Season Highs:
The team found their footing under Haith’s new system right as conference play was beginning. The result? A 12-game win streak that propelled them into first place in the conference with a 10–0 start in the conference.
Despite not finishing first place in the conference, Tulsa still finished second with a 14–4 record and advanced to the semifinal of the American Athletic Conference tournament, where they fell to the host UConn Huskies, who rode a home crowd to make a late comeback.
When the defending national champion Huskies travelled to Tulsa to play the Golden Hurricane, the student section set an attendance record of 957.
Junior James Woodard passed the 1,000 point mark for his career in a big win against a Creighton team that was ranked the week before facing Tulsa.
Woodard and junior Shaquille Harrison earned American Athletic All-Conference honors for their play this season.
Season Lows:
Included in the lows of the season are three losses in particular: first versus in-town rival Oral Roberts, a mediocre team that finished 19–15 this season.
Second, a loss to Southeastern Oklahoma State in which the Golden Hurricane fell behind early and couldn’t complete their comeback in time. The last bad loss came when Tulsa travelled to Connecticut to play the Huskies and were blown out 70–45.
The biggest low of the season came on selection day, when Tulsa wasn’t selected for the field of 68 to be in the NCAA tournament.
Despite a ten game win-streak and a strong performance overall this season, the Golden Hurricane were not able to gain as much respect from the selection committee as they should have and ended up falling short of the field.
Notes:
Some might say that the season-ending loss to Murray State was a low point of the season. However, the Racers presented a bad matchup for the Golden Hurricane and should have been in the NCAA tournament in the first place.
They won 25 consecutive games this season, including a perfect 16–0 record in their conference, the Ohio Valley Conference. A buzzer beater in the OVC kept them from competing in the NCAA tournament, and the Golden Hurricane ended up having a matchup against a hot Racers squad with something to prove.
What to look forward to: The 2014–2015 Golden Hurricane team featured no seniors; the core of the team came from the 10 juniors on the lineup.
As a result, the whole team will be returning next year with another year of experience and a year of learning how to play within Haith’s system.
The returning players leave much promise for another strong season to be had next year.
