2020–21 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball team

2020–21 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record11–12 (7–9 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaReynolds Center
Seasons
2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Wichita State 11 – 2   .846 16 – 6   .727
No. 6 Houston † 14 – 3   .824 28 – 4   .875
Memphis 11 – 4   .733 20 – 8   .714
SMU 7 – 4   .636 11 – 6   .647
Cincinnati 8 – 6   .571 12 – 11   .522
UCF 8 – 10   .444 11 – 12   .478
Tulsa 7 – 9   .438 11 – 12   .478
South Florida 4 – 10   .286 9 – 13   .409
Temple 4 – 10   .286 5 – 11   .313
Tulane 4 – 12   .250 10 – 13   .435
East Carolina 2 – 10   .167 8 – 11   .421
† 2021 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball team represented the University of Tulsa during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Hurricane, led by seventh-year head coach Frank Haith, played their home games at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma as members of the American Athletic Conference.[1] They finished the season 11-12, 7-9 in AAC Play to finish in 7th place. They lost in the first round of the AAC tournament to Tulane.

Previous season

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The Golden Hurricane finished the 2019–20 season 21–10, 13–5 in AAC play to finish in a three-way tie for first place. Frank Haith was named AAC Coach of the Year for the season. Due to tiebreaking rules, they received the No. 3 seed in the AAC tournament, which was canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.[2] Shortly thereafter, the NCAA tournament and all postseason tournaments were canceled, effectively ending Tulsa's season.[3]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Martins Igbanu 1 F 6'8" 235 Senior Lagos, Nigeria Graduated
Isaiah Hill 4 G 6'0" 165 Freshman Bakersfield, CA Transferred to Fresno State.[4]
Lawson Korita 5 G 6'5" 205 Senior Little Rock, AR Graduated
Reggie Jones 22 G 6'6" 210 Sophomore Marion, IN Transferred to Ball State.[5]
Jeriah Horne 41 F 6'7" 222 RS Junior Overland Park, KS Graduate transferred to Colorado.[6]

Incoming transfers

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Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Rey Idowu F 6'9" 240 Junior Melbourne, FL Transferred from Illinois State. Idowu was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[7]
Austin Richie F 6'6" 225 Junior Glenwood, IL Junior college transferred from Triton College.[7]

2020 recruiting class

[edit]
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keshawn Williams
PG 		Chicago, Illinois Bloom High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Oct 22, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Peyton Urbancic
SG 		Naples, Florida First Baptist Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Feb 27, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Christian Shumate
SF 		Chicago Heights, Illinois Bloom High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Apr 17, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Bradley Alcime
F 		Fort Lauderdale, Florida Archbishop McCarthy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jul 9, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Tulsa 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.
  • "2020 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com.

Tulsa will also add Preferred Walk-on Ari Seals a 6'3" guard from Frisco High School in Frisco, Texas. Seals is the son of current Tulsa assistant Shea Seals.

2021 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Gavyn Elkamil
CG 		Branson, Missouri Link Year Prep 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Aug 10, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Preseason

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AAC preseason media poll

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On October 28, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[8]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Houston 99 (2)
2 Memphis 90 (2)
3 SMU 80
4 Cincinnati 77
5 South Florida 61
6 Tulsa 50
7 Wichita State 44
8 UCF 37
9 East Carolina 34
10 Temple 18
11 Tulane 15

