Thank you so much for joining us tonight here at VAVEL USA. My name is Matthew Evans and I will be back for tomorrow morning's United States Women's National Team Live against France. Join me bright and early for that one.
Another player that needs to mentioned is Yanick Moreira who finished with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The VAVEL USA Player of the Game is SMU guard Nic Moore. Moore finished with 23 points and 7 assists in the big win over Tulsa.
FINAL SCORE: SMU 68, Tulsa 57
2nd (0:00): Woodard hits a three at the buzzer. SMU 68-57
2nd (0:05): SMU Shot clock violation.
2nd (0:40): Harrison misses a three and SMU is winding down the clock.
2nd (0:54): A three point effort is misses and that will do it. Yanick Moreira to the line. The first shot is good, the second shot is good. SMU 68-54
2nd (1:07): Tulsa fouls Sterling Brown, he is a 74% free throw shooter. The first shot is good. The second shot is good. SMU 66-54
2nd (1:15): Shaq Harrison sinks a three on the other end and we have a 10 point game. SMU 64-54
2nd (1:25): A quick foul on Ryan Manuel who misses the front end of the one-and-one
2nd (1:28): Marquel Curtis nails a three pointer but that is likely too little too late. SMU 64-51
2nd (1:35): Nic Moore is fouled again and he will go back to the line. The first shot is good. The second shot is good. SMU 64-48
2nd (1:50): Moore hits the first technical free throw. He also makes the second. SMU 62-48. The Mustangs keep possession.
2nd (1:55): Harrison misses the layup on the drive to the bucket. Nic Moore is fouled by Rashad Smith, Rashad Ray is called for a technical foul.
2nd (2:13): Nic Moore with the floater that hangs on the rim before falling down. What a roll. SMU 60-48
2nd (2:19): Tulsa's defense is playing well, they need someone to step up on offense.
2nd (2:46): Woodard misses a wide-open three point attempt on the fast break.
2nd (3:24): The first shot is good. The second attempt is good. SMU 58-48
Media Timeout: SMU 58, Tulsa 46
2nd (3:24): Harrison steals the ball after a missed shot from Smith. He is fouled as he goes for an easy basket. He will get two free throws after the media timeout.
2nd (4:07): Harrison misses his first attempt. The second attempt is good. SMU 58-46
2nd (4:07): Tulsa with a big defensive stop. Harrison is fouled on the drive, it is the fifth foul on Kennedy. Two free throws coming for Tulsa.
2nd (4:36): A floater is no good. Swanegan gets the rebound but is fouled on his shot attempt. The first free throw is good, the second free throw is good. SMU 58-45
2nd (5:18): Moreira is the one with the jam on this possession and it is a 15-0 run for SMU. SMU 58-43
2nd (6:15): Woodard with a poor shot choice on the step-back three pointer. SMU is holding the ball lulling the defense to sleep as Cunningham slams home a wide-open dunk. SMU 56-43
Media Timeout: SMU 54, Tulsa 43
2nd (7:00): Rashad Ray finds himself open from distance but he cannot hit the shot. A foul is called on Tulsa which brings us to the media timeout.
2nd (7:30): NIC MOORE FOR THREE!!!! Moore lines a long shot up and he sinks it. SMU 54-43
2nd (8:33): The shot is missed, D'Andre Wright gets the offensive board but cannot get the shot to fall. Nic Moore sinks a shot on the other end. SMU 51-43
2nd (8:33): A big call as Markus Kennedy is called for his fourth foul. That will send Tulsa to the line for the one-and-one
2nd (9:21): Cunningham nails another jumper from 17 feet. SMU 49-43
2nd (9:41): Harrison misses the drive, the ball falls on the floor and a mad scramble ensues. The possession arrow favors SMU.
2nd (10:30): Cunningham again with the inside position on the offensive glass and the put back. SMU 47-43
2nd (10:52): Shaq Harrison looked to tie the game but he was called for a travel.
2nd (11:25): Cunningham gets beneath the pressure and puts the shot down. SMU 45-43
Media Timeout: SMU 43, Tulsa 43
2nd (11:55): Rashad Smith with a fade away off the glass and we are tied! 43-43
2nd (12:19): Marquel Curtis goes to the line after a blocking foul. The first shot is good. The second shot is good. SMU 43-41
2nd (13:15): Marquel Curtis with the coast-to-coast rebound into a lay up to bring the crowd to life. OH! Ben Moore quiets them back with a long jumper. SMU 43-39
2nd (14:07): A bad miss from Brandon Swanegan who has a free look at the bucket but missed the put back.
