GAME NOTES: In the opening round the MGM Grand Main event Heavyweight Bracket, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane will take on the Auburn Tigers at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Monday night.

The winner will advance to Wednesday's championship bout to play either Oregon State or Oklahoma State. The losers will face off in the third-place game.

Since losing its opener on the road at Oral Roberts (77-68), Tulsa has rebounded nicely with two straight wins, both at home. The Golden Hurricane last played on Nov. 19, defeating Abilene Christian by a convincing 65-39 margin.

Auburn has also won a pair of home games while losing its only road contest this season. The Tigers bounced back from a 90-59 loss at Colorado on Nov. 18 with a 105-80 triumph over Louisiana last Friday.

Auburn has beaten Tulsa in both previous meetings, most recently in the 2009 NIT.

After carrying a 14-point lead at the half of its most recent contest, Tulsa continued its dominance over Abilene Christian early in the second stanza by pulling away with a 23-6 run. It outshot its opponent from the field on the evening, 46.9 percent to 27.3 percent, while also owning a 43-30 rebounding advantage. D'Andre Wright finished with 16 points on 5-of-5 from the field and 5-of-5 at the foul line. James Woodard (13 points) was the only other player in double figures but all 11 players who saw the floor scored at least two points.

On the season, Tulsa's offensive production has been modest at best with 65.7 ppg on just a shade better than 40 percent field goal shooting, but its effort on the defensive end of the floor (56.3 ppg) has been outstanding. Wright (15.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) leads the team in scoring and rebounding despite playing just 20 minutes per game. Marquel Curtis (11.3 ppg) has made 70 percent of his tries from the floor, and Woodard (11.0 ppg) rounds out the double-digit scorers.

Auburn exploded in its latest game, with its 105 points its highest single- game total since 2003. It shot a lofty 54.5 percent from the field (including 11-of-26 from 3-point range), made 22-of-29 from the foul line and won the turnover battle (20-10) in the 25-point victory. KT Harrell paced the outstanding effort with 24 points on 10-of-15 from the field. Tahj Shamsid- Deen (21 points) knocked down five treys, Cinmeon Bowers logged a double- double with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Jordon Granger and Malcolm Canada added 14 and 10 points, respectively.

All that damage was done without Antoine Mason, last season's FBS scoring champion (25.6 ppg) who's missed the last two games with an ankle injury. The outburst certainly aided the Tigers' early-season offensive numbers (82.3 ppg), although their effort on the defensive end of the floor (81.0 ppg) has lagged behind. Harrell is off to a hot start with 21.3 ppg and has been nearly automatic at the foul line (18-of-20). Bowers is a beast in the paint with 16.3 ppg and 14.0 rpg. Ross-Miller brings 10.7 ppg to the table.

Tulsa's strong team defense will be put to the test against the high-octane Tigers, and in the end Auburn will have too much firepower for the Golden Hurricane to contain.