Tulsa Basketball Season Recap: Success was cut short

The memorable and extraordinary 2019-20 Golden Hurricane basketball team should never be forgotten.

The incredible feat of accomplishing a conference championship in a tough and balanced AAC after being picked 10th in a preseason poll is an accomplishment for the ages. Just because the season was cancelled at the end of the regular season should not diminish what this Tulsa team achieved.

The conference championship was even more surprising because of a disappointing non-conference season (8-5) where there was an opportunity for a terrific record. There is probably no TU fan who would have predicted a higher winning percentage in the AAC (72.2 percent) than out of conference (61.5 percent).

Tulsa (21-10, 13-5 AAC) fans were probably looking at no worse than a 10-3 record. With 9 of 13 games in Tulsa, and very winnable road games at Vanderbilt, UT-Arlington, Kansas State and Arkansas, dreams of a 11-2, 12-1, or even a 13-0 non-conference record were being floated around.

The loss at UT-Arlington in game two was embarrassing, but an early season road loss shouldn't be that surprising. But the home loss to a mediocre Arkansas State team when Tulsa stood at 7-1 was bad. The triple overtime loss to Colorado State at the BOK Center wasn't horrible, but Tulsa still should have won that game. A heartbreaking loss at Kansas State is another game TU should have won. The Arkansas loss was predictable.

So with Tulsa fans' hopes diminished going into conference play, the Hurricane started off with a bang by destroying Temple in the conference opener. After a bad loss at Cincinnati, perhaps the key game of the season was next.

Beating Houston in game three of the conference slate is what got the season going. Beating a talented, hyped team coming off a Sweet 16 season is just what TU needed. It gave TU confidence. It showed Tulsa didn't have to cower to any team. A loss there could have sent Tulsa into mediocrity.

Key thumpings of AAC bottom dwellers East Carolina and Tulane on the road followed, but when Tulsa absolutely demolished No. 21 ranked Memphis, 80-40, in a beat down that has simply almost never been seen against a ranked team. That win sent shock-waves through the AAC.

The momentum continued with what turned out to be a very impressive overtime win at UConn. Then came almost everybody's favorite TU moment of the season.

Elijah Joiner's acrobatic, buzzer beating three-pointer against Wichita State is easily the play of the year and may be the most memorable play of the past 17 seasons. The combination of beating the arch-rival ranked Shockers in front of a packed Reynolds Center and the emotional Joiner talking about his father seeing his first game in Tulsa are priceless moments.

Tulsa would have most assuredly won the conference title outright, instead of being in a three-way tie with Cincy and Houston, had Brandon Rachal not been injured in the second half of the next game, a home game against UConn. Trailing by only three with over 12 minutes to go when Rachal injured his left ankle, Tulsa likely doesn't lose that game. Or the next game at UCF when Rachal had to miss his only game of the season.

With Rachal back for East Carolina at home, Tulsa pretty much took care of business the rest of the season. TU won the games it was supposed to win, and lost on the road to Houston and to end the season at Wichita State.

The losses at Cincy, Houston and Wichita State were honestly predictable. Those are incredibly hard places to win. The only other two conference losses came with Tulsa's best player at the time, Rachal, injured.

This Golden Hurricane team had limitations, most notably inconsistent and not enough three-point shooting. Getting blown out on the road three times showed those weaknesses.

But that also showed what masterful job sixth-year Tulsa coach Frank Haith did this season for TU. It would be nearly impossible for a Coach of the Year award to be more deserved than the award Haith won in 2020. Really, all kudos this season belong to Haith. Bravo.

The old saying about teams being only as good as its seniors is often true. In this case, Tulsa's only two seniors, Martins Igbanu and Lawson Korita, went out in style.

Yes, it is truly a shame that Igbanu and Korita didn't get to finish their careers playing in the NCAA Tournament or NIT. That would certainly have happened if not for COVID-19.

But finishing as conference champs is also a terrific way to end up. That is how this team will be remembered. Nothing can diminish that.

Igbanu finished his TU career on a tear. He was nearly unstoppable the last half of conference play. Coming off the bench, Igbanu led TU in scoring (16.5 average) and rebounds (5.8 per game) in conference games, and was a First-Team All-AAC selection.

The 6-foot-8 post player from Lagos, Nigeria, shot 61.2 percent from the field in the AAC, and worked incredibly hard on his free throw shooting to finish at 70.2 percent in conference games. Igbanu led TU in scoring in all games at 13.6 points.

Korita was valuable in all areas, but especially on defense. He was like a coach on the floor, getting his teammates aligned properly in TU's match-up zone that gave opponents fits.