Preseason Awards

[edit]
  • All-AAC First Team – Brandon Rachal

Roster

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2020–21 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Curtis Haywood II 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 198 lb (90 kg) RS Jr Brewster Academy
Georgia Tech 		Oklahoma City, OK
G 1 Brandon Rachal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Sr Natchitoches Central HS
LSU
Pearl River CC 		Natchitoches, LA
G 2 Keyshawn Embery-Simpson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 193 lb (88 kg) RS So Midwest City HS
Arkansas 		Midwest City, OK
G 3 Elijah Joiner 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 201 lb (91 kg) Sr Curie Metropolitan HS Chicago, IL
G 4 Keshawn Williams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 177 lb (80 kg) Fr Bloom HS Chicago, IL
G 5 Peyton Urbancic 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 199 lb (90 kg) Fr First Baptist Academy Naples, FL
G 10 Ryan Gendron (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 204 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Bishop Kelley HS
Oklahoma State 		Tulsa, OK
G 11 Darien Jackson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Sr Blue Valley Northwest HS Overland Park, KS
C 12 Emmanuel Ugboh 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 247 lb (112 kg) Sr Quality Education Academy
Iowa Western CC 		Lagos, Nigeria
F 13 Bradley Alcime 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 216 lb (98 kg) Fr Archbishop McCarthy Fort Lauderdale, FL
F 15 Josh Earley 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 242 lb (110 kg) So Bishop Miege HS Shawnee Mission, KS
G 22 Christian Shumate 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 202 lb (92 kg) Fr Bloom HS Chicago Heights, IL
G 23 Ari Seals (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 171 lb (78 kg) Fr Frisco HS Frisco, TX
F 25 Rey Idowu 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 243 lb (110 kg) Jr Clearwater Academy
Illinois State 		Melbourne, FL
G/F 32 Austin Richie 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 226 lb (103 kg) Jr Bloom HS
Northern Illinois
Triton College 		Glenwood, IL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: July 19, 2020

Schedule and results

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COVID-19 impact

[edit]
Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Golden Hurricane's schedule is subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.

Tulsa announced that home games for the first month of the season would be played in front of no fans.[13]

Schedule

[edit]
Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 28, 2020*
6:30 pm, ESPN3 		vs. TCU
Hall of Fame Classic Semifinals 		L 65–71  0–1
  19 – Rachal   8 – Rachal   5 – Joiner  T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
November 29, 2020*
1:00 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. South Carolina
Hall of Fame Classic third-place game 		L 58–69  0–2
  14 – Rachal   7 – Joiner   4 – Jackson  T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
December 4, 2020*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		UT Arlington W 79–64  1–2
  19 – Rachal   9 – Jackson   5 – Haywood II  Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
December 8, 2020*
6:00 p.m. 		Arkansas Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[13] Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
December 12, 2020*
2:00 p.m. 		at Oral Roberts Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[13] Mabee Center 
Tulsa, OK
December 15, 2020
6:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Wichita State
Rivalry 		L 65–69  1–3
(0–1) 		 17 – Rachal   11 – Rachal   5 – Joiner  Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
December 18, 2020*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Northwestern State W 82–55  2–3
  19 – Richie   8 – Idowu   5 – Williams  Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
December 21, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Memphis W 56–49  3–3
(1–1) 		 14 – Richie   7 – Rachal   6 – Joiner  FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
December 23, 2020*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Southwestern Christian W 102–45  4–3
  20 – Williams   10 – Rachal   9 – Williams  Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
December 29, 2020
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 5 Houston W 65–64  5–3
(2–1) 		 20 – Rachal   7 – Rachal   4 – Joiner  Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
January 2, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Cincinnati W 70–66  6–3
(3–1) 		 25 – Rachal   13 – Rachal   4 – Joiner  Fifth Third Arena (300)
Cincinnati, OH
January 6, 2021
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at South Florida W 61–51  7–3
(4–1) 		 15 – Rachal   7 – Joiner   6 – Joiner  Yuengling Center 
Tampa, FL
January 13, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Wichita State
rivalry 		L 53–72  7–4
(4–2) 		 12 – Jackson   9 – Jackson   3 – Tied  Charles Koch Arena (2,048)
Wichita, KS
January 17, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Memphis W 58–57  8–4
(5–2) 		 14 – Joiner   5 – Joiner   2 – Tied  Reynolds Center (100)
Tulsa, OK
January 20, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at No. 8 Houston L 59–86  8–5
(5–3) 		 18 – Rachal   5 – Haywood II   3 – Tied  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
January 23, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Tulane Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[14] Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
January 26, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Temple
Previously scheduled for Mar. 2 		L 67–76  8–6
(5–4) 		 20 – Idowu   4 – Tied   4 – Rachal  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
January 30, 2021
11:00 a.m., ESPN+ 		at East Carolina W 77–68  9–6
(6–4) 		 21 – Rachal   10 – Rachal   4 – Jackson  Williams Arena (82)
Greenville, NC
February 3, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		South Florida Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[15] Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
February 3, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		SMU
Previously scheduled for Feb. 13 		L 63–65  9–7
(6–5) 		 18 – Haywood II   5 – Tied   3 – Tied  Reynolds Center (100)
Tulsa, OK
February 6, 2021
11:00 a.m., ESPN2 		UCF L 58–65  9–8
(6–6) 		 14 – Joiner   8 – Rachal   5 – Joiner  Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
February 10, 2021
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Tulane L 48–58  9–9
(6–7) 		 14 – Rachal   10 – Rachal   6 – Haywood II  Reynolds Center (100)
Tulsa, OK
February 16, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Temple W 72–66  10–9
(7–7) 		 17 – Joiner   7 – Jackson   4 – Haywood II  Reynolds Center (100)
Tulsa, OK
February 24, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Cincinnati L 69–70  10–10
(7–8) 		 22 – Joiner   12 – Rachal   4 – Joiner  Reynolds Center (100)
Tulsa, OK
February 27, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		East Carolina Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[16] Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
March 2, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at UCF
Previously scheduled for Jan. 9 		L 69–73  10–11
(7–9) 		 16 – Rachal   9 – Rachal   7 – Joiner  Addition Financial Arena (1,309)
Orlando, FL
March 4, 2021*
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Northeastern State W 107–74  11–11
  18 – Rachal   6 – Tied   7 – Jackson  Reynolds Center (100)
Tulsa, OK
March 7, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at SMU Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues[17] Moody Coliseum 
University Park, TX
American Conference tournament
March 11, 2021
2:00 pm, ESPNU 		(7) vs. (10) Tulane
First round 		L 70–77  11–12
  21 – Rachal   14 – Rachal   12 – Joiner  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Awards and honors

