eight games. He had 10 double-doubles last year and tallied 24 games with two or more blocks and 20 contests with three or more blocked shots. Jordan had 25 double-figure scoring games and 14 double-digit rebounding games. Jordan's 91 blocked shots gave him the No. 1 and 2 positions on the school's single-season blocked shots chart

In his career, Jordan has averages of 9.9 points (968), 6.8 rebounds (666) and 2.6 blocks (251). His 251 career blocks ranks second on the school's all-time blocked shots list, and he enters his senior season needing 15 more blocks to tie Michael Ruffin (1995-99) for the school record. Jordan ranks sixth on the Conference USA career blocked shots list, and needs 63 more blocks to tie the C-USA record. He has blocked two or more shots in 63 career games and three or more shots in 51 career games.

Oklahoma State's James Anderson is one of eight members of Big 12 Conference schools listed.

Anderson, a junior guard, is the third-leading returning scorer in the Big 12 Conference after averaging 18.2 points per game a year ago. One of the top shooters in the country, he is shooting 39.4 percent from beyond the three-point arc in his career, including 40.8 percent last season as a sophomore.

The Big 12 Conference has claimed two of the last three Naismith Trophy winners, given annually to the men's college player of the year. The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2009-10 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2010 NCAA Men's Final Four in Indianapolis, Ind.

Other Big 12 players on the list include: Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins and Xavier Henry of Kansas, Iowa State's Craig Brackins, Avery Bradley and Damion James of Texas, and Oklahoma's Willie Warren.

Anderson and the rest of the Cowboys open the 2009-10 season on Saturday, Nov. 7, when OSU hosts Central Oklahoma in an exhibition game. Tipoff has not yet been announced.

"AT&T congratulates these athletes for their exceptional career performances, and we're eager to see which player lands this esteemed award," said Tim McGhee, executive director, AT&T corporate sponsorships. "We know college basketball fans are passionate about the game, and through our text message voting program, we're giving them the opportunity to help determine this year's award recipient."

In late February, the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors will compile a mid-season team of the Top 30 players in the nation. Then in March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will vote to narrow the list to the four finalists.

2009-10 Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List:

Solomon Alabi, Florida State

COLE ALDRICH, KANSAS

Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest

James Anderson, Oklahoma State

Luke Babbitt, Nevada

Talor Battle, Penn State

Trevor Booker, Clemson

Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga

Craig Brackins, Iowa State

Avery Bradley, Texas

Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia

Patrick Christopher, California

SHERRON COLLINS, KANSAS

Ed Davis, North Carolina

Devan Downey, South Carolina

Jerome Dyson, Connecticut

Devin Ebanks, West Virginia

Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech

Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

Manny Harris, Michigan

Gordon Hayward, Butler

Lazar Hayward, Marquette

XAVIER HENRY, KANSAS

Robbie Hummel, Purdue

Damion James, Texas

Jerome Jordan, Tulsa

Sylven Landesberg, Virginia

Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech

Kalin Lucas, Michigan State

Tasmin Mitchell, LSU

Greg Monroe, Georgetown

A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt

Patrick Patterson, Kentucky

Jerome Randle, California

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova

Samardo Samuels, Louisville

Larry Sanders, VCU

Kyle Singler, Duke

Tyler Smith, Tennessee

Isaiah Thomas, Washington

Evan Turner, Ohio State

Edwin Ubiles, Siena

Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State

Greivis Vasquez, Maryland

Kemba Walker, Connecticut

John Wall, Kentucky

Willie Warren, Oklahoma

Terrico White, Mississippi

Nic Wise, Arizona

Chris Wright, Dayton

Uzoh hit four free throws in the final 21 seconds as the Golden Hurricane (25-10) survived a late scoring drought to win their first game in the tournament since winning the title in 2001.

Craig Moore and Kevin Coble each scored 17 points to lead Northwestern (17-14), which went 9-for-23 from 3-point range against the nation's second-best 3-point defense.

Justin Hurtt added 13 points for Tulsa and Ray Reese had 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Craig Moore, who made five of 11 3-pointers, and Kevin Coble each scored 17 points for Northwestern.

