DENTON, Texas (Interstat) — A surging Tulsa team riding a 10-game winning streak will face a North Texas squad looking to rebound from a tough road loss when the American Athletic Conference foes meet Sunday at North Texas Coliseum.

The Golden Hurricane (13-1) have been one of the nation’s hottest teams since a one-point loss at Kansas State on Nov. 17. They are coming off a dominant 97-48 victory over Rice on Wednesday, where they shot 56% from the field. Tulsa’s offense has been potent, averaging 89.4 points during its win streak.

A key catalyst has been guard Jaylen Lawal, who erupted for 25 points in just 23 minutes against Rice. Lawal has provided efficient scoring bursts, including a 20-point performance against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 10.

North Texas (9-5), known as the Mean Green, aims to defend its home court after a 57-48 defensive struggle at Memphis on Wednesday. The Mean Green have shown resilience in close games, with a 58-57 win at South Alabama on Dec. 14, but have struggled against high-major competition, falling to Memphis, Santa Clara and TCU in recent weeks.

Je’Shawn Stevenson has been a consistent force for North Texas, scoring 20 points with six rebounds in the loss at Memphis and averaging 17.3 points over his last four contests. His matchup with Lawal will be a focal point.

This game opens the conference slate for both teams. Tulsa’s high-octane offense, which has topped 90 points six times this season, will test a North Texas defense that held Memphis to 57 but allowed 109 in a win over lower-division Science & Arts Oklahoma.

The Mean Green will need to control the tempo and leverage their home-court advantage to slow down the Golden Hurricane. The teams will meet again in Tulsa on Jan. 28.

Tip-off is set for Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Denton.