2nd (15:21): Sterling Brown converts on his third attempt at a put-back. Rashad Ray answers with a three on the other end. SMU 41-37
Media Timeout: SMU 39, Tulsa 34
2nd (15:45): Moreira with two great plays on both ends of the court. His block on the defensive end led to a fast break which he would finish after the original shot was missed. SMU 39-34
2nd (16:45): Shaq Harrison muscles inside to clean the offensive glass and put the rebound in for two. SMU 37-34
2nd (17:52): What a move by Moreira on the drive. He fools the defender out of his shorts before hitting the short jumper. SMU 37-32
2nd (18:13): D'Andre Wright earns another couple of foul shots on the drive to the bucket. The first shot is good. The second is also good. SMU 35-32
2nd (18:42): Tulsa goes back to the low post. D'Andre Wright earns foul shots, the first is good. The second is good. SMU 35-30
2nd (19:06): Nic Moore earns two free throws after being hacked on a drive to the basket in transition. He makes the first attempt and misses the second. SMU 35-28
2nd (19:28): Ben Moore is called for his third foul early in the quarter here on the drive to the bucket. Tulsa ball.
2nd (19:42): Marquel Curtis with a great play in the low post but he is called for traveling.
We are back and ready for the second half. A six-point game at halftime means we are in for a really good second half.
The impact players for Tulsa in the first half were James Woodard with 12 points. D'Andre Wright scored 6 points and added 4 rebounds.
The impact players for SMU in the first half were Nic Moore with 9 points and 5 assists. Yanick Moreira finished the half with 5 points and 6 rebounds.
HALFTIME: SMU 34, Tulsa 28
1st (0:04): ALLEY-OOP!! Nic Moore drives to the bucket and floats a ball up for Ryan Manuel to slam with two hands! SMU 34-28.
1st (0:24): Marquel Curtis cannot get a shot off before the shot clock expires. That is the sixth turnover on the night for Tulsa. SMU will likely have the last possession here in the first half.
1st (1:00): Sterling Brown hits both of his free throws. SMU 32-28
1st (1:39): Ben Moore finds the right position in the 2-3 zone and sinks a shot. OH! WHAT A DUNK! Marquel Curtis with a big slam to keep the margin at 2. SMU 30-28
1st (2:00): Smith makes the front end to earn the second shot. That shot is made. SMU 28-26
1st (2:02): Curtis misses the one-and-one but Rashad Smith grabs the offensive board before being fouled. He'll go to the line.
Media Timeout: SMU 28, Tulsa 24
1st (2:02): Sloppy possessions on each end result in turnovers galore. A blocking foul called on Nic Moore is what sends us to the under four timeout.
1st (2:49): Woodard had a chance to bring the difference to one but he cannot hit the wide-open three.
1st (3:35): SLAM! Yanick Moreira with a follow-up jam but Woodard hits a three on the other end to keep the margin close. SMU 28-24
1st (4:49): Nic Moore sinks a three after some great passing from the big men inside. SMU 26-21
1st (5:35): James Woodard dribbles his way to the top of the key, he steps back and buries a three. SMU 23-21
1st (6:06): A poor shot choice from D'Andre Wright but he is bailed out by another SMU turnover on the other end.
1st (6:30): Moreira converts down low on the feed from Nic Moore. SMU 23-18
Goodness me, Tulsa has 8 juniors and 0 seniors on the roster. Imagine how good they will be next year.
Cannen Cunningham came into the game averaging 5.5 points per game. He has 8 points so far.
Media Timeout: SMU 21, Tulsa 18.
1st (7:41): Moore with the steal, he feeds Cunningham for the easy layup. SMU 21-18.
1st (8:01): Nic Moore earns free throws but can only make one. SMU 19-18
1st (8:33): Nic Moore makes a great cut to clear space for Cunningham to sink another long jumper. Rashad Ray makes a lay-up on the other end to keep the game tied. 18-18
1st (8:51): Another turnover as D'Andre Wright travels on his way to the hoop. 16-16.
