Arkansas St. @ Tulsa preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 16, 2007 ) Arkansas St. 59, Tulsa 75

Tulsa looks to remain unbeaten at home and extend its winning streak to seven games when it meets Arkansas State on Saturday. The Golden Hurricane are leaning on a defense that has allowed only two opponents to score more than 67 points this season and are coming off a performance where they held Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 39.

“There have already been nights we haven’t shot it well, but our defense has carried us and as long as we have that mindset that when we get in the game and aren’t shooting well, we feel good about stopping people. And that’s what gives you a chance night in and night out,” coach Frank Haith told reporters about his team's defense. Poor shooting performances have not plagued the Golden Hurricane in the last three contests as they have shot better than 45 percent from the floor and 38 percent from 3-point range in each game during that span. But despite the recent efficiency, they have averaged just over 71.9 points, putting them toward the bottom of the American Athletic Conference. The Red Wolves will be forced to break through the Golden Hurricane defense as they rely heavily on their offense, going 6-0 when they shoot 40 percent or better from the floor and score more than 65 points and 0-2 when they do not reach those numbers.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT ARKANSAS STATE (6-2): The Red Wolves boast strong depth as four players have led the team in scoring in a game including leading scorer Caleb Fields, who has averaged 18.7 points in the last three contests, playing his way into the starting lineup. Senior guard Canberk Kus has stuffed the scoresheet as one of 10 players in Division I to average at least 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block, all while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from 3-point range. Big man Malik Brevard has also been efficient by hitting 64.1 percent of his field goals.

ABOUT TULSA (7-1): Haith has been inconsistent with starting lineups, with only Brandon Rachal starting all eight games, but has settled in on a group of five the last three games headlined by Rachal, who has eclipsed double figures in all but one game and averages 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds. Guards Darien Jackson and Reggie Jones have cemented themselves in the starting lineup, with Jones scoring 18 or more points twice this season. After shooting 26.5 percent from 3-point range in the first seven games, stretch forward Jeriah Horne drilled 4-of-5 shots from behind the arc against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, exploding for 22 points off the bench.

TIP-INS

1 Tulsa has not lost a non-conference game at The Reynolds Center in the last two seasons.

2. Seven players have scored in double figures for Tulsa, with four of them doing it three or more times.

3. Arkansas State coach Mike Balado was a graduate-assistant under Haith at Miami in 2008-2009.

PREDICTION: Tulsa 77, Arkansas State 63