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American Athletic Conference honors

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All-AAC Awards

[edit]
  • Sixth Man of the Year: Darien Jackson

All-AAC Second Team

[edit]
  • Brandon Rachal

Source[18]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "#105 Tulsa Men's Basketball 2019–2020 Preview". www.collegesportsmadness.com. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "2020 AAC Tournament canceled Thursday amid coronavirus pandemic concerns". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  3. ^ "NCAA tournaments canceled over coronavirus". ESPN.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Moore, Jackson (March 31, 2020). "Bakersfield star Isaiah Hill transferring home to Fresno State". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  5. ^ Tribune sports staff (April 20, 2020). "Ball State men's basketball adds 2 transfers". Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved April 15, 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ Snow, Brian (April 9, 2020). "Colorado lands graduate transfer Jeriah Horne". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Tulsa's Frank Haith Adds Three Student-Athletes to Basketball Signing Class". tulsahurricane.com. April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  8. ^ "Houston Tabbed as 2020–21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "Tulsa Hosts Southwestern Christian Wednesday". tulsahurricane.com. Tulsa Athletics. December 22, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. January 27, 2021.
  11. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. February 3, 2021.
  12. ^ Hines, Kelly (February 26, 2021). "TU adds nonconference home game against NSU". tulsaworld.com. Tulsa World. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Hines, Kelly (December 7, 2020). "TU basketball postpones two games after positive COVID-19 test". tulsaworld.com. Tulsa World. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  14. ^ "Tulane-Tulsa Game Scheduled for Jan. 23 Postponed". theamerican.org. January 22, 2021.
  15. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. January 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. February 22, 2021.
  17. ^ "The American Announces Changes to Final Weekend of Regular Season". theamerican.org. March 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
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