1st (9:09): The teams exchange missed shots, a foul is called on SMU.
1st (9:34): Kennedy makes a power move to the buckey but cannot hit the floater.
1st (10:02): D'Andre Wright sinks a triple! The big man from downtown! 16-16
1st (10:45): JAM! D'Andre Wright gets inside positioning on the inbounds play. SMU 16-13
1st (10:47): Dew makes a drive to the bucket but he is blocked by Cunningham in the post.
1st (11:28): Keondre Dew in the right place at the right time. He gets on the scoresheet. Cunningham responds on the other end. SMU 16-11
1st (11:55): The free throw is no good.
Media Timeout: SMU 14, Tulsa 9
1st (11:55): Markus Kennedy finishes off balanced and earns a trip to the stripe for his troubles. He will get a free throw after the media timeout. SMU 14-9
1st (12:22): Tulsa with another big turnover on the fast break as James Woodard traveled.
1st (12:55): Markus Kennedy with a beatiful pass that is easily scored. James Woodard sinks a three on the other end. SMU 12-9
1st (13:13): BLOCK! Cannen Cunningham with a blocked shot on the defensive end as Brandon Swanegan looked to have an easy bucket.
1st (13:51): Cannen Cunningham sinks a sweet jumper from the top of the key. SMU 10-6
1st (14:57): Shaq Harrison with a big drive to the hoop that is swatted away. A goaltending call is whistled. SMU 8-6
1st (15:30): Moreira converts on one of two. SMU 8-4
SMU has already pulled down three offensive boards in the first four and a half minutes of the game. Tulsa may need to consider putting another forward on the floor to boost their presence in the paint.
Media Timeout: SMU 7, Tulsa 4
1st (15:44): Nic Moore misses another shot but the board is pulled down by SMU. Yanick Moreira is hacked as he goes up for a jam and he will go to the line when we come back.
1st (16:31): SMU on a 7-0 run after pulling down another big offensive board. This is a big possession for Tulsa early. SMU 7-4
1st (17:13): Yanick Moreira pulls down a big offensive board and kicks it out to Nic Moore for three! SMU 5-4
1st (17:50): Wow! An early miscommunication between guard and center turns the ball back to Tulsa. Shaq Harrison is called for an offensive foul on the little push off.
1st (18:15): A sweet shot from Nic Moore to get SMU on the board. Tulsa 4-2
1st (18:33): D'Andre Wright makes one of two free throws. Tulsa 4-0
1st (18:59): James Woodard with a straight away three. Tulsa 3-0
1st (19:29): Both teams come up short on their first possessions. Rashad Smith with an offensive board on the second Tulsa possession.
1st (20:00): Tulsa wins the tip-off and away we go.
Here we go the player intros are done and we are ready for some basketball.
And welcome into VAVEL USA's live coverage of Men's College Basketball. We are moments away from the tip-off of our game tonight between the SMU Mustangs and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
SMU Mustangs: Nic Moore, Sterling Brown, Yanick Moreira, Ryan Manuel, Ben Moore
Tulsa Golden Hurricane: D'Andre Wright, Marquel Curtis, James Woodard, Shaquille Harrison, Rashad Smith
Here are tonight's starting fives:
Just over 10 minutes to tip off. What do you think we will see tonight?
We'll see how this result changes the places of both of those schools in Monday's newest Bracketology piece.
According to the latest VAVEL Bracketology post, SMU is projected as a #6 seed in the Midwest Region squaring off with Texas. Tulsa is currently projected as a #11 seed in the West Region squaring off with Arkansas.
We are also keeping out eye on the game before ours on ESPNU. It is a big SEC game between Texas A&M and Missouri in which the Aggies lead by 14 points at the under eight media timeout in the second half.
Connecticut has taken the lead in a see-saw game with Tulane. It is 35-34 at the under 12 break.
One thing to watch for tonight will be the free throw battle. SMU leads the conference with a team percentage of 71.7%. Tulsa on the other hand is 10th out of 11 with a team percentage of 64.8%
No matter what the result tonight, Tulsa and SMU will both remain in their spots in Conference. SMU can move to within a half-game of the lead with a win.
SMU is having another great season to date, they will be rewarded with some great national exposure next Saturday. College Gameday is coming to Dallas next week ahead of the big game between the Mustangs and the Connecticut Huskies.