Justin Hurtt scored 13 for Tulsa and Ray Reese had 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

After making just two of 13 3-point shots in the first half, Tulsa made its first two of the second half and four consecutive baskets out of the break to turn a 30-28 deficit into a 44-34 lead.

Tulsa led 60-49 on a layup by Glenn Andrews with 7:25 left, but Moore hit two 3-pointers for Northwestern and Michael Thompson scored inside to cut the deficit to 60-57 with 2:02 left as Tulsa went cold.

Tulsa's NIT appearance is its first since 2001, when the Golden Hurricane won the tournament for the second time. Tulsa also won the NIT in 1981.

See a TU-Rice slideshow from practice and the game on Thursday. Plus a bonus shot of the broadcast crew and team doctor on the flight to Memphis.

Rice forward Lawrence Ghoram had a clean breakaway when Wheatley caught him from behind and reached for the ball. Wheatley knocked Ghoram to the ground hard and the foul was determined to be flagrant and intentional. Officials ejected Wheatley after studying the game video and then made the decision to suspend the junior forward after the game.

Ray Reese led Tulsa with 22 points, Ben Uzoh added 14 for the Hurricane. Tulsa will face the winner of the UAB-Southern Mississippi game Friday at 5:00 p.m. VISITORS: Rice 10-22 TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS ## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 43 PERKA, Aleks........ f 0-6 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 3 0 1 2 1 0 32 15 STANTON, Trey....... c 1-1 0-0 5-5 0 3 3 5 7 0 4 1 1 21 04 FRIZZELLE, Connor... g 5-12 0-2 0-0 0 3 3 1 10 3 1 0 0 28 21 FOSTER, Rodney...... g 1-5 0-0 6-8 0 1 1 1 8 1 2 0 0 27 33 GHORAM, Lawrence.... g 2-3 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0 4 0 3 0 2 19 01 SCHWARZE, Nate...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 5 05 HERNDON, Emerson.... 3-6 0-0 1-3 2 3 5 2 7 0 0 0 0 9 11 BRAIMOH, Suleiman... 2-2 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 5 4 0 1 0 1 16 12 BEASLEY, Bryan...... 1-3 0-1 1-2 1 0 1 4 3 0 2 0 1 12 32 PFLIEGER, Cory...... 3-11 2-9 0-0 3 5 8 2 8 3 2 0 1 29 34 BOLTE, P.J.......... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 TEAM................ 1 1 Totals.............. 18-50 2-12 13-19 7 22 29 24 51 10 17 2 6 200 TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 7-19 36.8% 2nd Half: 11-31 35.5% Game: 36.0% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-5 40.0% 2nd Half: 0-7 0.0% Game: 16.7% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 1-3 33.3% 2nd Half: 12-16 75.0% Game: 68.4% 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOME TEAM: Tulsa 23-9 TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS ## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 12 Wheatley, Bishop.... f 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 3 0 1 1 0 0 20 53 Reese, Ray.......... f 8-15 6-8 0-0 0 2 2 1 22 1 0 0 2 26 23 Jordan, Jerome...... c 3-6 0-0 0-1 4 5 9 1 6 2 1 0 2 20 01 Uzoh, Ben........... g 4-7 0-2 6-7 1 1 2 1 14 7 3 0 3 30 15 Hurtt, Justin....... g 4-10 2-4 0-0 0 1 1 2 10 1 1 0 0 26 02 Heirman, Shane...... 0-1 0-0 0-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 5 03 Bawji, Bassel....... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 Idlet, Steven....... 2-3 0-0 0-0 0 3 3 2 4 0 3 2 1 19 13 Sanger, Will........ 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 22 Andrews, Glenn...... 2-5 2-4 3-4 0 3 3 1 9 1 2 0 1 18 33 Richard, Joe........ 0-2 0-0 3-6 1 1 2 0 3 1 2 0 0 12 40 Morgan, Colter...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 45 Mitchell, Sam....... 1-2 0-0 2-3 2 2 4 3 4 1 2 1 0 21 TEAM................ 1 3 4 Totals.............. 24-51 10-18 15-25 10 24 34 16 73 15 16 3 9 200 TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 16-28 57.1% 2nd Half: 8-23 34.8% Game: 47.1% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 6-11 54.5% 2nd Half: 4-7 57.1% Game: 55.6% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 3-4 75.0% 2nd Half: 12-21 57.1% Game: 60.0% 5,4

The University of Tulsa inside-outside combination of juniors Jerome Jordan and Ben Uzoh were named to the Conference USA all-league team, it was announced today by the C-USA office.

