TULSA — After letting the Arizona State game slip from their grasps two Saturdays ago, the BYU Cougars have been anxious to return to action and return to their winning ways.

However, the 10-1 Cougars have had to be extra patient since Western Oregon was snowed in last week and couldn't get a flight to Utah — postponing last Tuesday's game against the Wolves until Jan. 6. Instead, the Cougars had to settle for a two-day Christmas break surrounded by some extra intense practice sessions.

But even though 10 days will have passed before the Cougars return to the court tonight against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, coach Dave Rose likes how his team has used the extra practice time. It gave the Cougars time to work on several new twists to both their defensive and offensive arsenal.

"We've really concentrated on the things we didn't do well against Arizona State and hopefully that will make us a better team," Rose said. "We had some really good practices last week. The players have a great intensity and determination to get better. We are heading into a week where we play two very good teams, two very different teams. Tulsa is defensive minded and likes to grind it out and Wake Forest (Saturday at home) wants to speed up the pace and get out and run. This week will be a good test for us."

For sure, if the Cougars are looking for a tune-up type game, like the one they likely would have had against Western Oregon, they're not likely to find it in Tulsa tonight. The Golden Hurricane, coached by fourth-year coach Doug Wojcik, won the College Basketball Invitational title last spring and is riding a four-game winning streak.

Tulsa is scoring 66.5 ppg and holding opponents to 59.7 ppg and 39 percent shooting. Ben Uzoh averages 15.7 points per game while Jerome Jordan is second in scoring (11.6 ppg) and first in rebounding (8.4 boards per game) and blocked shots (2.8 per game).

The Cougars, led in scoring by Jonathan Tavernari, Lee Cummard and Jimmer Fredette, are hoping the extra practice last week will increase their efficiency, but fear they might be a touch rusty with the holiday break and the attention they gave to December finals.

"The most important thing we can do is go forward with what we can control. What we can control is how we play and our schedule from here on out. It is always difficult to schedule around the holidays. This week and the week of Thanksgiving are usually different than a normal week during the season. You try to negotiate your schedule the best you can but the players just have to adjust," Rose said.