Tulsa looked to avenge a loss at Cincinnati earlier in the season when the Bearcats visited Tulsa.
In the first half, the Bearcats took control. They led throughout, though they couldn’t pull away for a commanding lead. The Golden Hurricane struggled shooting early on, but managed to stay in the game. When James Woodard scored an incredible full-court shot at the buzzer, Tulsa only faced a five point deficit at the halftime break.
The second half started with a small Tulsa run, giving the Hurricane a one-point lead. From that point, the teams traded the lead several times, as neither was able to take command. Cincinnati managed to score with a single second remaining on the clock, to tie the game at 62.
The overtime period was just as tightly contested as the rest of the game, and Tulsa was able to pull out the 70–68 OT victory.
Pat Birt had a great performance against UCF in Tulsa’s second game of the week. He scored 26, as the Golden Hurricane defeated the Knights.
The first half greatly favored Tulsa, as they took advantage of a few runs to take a double digit advantage at halftime, 36–22.
UCF played better in the second half, but they weren’t able to cut the deficit enough to make the comeback enough to scare the Golden Hurricane. The final score ended 75-67 with Tulsa winning.
Tulsa now owns a record of 18–9 (10–5 American Athletic Conference), good for a tie with Cincinnati for third place in the conference. In the latest “Bracketology” by ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi, Tulsa is in the “Next Four Out” spot. This means he predicts them to be very close to making the tournament, but not quite getting there. Three games and the conference tournament remain between Tulsa and decision day. If they win out and perform well in the conference tournament, they could convince the selection committee they are deserving of an at-large bid.
