by ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer , Tulsa World

"He gets us going, especially on the defensive end and rebounding. We missed his energy on the floor tonight." Wheatley, a projected starter, played in two exhibition games during his sophomore season before redshirting that year. It was a violation, and the NCAA ruled he had to sit out for the first four games of any season during the remainder of his TU career. Coach Doug Wojcik chose this season. TU led 18-4 to start the game, but only held a 30-28 advantage at halftime. "Things would have been different in the first half in terms of intensity," Wojcik said. "I don't know if Bishop would have allowed that to happen." From the line: Following last weekend's scrimmage at Oklahoma and an exhibition victory against Southern Nazarene, Wojcik wanted a better effort at the free-throw line. It didn't happen on Friday night. The Hurricane was 17-of-30 from the charity stripe against St. Mary's. Last season, the team shot 69.7 percent from the free-throw line, which ranked among C-USA's best. "It's one of those things we have to pick up quick," Uzoh said. "It could cost us some games." Different look: Wojcik's teams have almost exclusively stuck with a man-to-man defense. In entire seasons, you could count on one hand the amount of times TU went to a zone. But for a few possessions in the first half against St. Mary's, the Hurricane showed a 1-3-1 zone defense. "It's one of those things that we're doing," Uzoh said. "We're not just relying on our man defense. Throughout the course of a game, we can get run down. We're just trying to keep things active." One more thing in may do is keep 7-foot center Jerome Jordan out of foul trouble. Heirman minutes: Shane Heirman joined the team at mid-semester of the 2007-08 season. Formerly a walk-on, the 6-1 guard was awarded a scholarship this season. He's also earned playing time. The sophomore drew four minutes of action against St. Mary's. Heirman likely will become known for his headband, which is worn at games and practices. Perhaps a reason why he wears the headband? His favorite player is Steve Nash, who has made the look famous. "He's my roommate and I tell him to get (a haircut) every day," Steven Idlet said with a smile. Ouch: Tulsa walk-on Barrett Hunter made his debut with 58 seconds remaining in the blowout win. He checked out of the game just 40 seconds later. The reason? He suffered a broken nose going for a loose ball. Two-for-one deal: Fans holding a ticket to Sunday night's football game against East Carolina will be admitted free to Tulsa's afternoon basketball contest. The Golden Hurricane will play Florida International in a 2 p.m. contest at the Reynolds Center. FIU is coached by NBA legend Isiah Thomas. The Panthers (0-2) opened the season with a loss at North Carolina and fell 99-70 at Monmouth on Friday night.

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