Game Notes: UTEP @ Tulsa

THE BASIC FACTS

- UTEP (9-6, 2-0 C-USA) vies for its second 3-0 start in Conference USA play on Wednesday at Tulsa (10-7, 2-1 C-USA).

- The Miners won their first five C-USA games in 2005-06, their initial season in the league, en route to a 9-1 start.

- UTEP was 2-0 in C-USA during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons before losing at Tulsa (86-79 in overtime) and at Houston (77-72), respectively.

- The Miners, who won at Tulane, 67-58, in their league opener on Jan. 9, haven't posted victories in their first two C-USA road games since 2008-09 when they prevailed at SMU (74-68) and East Carolina (88-67) in succession.

- UTEP also won its first two C-USA away games in 2005-06 (80-67 at SMU, 53-51 at Marshall).

- UTEP is 70-42 all-time in Conference USA play. Only Memphis (99) and UAB (74) have posted more C-USA victories since the league's realignment for the 2005-06 season.

- The Miners are 24-32 in C-USA road games.

- UTEP has registered at least 10 Conference USA wins in three of the last four seasons.

- UTEP has won eight of its last 10 games after starting the season 1-4.

- UTEP's current three-game winning streak ties its longest of the season. The Miners haven't strung together four victories in a row since Feb. 8-22, 2012.

- The Miners are in the midst of a stretch of three games in five days and four in eight days. UTEP hosted Marshall on Saturday, Houston Baptist on Monday and will take on SMU at the Haskins Center on Saturday.

TONIGHT'S OPPONENT

- Tulsa has won three of its last four games, including a 64-51 victory over Rice on Saturday at the Reynolds Center.

- The Hurricane trailed for most of the first 35 minutes, but ended the game on a 17-2 run over the final 5:47.

- Scottie Haralson's free throws with 4:31 to play shot Tulsa into the lead for good, 53-51.

- Tulsa outscored Rice 38-18 in the second half, shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 87 percent (20-for-23) from the line after the break.

- The Hurricane started two freshmen guards against Rice, including Shaquille Harrison who scored a season-high 14 points.

- Overall four Tulsa freshmen have earned starting nods this season -- Harrison (17 starts), forward Zeldric King (one), guard James Woodard (17) and forward D'Andre Wright (eight).

- Sophomore forward Rashad Smith averaged a team-leading 14.5 points in the first four games but has been out since with a foot injury.

- Woodard (12.9 ppg), junior guard Pat Swilling Jr. (10.5 ppg), and senior guard Scottie Haralson (9.5 ppg) are the team's other top scorers.

- Tulsa is third in C-USA in field goal percentage defense (.399).

- Harrison leads the league in steals (2.0 avg.) and has eight thefts in three C-USA games.

- Tulsa is 6-1 at the Reynolds Center this season with wins over LSU Shreveport (110-54), Jackson State (86-66), Missouri State (61-42), TCU (50-49), Buffalo (63-57) and Rice (64-51), and a loss to Stephen F. Austin (57-41).

UTEP-TULSA CONNECTIONS

- UTEP's Tim Floyd and Tulsa's Danny Manning have been on opposite benches twice previously at the college level. On Dec. 4, 2006, the USC Trojans -- coached by Floyd -- lost at Kansas, 72-62. On Dec. 2, 2007, Floyd's Trojans dropped a 59-55 decision to the Jayhawks at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. Manning was a Kansas assistant for both contests.

- Tulsa assistant coach Steve Woodberry, a Kansas graduate, played 23 minutes for the Jayhawks in a 66-60 NCAA Tournament second round loss to UTEP on March 22, 1992 at Dayton. Woodberry scored six points and dished out three assists as the ninth-seeded Miners stunned top-seeded KU.

SERIES NOTES

- Tulsa leads the series 28-17.

- The Miners have won six of the last eight games played between the schools after the Golden Hurricane beat UTEP four straight times over the course of the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons.

- The Golden Hurricane has claimed 19 of the 25 matchups between the teams in Tulsa (includes the Miners' 75-61 victory over the Golden Hurricane in the C-USA Tournament on March 12, 2010 at the BOK Center).

- UTEP has won four times in its last 18 trips to Tulsa.

- The Miners' all-time record versus Tulsa at the Reynolds Center is 3-12 with wins on Jan. 8, 2004 (59-56), Feb. 4, 2006 (69-62) and Feb. 20, 2010 (78-70). UTEP is 1-5 in its last six visits to the venue.

- UTEP's Tim Floyd is 3-2 in his coaching career against Tulsa.