Houston @ Tulsa preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 2, 2019 ) Tulsa 56, Houston 74

No. 17 Houston hopes to follow up an outstanding long-range shooting performance with another big effort and win a fifth straight game when it takes on host Tulsa for an American Athletic Conference matchup Sunday afternoon. The Cougars, who knocked off Tulsa 74-56 on Jan. 2, drained a season-high 16 shots from 3-point range in a 94-50 home rout of East Carolina on Wednesday.

“It’s a testament to how hard we work every day,” Houston guard Armoni Brooks told reporters of his team’s 16-of-24 marksmanship from behind the arc. “Before and after practice we’re getting shots up with the coaches, to see it all paying off is a great feeling. We’re all extremely confident in one another and give each other the confidence to shoot the ball if you’re open.” The Cougars were one of four teams in the American with one loss in conference play entering Saturday and go after a fifth straight win over the Golden Hurricane, who are fading after a strong start to the season. Tulsa has dropped four of its last five after an 88-64 setback at Cincinnati on Thursday, but the team is 2-1 at home in league action (10-1 overall) with the only defeat coming in overtime. The Golden Hurricane were allowing under 70 points per game before Cincinnati shot 49.2 percent from the field and made 14 shots from 3-point range last time out, causing coach Frank Haith to tell reporters: “Our communication on the defensive end was really poor, the worst we’ve had all year.”

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPNews

ABOUT HOUSTON (19-1, 6-1 American): Brooks, who tops the team in rebounds (6.5), scored 17 against East Carolina and is a close second on the team in points per game (14.5) behind senior guard Corey Davis Jr. (15.1). Senior point guard Galen Robinson Jr. dished out eight assists last time out to move into fourth place on the program’s all-time list (504) and freshman guard Nate Hinton poured in 13 points against East Carolina. “(Hinton) continues to improve,” Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson told reporters. “He plays with great confidence and he has a certain swagger about him.”

ABOUT TULSA (12-8, 2-5): Senior guard DaQuan Jeffries is the go-to player for the Golden Hurricane, leading the team in scoring (13.4), rebounds (5.7) and makes from 3-point range (32) while shooting 51.7 percent from the field overall. Junior forward Martins Igbanu (12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds) and senior point guard Sterling Taplin (10.0 points, team-high 4.6 assists) are also contributing on the offensive end. Sophomore forward Jeriah Horne, a transfer from Nebraska, has totaled six points in two games since scoring a career-high 27 in a home-court victory over Connecticut on Jan. 16.

TIP-INS

1. Tulsa sophomore G Darien Jackson scored a career-high 10 points on Thursday and is 11-of-19 from the floor in league play.

2. Brooks has 178 career 3-pointers and needs six to move from seventh to fifth on Houston’s all-time list.

3. The Cougars lead the American in rebounding margin (plus-7.3) and the Golden Hurricane is last (minus-2.7).

PREDICTION: Houston 76, Tulsa 68