It was on offense, however, where he finished strong, becoming a scoring threat more than midway through the conference season. He finished with a career high 7.0 points per game average, and was second on the team in three-pointers (41), and led the team in three-point percentage (36.6 percent).

Korita provided one of the most memorable performances and moments of the season when he made clutch shots in the final minutes of the home season finale against UCF, then finished the game off with a steal and layup where, after he was fouled, exclaimed in jubilation to the frenzied TU fans.

The difference maker this season was clearly junior college transfer Brandon Rachal. He was on pace to by a first team all-conference selection had he not injured his ankle, as he was phenomenal until then. He clearly wasn't as effective after his injury, but still, even after coming back, his presence was absolutely essential.

Quite simply, the team was lost without Rachal. If he doesn't return, the prospects were frightening. The team was just clearly leaps and bounds better with the 6-5 Rachal around.

Rachal's defense was his biggest asset, as his tenacity and athleticism were amazing. Haith predicted before the season that Rachal would lead TU in rebounding, and he did, averaging 5.8 boards per game. He was leading the Golden Hurricane in scoring when he got hurt, and ended up second at 12.1 points per game.

Jeriah Horne improved on his sophomore season, and when hot, he was lethal. He averaged 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds, but his scoring was often hot-and-cold. And he sometimes wasn't aggressive enough in seeking his shot.

Still, Horne was Tulsa's best outside shooter, making a team-high 56 three-pointers (33.9 percent), and as a 6-7 player spending much of his time in the front-court, Horne had a strong season. It seemed he was primed for a strong final season at TU next year, but after obtaining his degree, he decided to transfer to Colorado for his final year of eligibility.

Darien Jackson was a bolt of energy every time he entered the game, usually starting the game on the bench. He improved steadily from last season, where he averaged 3.7 points. His 7.9 points per game included 11 three-pointers (36 percent in AAC). He hadn't hit a three in his previous two seasons.

Jackson's greatest value is on defense, where, combined with Rachal, gives Tulsa two incredibly athletic defenders who come up with steals and disrupt passing lanes, as well as shut down opposing scorers. The duo’s athletic ability allowed Tulsa to compete with any team.

Elijah Joiner did a good job taking over as point guard full-time after freshman Isaiah Hill had the job for a few games early in the season. A combo guard who played the two as well, Joiner averaged 7.3 points, and shot 34.4 percent on three-pointers. Joiner was a pass first guard, and probably should have shot more, making 22 three-pointers for the season. He led the team in assists with 86.

Hill played well at times, but his production fell as the season progressed. Still, he was a valuable member of the rotation, playing 20.4 minutes per game and averaging 4.2 points. Hill displayed good passing skills, and appeared to have a bright future with Tulsa, but decided to transfer to Fresno State in order to get closer to home.

Hill's scoring dropped to 2.9 points in conference play, and his three-point shooting percentage was 23.6 for the season. He provided reliable depth at point guard that was desperately needed.

Igbanu, Korita, Rachal, Horne, Jackson, Joiner and Hill made up Tulsa's seven-man rotation whose playing time all was in the 20 to 29 minute range per game. After that, there was a considerable drop off.

Manny Ugboh was a 7-foot transfer who started 15 games to take the pressure off of Igbanu and allowed Igbanu to come off the bench. Ugboh averaged 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game.

Ugboh is raw but could develop into a major contributor next season.

A really promising big man is 6-7 Josh Earley, who averaged 1.0 point and 1.3 rebounds in 5.1 minutes per game as a true freshman. He started two games at the end of the season when Ugboh was injured. Haith is really enthused about Earley's potential, and he could end up starting next season. With Igbanu graduated, Ugboh and Earley will get their chances to shine next season.

The disappointment of the season was Western Michigan transfer Reggie Jones, who averaged 9.8 points in his first two seasons at WMU. After sitting out a year, Jones started off decently, but was a complete non-factor in conference play.

The 6-7 Jones was supposed to provide much needed shooting, but it just didn't pan out for him. He averaged 3.8 points for the season while starting seven games, but only 0.7 points in conference action. Jones scored nine total points in 13 AAC games, and as expected, ended up in the transfer portal, where he found a new home at Ball State.

Sitting out this season were Arkansas transfer Keyshawn Embery-Simpson and Georgia Tech transfer Curtis Haywood, who both had waivers for immediate eligibility denied prior to the season. One can only imagine how good Tulsa could have been this season if those two players had been eligible.

Tulsa ended up with three players transferring out of the program after the season: Jones, Hill and Horne. The Hurricane is addressing those holes in the roster with aggressive recruiting this spring.

Next week, Inside Tulsa Sports will look towards next season and break down the roster, including a detailed look at the Hurricane’s 2020 recruiting class.