South Carolina State @ Tulsa preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 10, 2018 ) South Carolina State 52, Tulsa 74

Tulsa goes for a fourth straight victory when it hosts South Carolina State in a Wednesday matinee as part of the Vanderbilt Invitational. The Golden Hurricane are coming off a 73-66 win over Southeastern Louisiana last Wednesday, while the Bulldogs have dropped two in a row, including Monday's 92-66 setback to Austin Peay.

Senior forward Damani Applewhite leads South Carolina State in scoring with 10.8 points per game, the only double-figure scorer for coach Murray Garvin. Junior forward Brandon Rachal has paced Tulsa in both scoring (17.6 points) and rebounding (8.2) this season and is coming off his third straight game of 20-plus points. Sophomore guard Darien Jackson is the only other double-figure scorer for the Golden Hurricane, putting up 12.2 points a game. Coach Frank Haith has been using a lot of his roster early this season, with eight different Tulsa players averaging over 20 minutes of playing time.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (2-4): Turnovers have been a problem for the Bulldogs early on this season, with the team averaging 14.8 miscues per game. Teams are averaging 15.6 points off turnovers per game, making it difficult for a South Carolina State team that only averages 68.5 points to keep up with the opposition. Junior point guard Rayshawn Neal, the team's leader in assists with two per game, is also turning the ball over 2.3 times per game.

ABOUT TULSA (4-1): The importance of point guard Elijah Joiner to this season's Tulsa squad was exemplified in the team's win over Southeastern Louisiana last week. Joiner missed the game due to a sore knee, leaving freshman Isaiah Hill as the only available scholarship point guard, and the Golden Hurricane offense was very inconsistent. Hill finished with five assists but also five turnovers, and Tulsa needed a late 10-0 run to put away the visiting Lions by seven.

TIP-INS

1. Haith is going for his 100th victory as Tulsa coach in this one.

2. Jackson recorded a new career high with his 18 points in the win over Southeastern Louisiana.

3. The Golden Hurricane are outscoring opponents by 17.6 points per game in the paint, with 50.3 percent of Tulsa's points this season coming inside.

PREDICTION: Tulsa 79, South Carolina State 62