The University of Tulsa has one game remaining in the regular season, and it could not be much bigger.
At 2 p.m. Sunday, the Golden Hurricane visits No. 22 SMU to determine the champion of the American Athletic Conference. Each team enters with a 14-3 record in league play.
?It?s a great opportunity for our guys and a great opportunity for our program,? first-year coach Frank Haith said. ?We know it?s going to be a tall task, but we want to embrace the opportunity and go out there and play as hard as we can and give ourselves a chance.?
Additionally, the outcome will dramatically affect TU?s NCAA Tournament chances. A loss would create a less-than-ideal scenario, requiring at least two victories in the conference tournament to secure an at-large bid and perhaps even a win in the championship game to become the automatic qualifier from the American.
No pressure, right?
?That?s why we?re all in this deal,? Haith said. ?I want to play against the best and I want to compete against the best. I know as a coach, competing against coach (Larry) Brown is a great opportunity. I know our players feel the same way.?
The Hurricane was in similar must-win situations last season, when it caught fire late in the year and recorded eight consecutive victories to win a share of the Conference USA championship, then knocked off three straight teams in the league tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
?Going in there and just playing to win, we know what?s at stake and we?re one step closer to our goal,? junior guard James Woodard said. ?We just have to take that step forward and get it done.?
When assessing TU, the Mustangs? Brown said: ?(Shaquille) Harrison, I think, is one of the more underrated kids in the country. Then (Rashad) Ray has come in and has given them great minutes off the bench and outside shooting, which some people questioned.
?Then you?ve got Woodard, who can make shots. (Rashad) Smith, I think, is really a versatile, multi-talented kind of kid. I love their team.?
When the American?s top two teams collided Feb. 7 in Tulsa, the game was tied with 12 minutes left before the Mustangs rattled off a 15-0 run and took home a 68-57 victory that ended the Hurricane?s 12-game winning streak and a 21-game streak against conference opponents dating to last season.
?Going back and looking at that ballgame ... we didn?t take good shots,? Haith said. ?We weren?t attacking. ... We?ve got to be aggressive in what we do. Everything we do, we?ve got to do with aggression. We can?t do it passive or tentative.?
The Hurricane squandered a significant opportunity against Cincinnati on Wednesday, failing to secure a win that would have resulted in at least a share of the conference title and would have improved TU?s NCAA Tournament resume.
That loss took TU out of most of the experts? brackets and onto lists of ?first four out.?
?They?re not going to keep us out if we win this league,? Haith said. ? ... As long as we have games left on our schedule, we have an opportunity.?
At 2 p.m. Sunday, the Golden Hurricane visits No. 22 SMU to determine the champion of the American Athletic Conference. Each team enters with a 14-3 record in league play.
?It?s a great opportunity for our guys and a great opportunity for our program,? first-year coach Frank Haith said. ?We know it?s going to be a tall task, but we want to embrace the opportunity and go out there and play as hard as we can and give ourselves a chance.?
Additionally, the outcome will dramatically affect TU?s NCAA Tournament chances. A loss would create a less-than-ideal scenario, requiring at least two victories in the conference tournament to secure an at-large bid and perhaps even a win in the championship game to become the automatic qualifier from the American.
No pressure, right?
?That?s why we?re all in this deal,? Haith said. ?I want to play against the best and I want to compete against the best. I know as a coach, competing against coach (Larry) Brown is a great opportunity. I know our players feel the same way.?
The Hurricane was in similar must-win situations last season, when it caught fire late in the year and recorded eight consecutive victories to win a share of the Conference USA championship, then knocked off three straight teams in the league tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
?Going in there and just playing to win, we know what?s at stake and we?re one step closer to our goal,? junior guard James Woodard said. ?We just have to take that step forward and get it done.?
When assessing TU, the Mustangs? Brown said: ?(Shaquille) Harrison, I think, is one of the more underrated kids in the country. Then (Rashad) Ray has come in and has given them great minutes off the bench and outside shooting, which some people questioned.
?Then you?ve got Woodard, who can make shots. (Rashad) Smith, I think, is really a versatile, multi-talented kind of kid. I love their team.?
When the American?s top two teams collided Feb. 7 in Tulsa, the game was tied with 12 minutes left before the Mustangs rattled off a 15-0 run and took home a 68-57 victory that ended the Hurricane?s 12-game winning streak and a 21-game streak against conference opponents dating to last season.
?Going back and looking at that ballgame ... we didn?t take good shots,? Haith said. ?We weren?t attacking. ... We?ve got to be aggressive in what we do. Everything we do, we?ve got to do with aggression. We can?t do it passive or tentative.?
The Hurricane squandered a significant opportunity against Cincinnati on Wednesday, failing to secure a win that would have resulted in at least a share of the conference title and would have improved TU?s NCAA Tournament resume.
That loss took TU out of most of the experts? brackets and onto lists of ?first four out.?
?They?re not going to keep us out if we win this league,? Haith said. ? ... As long as we have games left on our schedule, we have an opportunity.?
