Connecticut @ Tulsa preview
Reynolds Center
Last Meeting ( Dec 31, 2016 ) Connecticut 59, Tulsa 61
Connecticut is far from the national power that won an NCAA title as recently as 2014, but coach Kevin Ollie’s young squad still played a rough non-conference slate and it didn’t get any easier in the American Athletic Conference opener against No. 9 Wichita State. The Huskies will look to elevate a strong performance against the Shockers to a road win when they play Tulsa on Wednesday.
Connecticut went 1-5 against teams from major conferences during non-conference play before giving the Wichita State all it could handle before dropping a 72-62 decision Saturday. "They won by 10, but it didn't feel like a 10-point loss to be honest with you,” UConn sophomore guard Christian Vital said. “It was just, you know, another tough game, that we came up short on, but I think we are finding ways to stay in games a little longer than we were in the beginning of the season.” The Golden Hurricane are coming off a 65-56 victory at Tulane on Sunday that snapped a 10-game conference road losing streak. Martins Igbanu led the way with 15 points and nine rebounds while Sterling Taplin scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half to help close out the victory.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN News
ABOUT CONNECTICUT (7-6, 0-1 AAC): Junior guard Jalen Adams had 18 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals against the Shockers, junior wing Terry Larrier added 18 points and Vital 17. The Huskies hung in despite shooting 3-of-16 from the arc, converting 38.7 percent overall from the field and corralling only eight offensive rebounds. Adams ranks second in the league in scoring at 18.2 points per game while leading in minutes at 37.6, Larrier averages 15.7 points and a team-high 5.1 rebounds, and Vital averages 12.8 points.
ABOUT TULSA (9-5, 2-0): Junior Etou was named AAC Player of the Week after averaging 17 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 assists to lead the Hurricane to wins over East Carolina and Tulane. Etou leads the team at 17.9 points per game (third in AAC) and 6.9 rebounds (seventh) and his 53.7 percent shooting ranks seventh. Taplin chips in 11.9 points and 3.9 assists, and Corey Henderson Jr. is averaging 7.4 points overall but 10.0 in his last five contests.
TIP-INS
1. UConn leads the series 4-3, but Tulsa won 61-59 in overtime last season and has won all three played at home.
2. Etou has attempted at least 10 free throws four times this season, ranks 15th in the nation with 109 free-throw attempts and 14th in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.8) via kenpom.com.
3. The Huskies shoot 75.4-percent at the free-throw line, which leads the AAC.
PREDICTION: Tulsa 76, Connecticut 74