Connecticut @ Tulsa preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 26, 2020 ) Tulsa 79, Connecticut 75

The dream season for Tulsa lives on as it sits alone at the top of the American Athletic Conference standings. When Connecticut comes to the Reynolds Center on Thursday, it will be a rematch of an overtime battle from Jan. 26 that saw the Golden Hurricane come out victorious.

Tulsa, picked to finish 10th in the preseason coaches poll, bounced back from a three-game losing streak to end non-conference play by losing once in the AAC, including wins over perennial contenders in No. 25 Houston and Wichita State, and a 40-point rout of Memphis. “We want to stay in the moment, but I think this team has built on some other great wins. I think this team has done some really good things so far. We’ve just got to continue building on it,” Golden Hurricane coach Frank Haith told the Tulsa World. The Golden Hurricane defend the 3-point line well (AAC-best 27.7 percent) - an area where UConn has struggled since losing Tyler Polley as it has failed to crack 30 percent from beyond the arc in the last seven games, including a 27.3 percent showing in the last meeting. The Huskies have lost five of their last six games - all by seven points or fewer - after a 70-63 setback at Memphis on Saturday.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT UCONN (11-10, 2-6 AAC): After missing the Temple contest because of personal reasons, junior guard Alterique Gilbert returned against Memphis and chipped in 10 points, three steals and two assists. While freshman James Bouknight has flourished since entering the starting lineup, eclipsing double figures in four of the last six games, the same cannot be said for classmate and backcourt mate Jalen Gaffney, who is shooting 2-for-16 from the floor in the last two contests, including 0-for-6 against Memphis. Despite the emergence of Bouknight, the go-to scorer for the Huskies is still senior Christian Vital (14.3 points), who has seven straight games in double figures and leads the AAC in free-throw percentage (90.2 percent) and is second in steals (2.5).

ABOUT TULSA (15-6, 7-1): The win against Wichita State was one of great emotion for junior guard Elijah Joiner, hitting a contested game-winning 3-pointer with his father in attendance for the first time at the school en route to scoring a career-high 22. Senior forward Martins Igbanu has been red hot since being moved into a bench role, averaging 17 points on four straight double-digit scoring performances, including a career-high 28 points last time against the Huskies. But it is junior guard Brandon Rachal that has been the most consistent offensive force, leading the team with 14.1 points per game, although he put up an unsightly two points against Wichita State.

BUZZER-BEATERS

1. The Golden Hurricane have had eight different leading scorers in a game this season.

2. Huskies freshman Akok Akok leads the AAC in blocks per game at three.

3. Tulsa has won the last five meetings and has lost to UConn only once at home.

PREDICTION: Tulsa 76, UConn 69