Jordan earned first-team honors, while Uzoh was a second-team selection for the second consecutive season.
 
The first-team honor for Jordan marks the first time in its four years as a Conference USA member that Tulsa has had a first-team selection. The last time a Tulsa player earned first-team honors came in the 2002-23 campaign when Kevin Johnson was a first-team performer in the Western Athletic Conference.
 
Jordan was joined on the C-USA first-team by Memphis' Tyreke Evans, Houston's Aubrey Coleman, Stefon Jackson of UTEP and UCF's Jermaine Taylor, all guards on their respective teams.
 
Tulsa's seven-footer from Kinston Jamaica, ranks first in C-USA for field goal percentage (.598) and blocked shots (2.52), and is second for rebounding with an 8.8 average. Jordan leads the Hurricane in scoring (14.7), rebounds (8.8), blocks (2.52) and field goal percentage (.598). He has scored 20 or more points in eight games this season, and has 22 double-figure scoring games, 13 double-digit rebounding games and 10 double-doubles in Tulsa's 31 contests.
 
In C-USA games, Jordan is the league's fourth-leading scorer with a 17.1 average. Last year, Jordan earned C-USA all-defensive team honors.
 
Uzoh, a 6'3" guard from San Antonio, Texas, has earned a league award in each of his three seasons with the Hurricane. In 2006-07, he was named to the all-freshman team and last year garnered C-USA second-team accolades.
 
He averages 14.4 points and leads the Hurricane in assists with a 3.6 average and steals at 1.5 per game, while grabbing 4.8 rebounds in Tulsa's 31 games this year. Uzoh has six 20-point scoring games this season, and 16 for his career.
 
Uzoh became just the fourth player in school history to surpass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 steals for a career.
 
A pair of players from Memphis and UAB including Memphis' Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier and UAB's Paul Delaney and Robert Vaden joined Uzoh on the league's second team.
              
 
2008-09 ALL-CONFERENCE USA HONORS
FIRST TEAM
Aubrey Coleman, Houston, G, 6-4, 200, Jr., Houston, Texas
Tyreke Evans, Memphis, G, 6-6, 219, Fr., Chester, Pa.
Stefon Jackson, UTEP, G, 6-5, 185, Sr., Philadelphia, Pa.
Jerome Jordan, Tulsa, C, 7-0, 245, Jr. Kingston, Jamaica
Jermaine Taylor, UCF, G, 6-4, 210, Sr., Tavares, Fla.
 
SECOND TEAM
Antonio Anderson, Memphis, G, 6-6, 214, Sr., Lynn, Mass.
Paul Delaney III, UAB, G, 6-2, 202, Sr., Decatur, Ga.
Robert Dozier, Memphis, F, 6-9, 220, Sr., Lithonia, Ga.
Ben Uzoh, Tulsa, G, 6-3, 200, Jr., San Antonio, Texas
Robert Vaden, UAB, G/F, 6-5, 205, Sr., Indianapolis, Ind.
 
THIRD TEAM
Randy Culpepper, UTEP, G, So., 6-0, 165, So., Memphis, Tenn.
Markel Humphrey, Marshall, F, 6-6, 230, Sr., Atlanta, Ga.
Lawrence Kinnard, UAB, F, 6-8, 208, Sr., Memphis, Tenn.
Kelvin Lewis, Houston, G, 6-4, 190, Jr., Fort Worth, Texas
Jeremy Wise, Southern Miss, G, 6-2, 165, Jr., Jackson, Miss.
 
