Conference USA Notebook
Joshua Parrott, C-USA Columnist
Clinging to a four-point lead in the closing minutes, Tulsa needed someone to make a late play recently against Marshall to pull out the win.
Jordan Clarkson did more than just make one play down the stretch. He made two.
Clarkson scored six points on Tulsa’s next two possessions to ice a 79-70 win on Feb. 4. First, he drilled a pull-up 3-pointer late in the shot clock and followed with an old-fashioned three-point play in the Conference USA contest.
Those big shots capped a 21-point night for the sophomore guard, who hit seven of 11 attempts from the floor to extend Tulsa’s winning streak to seven in a row.
“I have never seen anything like that,” Tulsa teammate Steven Idlet said. “Those were really impressive shots. It wasn’t just the shot clock running down, but the game clock was also running down and we had to get a bucket.”
Afterward, Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik said Clarkson
“is really becoming a great player and making a great name
for himself.” The San Antonio native entered the week tied
for fourth in the league in scoring this season at 15.9 points per
game. In C-USA play, he was the league’s top 3-point shooter
(.533) and fifth in scoring (16.3 ppg).
His shot-making ability has saved the Golden Hurricane (14-10, 7-3 C-USA) from what appeared to be a lost season in early January.
Tulsa started the season 7-9 and 0-2 in league play before winning seven straight. Clarkson averaged 17.3 points and shot 56 percent from the floor and 58 percent from 3 in those seven games.
The winning streak ended with Wednesday’s 64-55 loss to UTEP, but Clarkson still had 16 points for his 20th straight game in double figures. The loss dropped Tulsa from sole possession of second place in the league into a two-way tie for third with UCF behind co-leaders Southern Miss and Memphis.
As for what happened at the end against Marshall, Clarkson said making those two shots is what he’s supposed to do. Clarkson is now an all-conference candidate after ranking third on the team last season in scoring at 11.5 points behind then-senior Justin Hurtt (20 ppg) and Idlet (11.6 ppg).
“Coach put me in that situation,” Clarkson said. “I feel like that’s my role now, finishing games. I just have to make those shots when they count.”
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Required Reading
***Conference USA and the Mountain West could be joining forces in the near future, according to ESPN.com’s Andy Katz.
***Southern Miss, which recently ended an 18-game losing streak recently to Memphis, was stunned by UAB on Wednesday.
***Rice fought back Wednesday for a third straight win over in-town rival Houston behind Jarrell Reischel’s 16 points.
Three Things I’ve Learned
1. Conference USA will look much different very soon. Houston, SMU and UCF recently accepted invitations to join the Big East in 2013-14. On Wednesday, Memphis accepted an offer to move into the league in 2013. ESPN is reporting C-USA’s board of directors will meet this week with the Mountain West to discuss a merger, so even more changes are on the horizon.
2. The C-USA race appears to be down to four teams: Southern Miss
(20-4, 7-2), Memphis (17-7, 7-2), UCF (18-6, 7-3) and Tulsa (14-10,
7-3). Southern Miss and Memphis have an edge right now, but Tulsa
controls its own destiny with those three other schools still on
the schedule. Tulsa’s March 3 regular-season finale at
Memphis could determine the C-USA title.
3. Houston (11-12, 3-7) is suffering through a down season under second-year coach James Dickey, but the Cougars will add a major talent next fall in five-star recruit Danuel House (Missouri City, Texas/Hightower High). The 6-7, 195-pound forward was one of only 22 players recently selected to play in the Jordan Classic on April 14 in Charlotte. He was the only non-AQ signee.
Stat of the Week
41: Number of career double-doubles for Rice F Arsalan Kazemi. That’s second in C-USA history behind the 42 by former Memphis standout Kelly Wise.
Who’s Hot
UAB F Cameron Moore is the reigning C-USA Player of the Week after averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds and 5.5 blocks in two games last week. Moore, the preseason C-USA Player of the Year, added 27 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in Wednesday’s win over Southern Miss … Tulane G Ricky Tarrant is the league’s reigning Freshman of the Week after scoring 21 points last week in a win over Houston and 11 at Marshall. It was the third straight week he has won the honor … Memphis has won 11 of its past 13 games after beating East Carolina, 70-59, on Wednesday … Tulsa (14-10, 7-3) lost to UTEP, 64-55, on Wednesday but has won seven of its past eight games. UAB (10-13, 5-5) and UCF (18-6, 7-3) have won three straight.
Who’s Not
Houston (11-12, 3-7) has dropped three straight and seven of nine since a thrilling OT vs. Tulsa on Jan. 4. The Cougars are now down to eight active scholarship players after recently losing G LeRon Barnes (groin) and G Jherrod Stiggers (knee) for the season … Marshall (14-10, 5-5) has hit a rough patch since starting 4-0 in C-USA play, losing six of seven. G DeAndre Kane had only nine points in Wednesday’s 67-60 loss to UCF and has shot below 50 percent in five straight games … SMU (11-13, 2-7) beat TCU, 68-62, Wednesday but lost its previous five games. F Shawn Williams, a transfer from Texas, has scored in single digits in six consecutive games. The consensus top-50 prep recruit is averaging only 6.8 points this season for the Mustangs.
Games to Watch
UCF (18-6, 7-3) at Southern Miss (20-4, 7-2), Saturday: Both teams are still in the C-USA race, so this will likely be a separation game.
Tulsa (14-10, 7-3) at Southern Miss (20-4, 7-2), Wednesday: Tulsa has won seven of its past eight. Southern Miss just lost to UAB and has UCF on Saturday.
Parrott’s Perspective
Of all the moves in conference realignment over the past few years, Memphis leaving C-USA for the Big East in 2013 makes sense. The Tigers are old rivals with Big East members Louisville and Cincinnati and have been one of the nation’s top non-AQ programs in recent years (at one point they were the best). That makes this move beneficial for Memphis and the Big East. Unfortunately, C-USA will be left behind.
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Eustachy photo courtesy of Joe Harper/University of Southern Mississippi Media Relations; Clarkson photo courtesy of Tulsa Athletics Media Relations
