By: Jeremy Ballard, Asst. Coach - Tulsa
Entering this past week, The University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane faced two challenging road contests versus UAB and Central Florida. We entered the week with a 16-3 overall record and an unblemished 5-0 Conference record. Our last loss had been before Christmas and we were riding a seven game win streak going into Wednesday night's contest against UAB. In the previous two seasons, we have had some classic match-ups with the Blazers from Birmingham.
Due to an unbalanced Conference USA schedule, UAB is one of four conference teams that we only play once in the regular season. Uniquely, Tulsa and UAB have faced off in the last two Conference-USA tournaments as well. Two seasons ago, UAB beat us in a hotly contested game on their home court in which they pulled away at the end of the game. This was only a precursor to the Conference USA Tournament Quarterfinal game in which Tulsa pulled off an upset over #2 seeded UAB in an overtime thriller at the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. Last season's regular season game proved to be just as exciting, as Jerome Jordan hit a game winning shot that seemed to dance on the rim for an eternity before finally dropping through the net as time expired. As fate would have it, Tulsa and UAB would meet yet again in the Conference Tournament with Tulsa eliminating the Blazers in a 70-67 game that also went down to the wire.
The mere recent history between Tulsa and UAB made for an intriguing match-up, but because of the success both teams have experienced thus far this season, there was even more at stake. Head Coach Mike Davis and the coaching staff at UAB have done a remarkable job this season with their team. Despite the graduation of three All-Conference players, UAB had proceeded to reel off an impressive 16-2 record while compiling a 5-0 Conference mark. They also entered the week by deservedly being voted into the AP Top 25. We entered the game not only knowing how much the first place battle obviously meant in the Conference standings, but also the impact it could have on both teams' NCAA Tournament aspirations.
UAB is a well-coached, disciplined and talented team and our staff worked hard in preparation for a game that we knew would prove to be even more difficult in front of their raucous home crowd. The energy in the building was apparent during pre-game warm-ups and UAB started the game in a frenzy. They did an excellent job of making shots and forcing us into turnovers while building a first half lead that swelled as high as 18 points. We entered the halftime locker room a little stunned by our first half performance, but took confidence in the fact that we had just beaten our cross-town rival Oral Roberts in a road game in which we trailed by as many as 17 points. The Golden Hurricane once again showed their resiliency by not only whittling away at UAB's large lead but actually taking the lead twice before running out of gas and losing by 10 points. It was a hard fought game, in which we learned a lot about ourselves and what we need to do in order to finish 1st in Conference USA. There was also the lingering suspicion that Tulsa and UAB would meet for yet another rematch in this season's Conference USA Tournament in Tulsa.
While the yearly trip to Central Florida has not been enjoyable the last two seasons due to a triple overtime loss two years ago and a buzzer-beating loss last year, the oncoming snow and ice storm made the trip a little more unusual. The weather and the ensuing campus wide cancelling of a day and a half of classes provided our team the opportunity to arrive to Orlando a day early for the game. While enjoying the sunshine, our coaching staff and players worked diligently to prepare ourselves for another difficult road game in front of a hostile crowd. Our team generally arrives the night before the game and then goes to the road team's court to conduct a "Shoot Around". These "Shoot Arounds" provide our players the opportunity to get familiar with the court and surroundings and to become accustomed to shooting on the opposing team's baskets. It is usually a brisk, high-spirited work out that is enjoyable yet very important to the psyche of our players.
Arriving to Orlando a day early also allowed us to practice twice in Central Florida's practice gym and helped us become very familiar with a setting that we normally only see once a year. Our players enjoyed the extra time in Orlando's lovely climate while maintaining a razor-sharp mental and physical focus that allowed us to prepare for a tough game. Our players came out strong against a very game Central Florida squad that is not only well-coached with a lot of young talent, but was also hungry for a win. It was a close game throughout, but our players were able to snap a four game losing streak on Central Florida's home court, 55-50. With UAB falling to UTEP in double overtime, Tulsa enters this week and the month of February in a three-way tie for first place with UTEP and UAB.
The final month of the season should be exciting and I look forward to keeping you up to date on all of the action!