Basketball Gameday: vs. Tulsa
January 24, 2015 | Men's Basketball
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| East Carolina vs. Tulsa Jan. 24, 2015 | 12 p.m. EST Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum | Greenville, N.C. |
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina will play its first of four consecutive games against teams that competed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Saturday as it welcomes American Athletic Conference front runner Tulsa to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
The Pirates, who are playing at home for just the second time this month, are coming off a week layoff after dropping a 77-54 contest at SMU last Saturday. Terry Whisnant buried six 3-pointers on his way to matching his career-high with 24 points. Caleb White added 14 points in the loss.
The Golden Hurricane boasts an unblemished record of 6-0 in league play and has won eight in row overall. TU has held each of its first six conference opponents to less than 60 points, including reigning national champion Connecticut, which scored just 58 points. ECU is averaging just over 55 points per game in conference play.
"Tulsa presents a lot of challenges for us," ECU Head Coach Jeff Lebo said. "They've probably got the best backcourt in the country that nobody's heard of in [James] Woodard and Shaq Harrison; two guys that are terrific players.
"They defend and they defend from a lot of different positions," Lebo continued. "It's going to be a tough test to muster up enough offense to get good shots against them."
Tulsa is one of two American squads to hold the opposition to less than 40 percent shooting from the floor and under 30 percent behind the arc. It also has the highest turnover margin in league since conference play began at +5.67.
"They're winning with defense and with their transition," Lebo said. "To me, what separates them is their speed at all spots. They can really change ends of the floor quickly."
The Golden Hurricane and Pirates have the two highest scoring trios in the conference. Woodard, Harrison and Rashad Smith are averaging a combined 39.4 points per game, while Whisnant, White and B.J. Tyson are compiling an average of 38.9 points a night.
Whisnant and White combined for 38 points last Saturday at SMU, while Harrison and Woodard scored a combined 34 points Wednesday night against Memphis.
Saturday's game is just ECU's third game in the last 11 days and first home game since Jan. 14. The Pirates are 7-2 inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum this year, averaging more than 76 points per game and shooting nearly 50 percent (.495) from the field. However, Tulsa is an excellent road team and owns a 4-2 mark away from home, including wins at UCF, Temple and USF.
Tulsa has won the last two meetings with East Carolina and leads the all-time series, 11-2. The Pirates have lost three straight to the Golden Hurricane at home and are looking for their first win over TU inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum since 2006.
