Tulsa World: Unbeaten Bears up next for Tulsa

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Unbeaten Bears up next for Tulsa
Win at Missouri State could pay off in March.

Doug Wojcik's team is off to a 5-0 start, but the Hurricane will face a stiff test Saturday against Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. The Bears are 4-0. CORY YOUNG / Tulsa World

By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer
Published: 11/28/2009 2:20 AM
Last Modified: 11/28/2009 6:54 AM

Tulsa basketball will make a rare venture into enemy territory on Saturday night.

The Golden Hurricane (5-0) will try to protect its perfect record at unbeaten Missouri State on Saturday night. Game time is 7:05 p.m. at JQH Arena.

The trip is Tulsa's only true road game until a Jan. 6 visit to Houston. Eleven of the Hurricane's first 14 games will be or have been played at the Reynolds Center.

Tulsa will play two games in the Las Vegas Classic next month.

A November game could pay March dividends for Tulsa — but only if it escapes Springfield unscathed.

"We have to show the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee that we can win on the road," TU coach Doug Wojcik said.

Tulsa had a preseason scrimmage at Oklahoma and treated it like a road game the moment it left town.

"It prepared us well for this," Wojcik said. "We've gone through it once and that was the whole purpose of that game. We're going to go to a nice arena and continue a nice rivalry. It will be exciting."

The Hurricane faces a tough test. The Bears are 4-0 under second-year coach Cuonzo Martin, including a season-opening 73-62 triumph over Auburn.

Plus, unlike the closed scrimmage, there will be plenty of passionate fans wearing maroon in the stands.

The Bears are playing with confidence this season after going through a rough 11-20 campaign last year.

"They have four wins at home and beat an SEC team," Wojcik said. "Any team is going to gain confidence from that."

Wojcik has been impressed with the Bears' defensive intensity. Missouri State hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 62 points this season.

"They've really solid," Wojcik said. "Cuonzo Martin played at Purdue for Gene Keady. They're a really good half-court defensive team that's hard to score on. That's what impressed me."

Missouri State is paced by Kyle Weems, who is averaging 15.8 points and 5.8 rebounds a game.

The sophomore scored a team-high 18 points in last year's 70-67 loss at Tulsa.

TU to play in 2010 76 Classic: ESPN has announced the field for the fourth annual 76 Classic, which is held Thanksgiving weekend in Anaheim, Calif.

Tulsa will join DePaul, Cal State Northridge, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Stanford, UNLV and Virginia Tech in the field.

"We are really excited to be a part of the 76 Classic with such a great field of teams," Wojcik said. "It adds more exposure to our program and gives us a chance to play on ESPN.

Eric Bailey 581-8391
eric.bailey@tulsaworld.com By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer

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