 
 

Tulsa completed the regular season on Saturday afternoon with a 60-50 win over Rice in Houston, Texas. The Hurricane enters this week's Conference USA Tournament as the No. 2 seed and will play on Thursday at 12 noon at Memphis' FedEx Forum.

Tulsa will play the winner of the Marshall-Rice match-up in the quarterfinals. The Marshall-Rice game will be played on Wednesday at 12 noon.

Tulsa finished the regular season with an overall 22-9 record and a 12-4 league mark. Marshall, the No. 7 seed, is 15-16 overall and 7-9 in C-USA, while No. 10 seed Rice has records of 9-21 overall and 4-12 in league play.

The Hurricane won both games against the Marshall Thundering Herd this season. Tulsa captured a 69-50 home victory on January 17th, and won by 16 points, 73-57, in early February in Huntington, WV. Tulsa's game on Saturday at Rice was the only meeting between the two teams this season.

Tulsa leads both series, including a 5-2 edge against Marshall, winning the last three contests. The Hurricane now has a 17-6 advantage in the Rice series.

Last year, Tulsa was the No. 6 seed and advanced to the championship finals after wins against East Carolina (66-49) and overtime wins over UAB (78-68) in the quarterfinals and 64-62 in a semifinal win over UTEP. Tulsa lost in the championship game to No. 1 seed and the No. 2-ranked team in the nation, Memphis.


C-USA Men's Basketball Championship
FedEx Forum • Memphis, Tenn.
Wednesday, March 11
(7) Marshall vs. (10) Rice, 12 noon
(6) UCF vs. (11) Southern Miss, 2:30 pm
(8) Tulane vs. (9) East Carolina, 6 pm
(5) Houston vs. (12) SMU, 8:30 pm

Thursday, March 12
(2) Tulsa vs. Marshall/Rice winner (CSS), 12 noon
(3) UAB vs. UCF/USM winner (CSS), 2:30 pm
(1) Memphis vs. Tulane/ECU winner (CSS), 6 pm
(4) UTEP vs. Houston/SMU winner (CSS), 8:30 pm

Friday, March 13
Semifinal No. 1 (CBS College Sports), 3 pm
Semifinal No. 2 (CBS College Sports), 5:30 pm

Saturday, March 14
Championship Final (CBS), 10:35 am

Two Tulsa players are honored

University of Tulsa's Sam Mitchell (Bartlesville, Okla.) and Steven Idlet (Prairie Grove, Ark.) were selected to the 2009 Conference USA Men's Basketball All-Academic Team, it was announced today. In addition to Tulsa's two selections Houston, Marshall and Rice also placed one representative on the five-member academic squad.
 
Mitchell, a 6-9 forward, has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (3.0 GPA or better) for seven semesters and has been named to the C-USA Commissioners Honor Roll three straight years. He carries a 3.34 GPA as a finance major.
 
On the court, Mitchell has averaged 2.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.9 minutes of action this season. The senior has six games with five or more rebounds with a season-high of eight, and had a season-best of seven points against nationally-ranked Memphis. For his career, Mitchell has played in 124 career games with 32 starting assignments.

Idlet was named to the TU Dean's list one semester (3.5 GPA or better) and twice to the Athletic Directors Honor Roll (3.0 GPA). Additionally, he was named to the Conference USA Commissioners Honor Roll last year and has a 3.32 GPA as a history major.
 
Idlet averages 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.3 minutes this season. The red-shirt freshman is shooting 47-percent from the field and is second on the team with 17 blocked shots. The Arkansas native has two double-digit scoring games this year, including a career-best 11 points against Ohio. He notched career-bests of six rebounds twice this season and added five blocked shots against Texas A&M-CC.
 
The three other selections were Houston's Sean Coleman, Adams Williams of Marshall and Rice's Aleks Perka.
 
The team is voted on by the league's Sports Information Directors.

Ray Reese scored 24 points to lead Tulsa to a 74-64 comeback win over SMU on Saturday night. The victory, along with other losses in C-USA on Saturday, assured the Hurricane a top four seed and a first round bye in the upcoming C-USA tournament.

