Tulsa @ Connecticut preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 16, 2019 ) Connecticut 83, Tulsa 89

Tulsa is setting the stage to be a bid-stealer out of the American Athletic Conference for the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Hurricane, boasting a 5-1 conference record, travel to Connecticut on Sunday to take on a Huskies team that in its last three games has taken ranked opponents down to the wire, but have no wins to show for their efforts.

In one of the biggest wins of the Frank Haith-era, Tulsa put up 80 points en route to dismantling No. 20 Memphis by 40 on Wednesday, holding the Tigers to season lows in points, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. Defense has propelled the Golden Hurricane through their four-game conference winning streak, allowing 51 points per game in that span. Turnovers have plagued UConn of late, coughing it up 95 times compared to 63 assists in the last six contests, with more helpers than turnovers only once. The Huskies have also struggled to shoot from outside since the loss of top 3-point shooter Tyler Polley to a torn ACL, connecting on 22 percent of their tries from beyond the arc in the last three games.

TIME: Noon ET. TV: CBS Sports Network

ABOUT TULSA (13-6, 5-1 AAC): Since being inserted into the starting lineup eight games ago, junior forward Jeriah Horne has come to life, eclipsing the 20-point mark three times and reaching double figures in all but one conference game. On the other end of the spectrum, big man Martins Igbanu was removed from the lineup to start conference play and has been strong coming off the bench, averaging 11 points on 59 percent shooting. But it has been junior college swingman Brandon Rachal that has been the Golden Hurricane's most consistent player, leading the team with 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

ABOUT CONNECTICUT (10-8, 1-4): Senior guard Christian Vital, the team's leading scorer, has been more consistent of late by averaging 16.5 points in the last four games while showing big-scoring ability with 25 against Wichita State. Though still the second-leading passer in the AAC, junior point guard Alterique Gilbert (9.6 points) coughed the ball up six times against Houston, including three in the last five minutes as the Huskies squandered a six-point lead. Forward Isaiah Whaley may be making a claim for the minutes voided by Polley as the athletic and typically defense-oriented junior had career highs of 13 points and 11 rebounds against Houston.

BUZZER-BEATERS

1. Tulsa holds a 6-4 series lead, but is 1-4 away from home.

2. UConn is 4-1 at the XL Center this season.

3. UConn is second in the country with 6.7.2 blocked shots per game.

PREDICTION: Tulsa 66, UConn 62