Rogers' 10* NCAAB Coach's Clinic >>> SIZZLING 31-13-3 Past 7 Days!
(NCAAB) Tulsa vs. Illinois State,
Point Spread: 6.00 | -110.00 Tulsa (Away)
Result: Loss
The set: Tulsa and Illinois State will meet for the second time in 19 days when they play for third place Sunday at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. Tulsa hosted the Redbirds back on Dec. 7 and trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half before the Golden Hurricane closed the game with a 13-3 run to take the 70-68 victory. Tulsa is just 6-5 to open the new season and Illinois St. checks in at 7-4.

Illinois State: The Redbirds have strong frontcourt, led by th 6-8 Hawkins (15.0 & 7.1), who is joined by the 6-7 McIntosh (13.6 & 6.7) and the 6-9 Fayne (10.5 & 6.1). PG Lee (14.4 & 6.5 APG) is the the team's fourth double digit scorer. Hawkins had his worst game of the season in that game at Tulsa, going 3-for-15 from the floor while scoring just 10 points. He wasn't much better in Friday's loss to San Francisco, connecting on 5-for-17 and scoring 12 points. McIntosh had double-double in the semifinals (20 & 12) but he's also struggled with his accuracy on the island, making just 9-for-27 in the two games.

Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane haven't received consistent performances from their top players in Hawaii, as after an easy win over SF Austin, they got blitzed by San Diego State, 82-63. Tulsa has a four-man guard rotation in Hawkins (12.8 & 5.7), Birt (9.3), Taplin (7.9) and Henderson (7.0). The 6-7 Etou (11.1 & 6.5) is the team's best frontcourt player with Magnay providing size at 6-10 but not much production (6.7 & 4.0). Wheeler has only attempted 14 shots in the two games, while second-leading scorer Etou scored 18 against San Diego State but was held to two points in the Diamond Head opener against Stephen F. Austin.

The pick: Neither team played well in the first meeting but Tulsa was able to earn the comeback win despite Wheeler shooting 3 of 9 and Birt, 1 of 10. In the rematch, expect Tulsa to win much more easily plus we're getting points! Tulsa is a 10* play.