Ben Uzoh added 20 points for the Golden Hurricane (20-9, 10-4 Conference USA), and Justin Hurtt had 15. Jerome Jordan scored seven points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Paul McCoy scored 16 points to lead SMU (8-19, 2-12). Mouhammad Faye and Bamba Fall scored 12 apiece, and Derek Williams had 10.

SMU led 38-29 at halftime before being outscored 45-26 in the second half.

Tulsa dominated the boards, outrebounding SMU 44-29.

The Golden Hurricane won the game despite shooting 37 percent from the field. SMU shot 44 percent.

THE SERIES . . 

• The Records: Tulsa Golden

• The Series: Houston leads 19-17

• The Coaches: Tulsa's Doug Wojcik

• Radio: KRMG 740 AM (Bruce

• TV: none

• Internet: www.tulsahurricane.com

Ben Uzoh scored 23 points to lead Tulsa to a 72-62 victory over East Carolina, snapping a two-game losing streak and putting Tulsa back in the race for second place behind Memphis in Conference USA.

The Hurricane, 8-4 and 18-9 overall, erased a 10-point first-half deficit by holding the Pirates to just four free throws in the first 10:12 of the second half, in the process turning a 39-33 halftime deficit into a 51-43 lead. Uzoh scored seven points in that span, but the most impressive play as by reserve guard Glenn Andrews, who blocked a layup by Pirate guard Brock Young, grabbed the ball before it went out of bounds and rifled a pass downcourt to Justin Hurtt who slammed it home.

Hurtt had 17 points for Tulsa, including two 3-pointers in the first half to stem a 12-0 Pirate run that had given East Carolina a 27-17 lead. Jerome Jordan had 12 points and six rebounds.

Sam Hinnant led East Carolina, 5-8 and 13-13, with 21 points, 16 of those in the first half when he made all four of his 3-point attempts. The Pirates shot a torrid 53.8 percent in the first half but made just 7-of-33 field goals in the second and finished the game at 36 percent. They did finish at 43.5 percent on 3-pointers against the nation's third-ranked defense against treys at 27.4 percent.

"In the second half we settled down and really played well," said Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik. "About the only thing we changed was the way we defended the ball screens. We really tried to stay with their wings and not help out because they were shooting the ball so well."

Tulsa built a 60-48 lead with 7:10 to play on a conventional three-point play by Bishop Wheatley and kept the Pirates at bay by making 10 of 11 free throws in the final 4:10.

Tulsa returns to the Reynolds Center for a Wednesday night clash against the Houston Cougars, 77-72 winners tonight over UCF. The Hurricane and Cougars come into the contest with identical 8-4 C-USA marks.

Tulsa hosts East Carolina in a very important Conference USA game for the Hurricane. It's not only a big game but a big night as well. Two former TU greats, Jerry Ostroskie and Ken Hayes will be inducted into the TU Hall of Fame as will the 1945 football team. But wait, there's more! It's also.....

    Jamaica Night
 Tulsa vs. East Carolina
 Golden Hurricane Men's Basketball
 February 21, 2009  7 pm
     
 Entertainment:
 - The "Steel Around" Band ~ Emerson Entertainment: Tulsa, OK

 Band will perform on the concourse level as fans enter the area until tip-off.

 -  Jamaican inspired music will be played at halftime.


 Concessions:
 - Will be selling a couple of cool "Jamaican Theme" items at select concession stands. "Jerk Chicken Skewers, Cool Tropical Drinks"


 Giveaway:
 - "Jamaican Jordan" hand held face fans. The first 2,500 fans will receive a fan with the photo of Tulsa's own Jamaican center Jerome Jordan.

Ray Reese added 17 points for the Golden Hurricane (16-7, 6-2 Conference USA), who have now won four straight. Ben Uzoh finished with 12 points and six rebounds, and Glenn Andrews chipped in with 10 points.

Reese's 3-pointer with 13:03 remaining in the first half capped a 12-2 Tulsa run, giving it an early 20-7 lead. But Marshall (9-13, 2-6) responded with a 9-0 run, and trailed 34-30 at the half.

