July 1, 2002

Tulsa, Okla. - The University of Tulsa's 2002-03 men's basketball schedule features games against three teams which ranked among the top-25 teams in the nation in the final Associated Press poll last year, as announced today by TU Head Coach John Phillips. Tulsa will face #2 Kansas, #6 Gonzaga and #25 Hawaii in the 2002-03 campaign.

The Hurricane will play four games against NCAA Tournament participants from a year ago, including one game each against non-conference foes Kansas and Gonzaga and two contests against WAC opponent Hawaii. Tulsa could also face Kent State in a second round matchup at the South Padre Island Classic in November. The Hurricane will also face NIT participants Iowa once, and Fresno State and Louisiana Tech twice each.

"We have an extremely strong non-conference schedule with the likes of Arkansas, Gonzaga, Iowa, Kansas and TCU," said Phillips. "In addition, we know that our games against Oral Roberts, Southwest Missouri State and Wichita State have been extremely competitive. This is perhaps the strongest non-conference schedule that we have faced in a long time, and the Western Athletic Conference will once again be very competitive."

"Our schedule every year is becoming more and more competitive, which is a direct reflection on the success of this program over the past 10 years. That success has allowed Tulsa basketball to be looked upon as a nationally-prominent program," added Phillips.

Tulsa opens the regular season at the South Padre Classic in South Padre, Texas on Nov. 22-23. Tulsa's first-round foe is presently undetermined, but a possible matchup against Kent State looms in the four-team tournament. The Golden Flashes completed the 2002 season with a 30-6 record after advancing to the NCAA "Elite Eight", before losing to eventual national runner-up Indiana. Kent finished the season with a No. 12 national ranking in the USA Today poll

The Hurricane will continue the early schedule on the road at Arkansas on Nov. 30. Tulsa looks to avenge a 79-75 loss against the Razorbacks at home a year ago.

Tulsa opens the home season on Dec. 4, as the Wichita State Shockers visit the Reynolds Center. A year ago, Tulsa handed their old Missouri Valley Conference rival an 82-76 loss in Wichita. This matchup will be the 117th meeting between the two schools, the second-longest of any for the Hurricane. Tulsa has a 59-57 series advantage, and has won the last 12 games.

A week later, the Kansas Jayhawks make their first appearance in Tulsa since February 1954. Kansas leads the series 5-0, as the Jayhawks, ranked second nationally, handed the Hurricane a 93-85 loss in Kansas City last year. Kansas posted a 33-4 record a year ago, won the Big 12 Conference regular season title by going undefeated in league play, and advanced to the NCAA Final Four.

A road game at Southwest Missouri State on Dec. 14 comes next for the Hurricane. Tulsa has won nine of the last 10 meetings against the Bears, but SMS still holds a 17-14 edge in the series. The Bears posted a 17-15 record last season.

Tulsa begins a five-game homestand against cross-town rival Oral Roberts on Dec. 19. The last two games have gone into overtime with the Hurricane winning both contests. Tulsa won last year's game at the ORU Mabee Center, 73-66. The Hurricane has a 26-12 advantage in the series.

Two non-conference games sandwich the Christmas Holiday, as the Hurricane renews its rivalry with former WAC opponent TCU on Dec. 23, and faces Iowa of the Big 10 Conference on Dec. 28.

TCU posted a 16-15 record a year ago in its first year as members of Conference-USA. Tulsa leads the series against the Horned Frogs, 17-10. The two teams split a pair of meetings in the 2000-01 season with each team winning on its home court, including a 82-66 Tulsa victory and a 93-87 overtime victory for TCU. This will be the second meeting between Tulsa and Iowa. The Hawkeyes defeated the Hurricane, 66-65, in the championship game of the Gazette Hawkeye Invitational in December 2000.

The Hurricane opens the new year and the WAC schedule with home games against Nevada and Fresno State. The Nevada Wolfpack invade the Reynolds Center on Jan. 2, while Fresno State comes to town two nights later on Jan. 4.

Nevada was the league's most improved team a year ago with an overall 17-13 record and fifth-place finish in the WAC, and returns a veteran club for the 2002-03 season. Fresno State has become on of Tulsa's fiercest rivalries, and enters the upcoming season with a new coach. Tulsa snapped a six-game losing streak against the Bulldogs with a home victory last season, 78-63, and also captured a 16-point win in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament. Fresno State posted an overall 19-16 record a year ago.

Tulsa doesn't get any rest, as the Hurricane take a break from the early conference schedule, to face one of the nation's most underrated teams in the likes of non-conference foe Gonzaga. The Zags posted a 29-4 record last season, and finished the season ranked sixth in the AP poll and 16th in the USA Today poll. Over the past three years, the Zags' 81 wins is the third-most wins in the NCAA, trailing No. 1 Duke's 94 wins and second-place Tulsa's and Cincinnati's 85 victories.

The Hurricane returns to conference play on Jan. 11 against the Rice Owls, beginning a three-game league road swing. Tulsa won both games a year ago, and has won 10 of the 13 meetings between the two teams. UTEP (Jan. 16) and Boise State (Jan. 18) await the Hurricane. Tulsa has won all nine meetings against the Miners since becoming a league member in the 1996-97 season, while the Hurricane defeated first-year WAC member Boise State last season three times, including in the opening round of the WAC Tournament.

Following the league road swing, Tulsa returns to the Reynolds Center to face Louisiana Tech (Jan. 23) and SMU (Jan. 25). Tech compiled a 22-10 record last year, and grabbed two wins in the NIT Tournament before completing its first season as a WAC member. Tulsa won both meetings, 71-68 in Ruston, and 72-63 at home. The Mustangs finished with a 15-14 record a year ago, and placed fourth in the WAC with a 10-8 mark. The Hurricane has won 12 of the last 13 meetings between the two schools.

The west coast swing is next for the Hurricane. Tulsa's first stop will be San Jose State on Jan. 30, with a trip to defending WAC co-champions and tournament champions Hawaii (Feb. 1) awaiting a visit from the Hurricane to begin the month of February.

Tulsa has won all 14 meetings against the Spartans, but has dropped the last four meetings against the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii. When Tulsa last visited the islands, the Hurricane dropped a last second 86-85 decision to the Warriors.

Tulsa returns home for three conference games, facing Rice (Feb. 8), Boise State (Feb. 13) and UTEP (Feb. 15) for the second time on the year. Road games with SMU (Feb. 20) and Louisiana Tech (Feb. 22) will follow. A year ago, Tulsa grabbed a late minute victory against Tech, 71-68, and then grabbed a 95-87 victory against SMU two nights later without the services of an injured Dante Swanson, Tulsa's leading scorer at the time.

The Hurricane closes out the home portion of the regular season with visits from Hawaii on Feb. 27, and San Jose State on the first day of March. Tulsa closes out the WAC regular season for the fifth consecutive season on the road. Fresno State is the first of the final two road games on March 6, followed by Nevada (Mar. 8).

Tulsa will return home, however, to host the 2003 Williams Western Athletic Conference Tournament for the third consecutive year, March 11-15.

Tulsa will hold its annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2:05 p.m., and will play two exhibition contests before opening the regular season. Dates for the exhibition contests are Sunday, Nov. 10 and Sunday, Nov. 17. Opponents for the exhibition games have not yet been established.