Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Record: 20-11 (12-6 American Athletic Conference)
Head Coach: Frank Haith (2nd season)
Season Recap: Tulsa had a very tumultuous season prior to becoming the last team in for this year’s tournament. With an out-of-conference win against a struggling Oklahoma State team as their best nonconference resume booster, the Golden Hurricane did not seem to impress too many outside of the selection committee that expected Monmouth, Saint Mary’s or St. Bonaventure to snag the final spot in the field of 68. Tough losses against South Carolina, Little Rock and Oral Roberts were blemishes on Tulsa’s resume, but its conference wins against Connecticut, Southern Methodist and Temple helped Haith’s squad bolster early-season mishaps.
After grabbing the third seed in the AAC tournament, the Golden Hurricane squandered their chances of capturing the postseason title and an automatic bid by getting blown out of the gym by Memphis in the quarterfinals 89-67—a glaring loss with Selection Sunday on the horizon. But despite the seemingly weaker resume than some bubble teams, Tulsa grabbed a No. 11 seed showdown against Michigan in one of the First Four games, seeking the right to play against No. 6 Notre Dame in the East region.
Guards James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison lead the way for the Golden Hurricane with 15.6 and 14.8 points per game, respectively. Despite playing on the perimeter, Harrison boasts a team-high 5.5 rebounds per game, with Woodard close behind with 5.2, for a team that is minus-1.9 in rebounding margin this season.
How they make a run: Haith’s squad shakes off the Tigers' haymaker from the AAC quarterfinals and pushes a struggling Wolverine squad to the brink with a burst of offensive firepower from Woodard and Harrison. Due to lack of defensive prowess—basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy has Mike Brey’s squad ranked 172nd in adjusted defense this season—Notre Dame cannot contain Tulsa’s guards on the perimeter and the Golden Hurricane squeak into a second round matchup with third-seeded West Virginia.
How they falter: After suffering a devastating loss to Memphis, Tulsa cannot get off the mat and its struggling defense—Pomeroy has them ranked 84th in the nation—prevents them from making it into the first round, with Michigan’s adjusted offense storming in at the 35th spot on Pomeroy’s metric.
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