We will have at least one more top ten team fall tonight as #9 Louisville takes on #3 Virginia. You can follow live coverage of that game right here.
#6 Arizona and #8 Kansas both fell in tough road conference games. Arizona lost to Arizona State 81-78 while Kansas lost to Oklahoma State 67-62.
The Top 25 scoreboard features two top 10 upsets on the day.
Currently at the half, Tulane leads Connecticut 27-24.
East Carolina pulled away from Central Florida with a 67-49 win.
Temple improved to 8-3 in conference play with a 61-60 win over Memphis.
Let's take a look at the scoreboard from around the American Athletic Conference.
What should we expect from this game? A close one indeed. The last four meetings between the two schools in Tulsa have resulted in final margins of six, two, one, and three. Don’t leave early, you are bound to miss some spectacular.
He has found a happy medium since then tough averaging 14.4 points per game in the last nine with a shooting percentage of 42.5%.
December turned out to be a huge month for Shaquille Harrison who averaged 21.1 points per game over seven games including five with over 20 points. He found his shooting touch as well hitting 54-of-94 shots for a shooting percentage of 57.4%.
Shaquille Harrison has really emerged to be the second-option on offense after struggling in the first portion of the season. November was an awful month for Harrison scoring just 45 points in six games (7.5 per game) while shooting 39.4% from the floor.
James Woodard usually starts in the point guard spot but he really isn’t a ball distributor per say with only 27 assists on the season. What is he? He is a point scorer with five games of at least 20 points and only four games where he scored less than 10. He is pretty accurate from behind the arc for the amount of shots he has taken. Woodard is a 37.2% three-point shooter with 145 attempts on the year.
Tulsa is led by a two-headed backcourt monster in 6-foot-4 junior guard Shaquille Harrison out of Kansas City, MO and 6-foot-3 junior guard James Woodard out of Arcadia, OK. Both players are averaging at least 14.7 points per game with at least 30 minutes played.
The X-factor though could be 6-foot-9 junior Markus Kennedy. He has been a sparkplug off the bench for SMU after missing the first 10 games of the season. To this point, he is averaging 11.2 points per game in only 21.6 minutes per game. What factor will he play tonight?
Yanick Moreira has seen his point numbers drop a bit as a whole in the last few weeks but they have started to become more consistent than they were at the beginning of the year. Moreira would score four points one day and explode for 20 the next but since conference play has started at the end of December, he is consistently putting up somewhere between eight and 15 points per game.
In the three games since then though, Moore has struggled mightily combining for just 23 points. He has added 22 assists during that time but his poor shooting has been very evident. Moore has shot a combined 6-of-27 from the floor including 3-of-14 from three point range. Thankfully, he has been bailed out by teammates in two of those games but SMU wasn’t so lucky against Cincinnati.
The Mustangs are led by guard Nic Moore and their center Yanick Moreira. Moore leads the team averaging 14.2 points per game. He looked about ready to break out during the stretch run of the season after a season-high 28 points performance on January 24th against Houston. He hit 8-of-11 shots from behind the three-point line in the win.
If fact, since SMU lost to Arkansas back on November 25th, the Mustangs are 16-2 with both of those losses coming to Cincinnati. Their other three losses have been pretty solid as well coming away to Gonzaga and Indiana as well as at home to Arkansas.
SMU is coming off of a tough loss at home on Thursday night to the Cincinnati Bearcats by a score of 62-54. The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for the Mustangs which started after another loss to the Bearcats back on January 3rd.
Both schools are looking like they will finish in the Top 5 of the conference which will guarantee a bye in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. The four day tournament begins on Thursday, March 12th with the lower six seeds battling for a spot in the quarterfinals. The tournament is taking place at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
This is the first of two meetings during the regular season between the two schools. They will each close out their regular seasons against each other on March 8th at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas.
My name is Matthew Evans and we welcome you to today’s game taking place at the Reynolds Center on the campus of Tulsa.
Good afternoon and welcome to VAVEL USA’s live coverage of Division 1 Men’s College Basketball. Our game today is a clash between the top two programs in the American Athletic Conference. The 23rd ranked SMU Mustangs (18-5, 9-2) travel north across the Texas-Oklahoma border for a showdown with the conference leading Tulsa Golden Hurricane (17-5, 10-0).