An 11-2 run by Tulsa in the second half gave it a 45-35 lead with 13:58 left on the clock. The Golden Hurricane later used a 10-1 run to go up 65-43 with 5:46 remaining.

The Thundering Herd were led by Tirrell Baines, who had 10 points and five rebounds.

Ray Reese had 14 points, Jerome Jordan had 11 and Glenn Andrews added nine for the balanced Hurricane offense. Robert Nyakundi scored 11 and Paul McCoy had 10 for SMU.

"It was a very workmanlike win," said Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik. "I'm a little concerned because we got outrebounded (36-32) for the second game in a row (Tulsa leads C-USA in rebounding margin.) But we only had seven turnovers and played solid defense for 40 minutes.

SMU shot just 34.5 percent (19 of 55). The Ponies were hurt by a 10-0 Tulsa run late in the first half that broke a 17-17 tie and by their offensive futility to start the second half.

The battle of 7-foot centers was a stalemate, as both teams collapsed on the interior. Jordan took just seven shots, making three, and had five rebounds and four blocks, while SMU's Bamba Fall had seven points and eight rebounds and three blocks.

Ben Uzoh added 17 points and Justin Hurtt had 16 for the Golden Hurricane (13-7, 3-2 Conference USA). Jordan was 7 of 12 from the field and hit 7 of 11 free throws.

Stefon Jackson led UTEP with 26 points, including 11 of 17 from the free-throw line. Kareem Cooper scored 11 points.

Tulsa opened up a 34-27 lead in the first half, when UTEP was plagued with 23 percent shooting from the field. The Hurricane held the Miners to just 36 percent shooting for the game.

The score was tied three times and featured eight lead changes.

Jordan, a 7'0" center from Kingston, Jamaica, helped the Golden Hurricane record a 19-point win over Marshall, while dropping a one-point decision to Memphis last week. He averaged 22.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 2.0 assists in those two contests, while shooting 56-percent from the field and 89-percent from the free-throw line.

Jordan registered a double-double in both games, tying for a league-best seven this season and 14 in his career. Against Memphis, he tallied 20 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks and three assists in 40 minutes, and against Marshall he scored a career-best 25 points and added 10 rebounds and three blocks in 31 minutes.

Jerome Jordan added 16 points and Ben Uzoh had 11 for Tulsa (11-5), which shot 42.1 percent from the field (24 of 57 ) to win its third straight.

Phil Jones scored 15 points and Lamont Mack added 10 for the 49ers (5-9), who shot just 25.9 percent from the field and trailed by as many as 19 points in losing their third consecutive game.

Tulsa was called for 28 fouls and five players finished with four fouls. However, Charlotte was only 20 of 38 from the free-throw line.

The 49ers cut a 13-point halftime margin to 41-31 on Mack's two free throws with 15:12 left.

But the Golden Hurricane responded with an seven-point run, capped by Uzoh's steal and dunk, to push their lead to 48-31 with 12:30 remaining.

Although Tulsa (8-4) never trailed, Texas-Arlington kept within striking distance by hitting 10 three-pointers, including five of eight treys by Brandon Long, who led the Mavericks with 22 points.

Glenn Andews added 20 points for the Golden Hurricane, who had five players in double figures.

Tulsa was leading 57-46 when center Jerome Jordan picked up his fourth foul. In Jordan's absence, the Mavericks (4-6) cut the lead to four at 63-59 with 7:90 left in the game.

After Jordan returned with 3:33 remaining, the Golden Hurricane widened the lead to 75-65, but Texas-Arlington wasn't done yet.

The Mavericks came within five at 78-73 with 1:25 left, but that was as close as they would get.

Jordan finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks.

With college basketball about to begin, it's time for all the pre-season "best of" lists.

Conference USA released their pre-season rankings and their player honors and Tulsa did well. The Hurricane is picked third in the poll and TU center Jerome Jordan is on the all conference team

Look below at all the rankings and individual picks from C-USA.