TU's Danny Manning sees benefits of playing CBI road game
BY BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
3/20/13 at 7:18 AM
Almost immediately after the University of Tulsa was defeated by Memphis and eliminated from the Conference USA Tournament, Golden Hurricane coach Danny Manning expressed a desire for his team to be among the 16 involved in the College Basketball Invitational.
Manning also expressed a preference for playing on the road. Now he has both - a berth in the CBI and a road-game opener.
In Wednesday's 6 p.m. first-round contest at Dayton, Ohio, the Hurricane (17-15) is matched with Wright State (21-12) of the Horizon League.
"I think postseason road games toughen you up," Manning said. "One of the purposes of playing in this tournament is to get better, and I think you get better by playing on the road."
In the CBI, schools are required to pay $35,000 for a home game. The University of Tulsa hasn't determined whether it would pay for the right to host a tournament game. During its drive to the championship of the inaugural CBI in 2008, five of the Hurricane's six games were played at the Reynolds Center.
Wednesday's Tulsa-Wright State winner is scheduled to face the Richmond-Bryant winner in a Monday quarterfinal. Bryant University is a first-year NCAA Division I program located in Smithfield, R.I.
The Hurricane played four Canadian exhibitions in August, two exhibitions in November, 30 regular-season contests and two Conference USA Tournament games. The Wright State game is the 39th competitive exercise for Manning's first Tulsa team.
"I want to keep playing because I know I'm going to miss it when it ends," Hurricane senior guard Scottie Haralson said. "It's a big plus to give our young guys the experience of playing in the postseason. It's not the NCAA, but we can still win a championship."
Against East Carolina and Memphis in the Conference USA Tournament, Haralson had combined totals of 47 points and 16 rebounds. He shot 48 percent from the field.
"Scottie has become a good scorer in the post," Manning said. "Rebounding the ball, passing, scoring, guarding multiple positions - he's playing really, really well."
Manning says Wright State is comparable to TU in that the Raiders have balanced scoring along with a strong commitment to defense.
"This will definitely be a defensive battle," Manning said.
None of Wright State's expected starters averages more than 8.4 points per game. Seven Raiders averaged at least five points per game, and their most dynamic performer is 5-foot-9 point guard Reggie Arceneaux. A 9.3-point average scorer, he made 22 starts this season but has been used as the sixth man in recent games.
Tulsa (17-15)
| | Ht. | Pt. | Reb. |
| F | Black | 6-8 | 7.3 | 4.4 |
| G | Peete | 6-4 | 3.1 | 3.0 |
| G | Haralson | 6-4 | 11.2 | 3.9 |
| G | Woodard | 6-4 | 12.0 | 5.8 |
| G | Harrison | 6-3 | 6.9 | 3.8 |
Wright State (21-12)
| | Ht. | Pt. | Reb. |
| F | Young | 6-6 | 8.4 | 3.9 |
| C | Pacher | 6-10 | 5.0 | 2.6 |
| G | Griffin | 6-4 | 6.0 | 2.4 |
| G | Vest | 6-5 | 5.5 | 3.7 |
| G | Bramanti | 6-2 | 1.4 | 1.5 |
College Basketball Invitational
Tulsa at Wright State
6 p.m. Wednesday
Radio: KRMG am740, fm102.3
Original Print Headline: TU's Manning sees the benefits of CBI game
Bill Haisten 918-581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
TU senior Scottie Haralson had a combined 47 points and 16 rebounds in two Conference USA Tournament games. MATT BARNARD / Tulsa World
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