Colorado St. @ Tulsa preview

Tulsa has lost two of three since its six-game winning streak was snapped but has a chance to get back on track when it takes on Colorado State at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. The Golden Hurricane are coming off a loss to Arkansas where they allowed a season-high 98 points.

Head coach Frank Haith said his team’s defense was “not very good,” allowing the Razorbacks to shoot 56 percent from the floor, well over Tulsa's average allotment of 40 percent, and was just the third time all season an opponent eclipsed 70 points. On the offensive side of the ball, Haith has deployed five different starting lineups, building depth for an experienced eight-man rotation that all average more than 20 minutes. But the Golden Hurricane are still looking for consistency outside of Brandon Rachal, who has reached double figures in all but two contests and finds himself sixth in the American Athletic Conference with 15.2 points per game. The game marks another tough opponent for the Rams, who have played three teams that have been ranked at one point this season (Duke, San Diego State, Colorado) and have lost three of their last four, including two games to start the Mountain West slate.

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET.

ABOUT COLORADO STATE (7-6): Redshirt senior center Nico Carvacho, who led the nation with 12.9 rebounds per game in 2018-2019 and has the second-most rebounds in MWC history, is averaging just a tick under 10 rebounds in addition to leading the team with 13 points per contest. Freshman guard Isaiah Stevens, who scored more than 10 points in six of his first seven contests, has failed to do so in the last six, shooting 11 percent from 3-point range in that span. Sophomore swingman Adam Thistlewood has started every game for the Rams and his 41,4 percent 3-point shooting percentage is best on the team, though he has also cooled off following a career-high 20 points against Washington State, failing to reach double digits in five games since.

ABOUT TULSA (8-3): Martins Igbanu is the most recent Golden Hurricane to show his scoring ability, dropping a season-high 18 points against Arkansas, and is one of three players averaging around nine points per game. After re-entering the starting lineup in the previous game, Elijah Joiner also broke off a team-high 19 points against the Razorbacks, an outlier performance of sorts as he scored four or fewer points in seven of 10 contests. While junior guard Darien Jackson has been a consistent shooter, second in the American Athletic Conference with a 58 percent field goal percentage, he too has failed to steadily put points on the board, though he is digging out of a slump by breaking double figures in the last two games after averaging just four in the previous four.

TIP-INS

1. In Tulsa's last four games, its bench has averaged 29.3 points, 14.5 rebounds and seven assists.

2. The Golden Hurricane have not played at the BOK Center since the 2012-2013 Conference USA tournament.

3. Colorado State’s six losses come against teams with a combined record of 46-16.

PREDICTION: Tulsa 75, Colorado State 68