Tulsa's Jerome Jordan ranks sixth nationally with an average of 3.6 blocked shots. |
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TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE FOR TULSA-UTAH GAME
March 22, 2008
Tulsa, Oklahoma - Tulsa and Utah will face-off in the second round of the College Basketball Invitational on Monday night. The game will tip-off at 8:03 pm at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Tulsa is coming off a first round win over Miami of Ohio, 61-45, while the Utes won its first round game on the road with an 81-69 victory over UTEP, Tulsa's fellow Conference USA member, on Wednesday night.
Tickets for the game are available online at www.tulsahurricane.com. The Reynolds Center ticket office will be open on Monday beginning at 8:30 am. Fans can stop by the ticket office or call 918-631-GoTU (4688) to purchase tickets. Gates open at 6:30 pm.
Ticket prices are $20 per seat in the lower bowl, $15 per seat (lower bowl behind west basket and in upper level sides of the court), $10 (upper level corners) and $5 per seat in section 111. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $5.00 off either the $10, $15 and $20 ticket price. All seats are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The Hurricane has posted a 21-13 overall record this season and has won 11 of its last 14 games. Utah has an 18-14 mark and a 5-8 road record. The Utes have road victories over Weber State, Cal, Colorado State, Air Force and UTEP, while losing two games in overtime and by two points against Gonzaga.
The game will feature two solid defensive teams and a match-up between seven-footers. Utah's 7-1 center Luke Nevill leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 15.3 and 6.7 averages, despite coming off the bench for the Utes. Tulsa's seven-footer Jerome Jordan averages 10.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and ranks sixth in the country in blocked shots with an average of 3.6 per game. In Tulsa's last 10 contests, Jordan has averaged 13.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.4 blocks, while shooting 64-percent from the field.
Defensively, Tulsa has held eight opponents to under 54 points, while six for the Utes. Tulsa has held its opponents to 40-percent shooting from the field, while Utah has held its opposition to 42-percent.
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The Utes have three players shooting better than 40-percent from three-point range. Guard Johnnie Bryant, who also comes off the bench, chips in with a 14.0 scoring average, while he shoots 49-percent from the field and 44-percent from three-point range. Fellow guard Lawrence Borha drops in 45-percent of his trey attempts while averaging 7.7 points. Tyler Kepkay also shoots better than 40-percent from three-point range for the Utes.
Tulsa senior Brett McDade turned in his second 20-point scoring game against Miami on Wednesday night, averages 8.0 points and a team-leading 3.1 assists. Sophomore Ben Uzoh is Tulsa's leading scorer with a 15.3 average, while shooting 49-percent from the field and 37-percent from three-point range.
Utah and Tulsa were former members together in the Western Athletic Conference.
The Utes have a 4-1 series advantage over the Hurricane. Tulsa won the first meeting in 1953 in Tulsa, but Utah has won the last four contests. The last time Utah came to Tulsa it was as the nation's fifth-ranked team and the Utes captured a 56-54 win at the Tulsa Convention Center on Feb. 22, 1997.
The winner will advance to Wednesday's semifinal round. Other games tonight feature Valparaiso at Houston, Ohio at Bradley and Old Dominion at Virginia.
