Southern Methodist @ Tulsa preview
Donald W. Reynolds Center
Last Meeting ( Feb 22, 2020 ) Southern Methodist 57, Tulsa 79
SMU's Kendric Davis, who is tied for third in the American Athletic Conference in scoring with a 16.8 average, is in a dreadful slump.
Davis, a 5-foot-11 junior guard, has averaged just 8.3 points while shooting 23.1 percent (9 of 39) from the field and 13.3 percent (2 of 15) from 3-point range over the last three games
On Wednesday night, Davis and his Mustangs (9-4, 5-4 AAC) will visit the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (9-6, 6-4) in a game between teams battling for fourth place in the league.
SMU forward Feron Hunt said he's not concerned with Davis, who ranks first in the AAC and fourth in the nation with 7.4 assists per game. Davis also leads the league in free-throw percentage.
"He will start hitting," Hunt said. "Him having three bad games -- it's not his fault. A lot of teams are keying on him. No player can have a great game every time. Michael Jordan couldn't do it.
"(Davis) will bounce back. He's a really good offensive player."
Hunt is second on the team in scoring (12.2) and is also first on the team and fourth in the league in rebounds (8.0).
Tulsa is powered by Brandon Rachal and Elijah Joiner. Rachal leads the team in scoring (15.1) and rebounds (6.7). He had 21 points and 10 rebounds in Tulsa's most recent game, a 77-68 win over East Carolina on Saturday.
"You've got to do some things to get (Rachal) going," Tulsa coach Frank Haith said. "He was aggressive (against East Carolina), but he didn't force -- and that's a fine line."
Joiner leads the team in assists (3.4) and ranks second in scoring (10.2).
But the hottest Tulsa player is Rey Idowu, who shot 67 percent from the floor in his past two games, averaging 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Overall, Haith was pleased with how his team competed Saturday against the Pirates.
"We played with great toughness and grinded it out," Haith said.
Tulsa is 5-1 at home this season. SMU is 3-2 on the road.
The Golden Hurricane and Mustangs have split the last four meetings. Tulsa won the last meeting, 79-57, on Feb. 22, 2020.
--Field Level Media