NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane University men’s basketball team returns to action on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT, as it faces off against the Memphis Tigers for an American Athletic Conference matchup.
The Green Wave’s matchup with Memphis will be aired live on ESPN+. Fans also can listen to the game live on the radio by tuning into 104.1 The Spot or by CLICKING HERE. Tulane’s “Voice of the Green Wave” Corey Gloor will call the action live.
STARTING FIVE
1. The Tulane University men’s basketball team returns to action on Wednesday night as it makes its way to Memphis to take on the Tigers. The contest will mark the teams’ second meeting this year. The game will tipoff at 7 p.m. CT and will be aired live on ESPN+.
2. The Green Wave enters their contest with Memphis after a dominating win over the ECU Pirates 86-66. The Green Wave will look to get their eighth conference win of the season, their most conference wins since joining the American Athletic Conference at the start of the 2014-15 campaign.
3. Tulane is 5-1 at home in conference play, their best home record since joining the American Athletic Conference at the start of the 2014-15 campaign.
4. This season, head coach Ron Hunter‘s staff welcomes back six letter winners, six newcomers and three starters, including preseason All-American Athletic Conference honoree Jaylen Forbes. Forbes is one of three players on the team, averaging 10-or-more points per game. Freshman Jalen Cook leads the team with 19.3 points per game – a figure that ranks second in the American Athletic Conference. As a team, Tulane is averaging 73.1 points per game and connecting at a 42.1 percent clip.
5. The Green Wave have won the turnover battle in 17 of their 20 games this season. During the 2020-21 campaign, Tulane won the turnover battle in 19 of its 23 contests last season while also forcing opponents into at least 15 mishaps on 11 occasions. During the 2019-20 campaign, the Green Wave committed equal or fewer turnovers than its opponents in 28 of 30 contests while ranking in the top 20 nationally in turnover margin (+4.2).
THE SERIES
• Tulane looks to sweep their first conference series with Memphis since they joined the AAC.
• Tulane defeated the Tigers 85-84 in New Orleans earlier this season (Dec. 29, 2021).
• Head coach Ron Hunter earned his first win over Memphis this season putting him at 1-5 all-time against Memphis.
TULANE BY THE NUMBERS
246 - Tulane has made at least one 3-point field goal in 246 consecutive games. The last time the Green Wave failed to do so came on Jan. 16, 2014 at home against Louisiana Tech when they went 0-for-14 from outside.
124 – Jalen Cook leads the American Athletic Conference in field goals made with 124.
53.1 – Forward Kevin Cross leads the American Athletic Conference in field goal percentage connecting at a 53.1 percent rate from the floor.
35.3 – Jaylen Forbes’ 35.3 minutes per game lead the AAC.
19.3 – Jalen Cook is averaging 19.3 points per game entering Tulane’s matchup with Memphis. The last Tulane player to average more than 19.0 ppg for a full year was Jerald Honeycutt (19.9) in 1996-97. John Williams averaged 19.4 ppg in 1983-84. No one else has averaged 19 or more in the last 40 years.
14 – Tulane has faced 14 opponents this season which came into their meeting with the Green Wave with a record of .500 or better.
8 – The Green Wave picked up their eighth league win of the year on Feb. 5 vs. East Carolina which is more than its conference win total from a year ago.
2 – Tulane ranks second in the American in turnover margin.
1 – For the first time in program history, Tulane has defeated Memphis, Cincinnati, Wichita State all in the same season.
LAST TIME WITH MEMPHIS: Green Wave Shine in AAC Opener Against Memphis
• The Tulane University men’s basketball team opened American Athletic Conference play in the win column as it defeated Memphis 85-84 on Dec. 29 inside the Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
• With the victory, the Green Wave snapped a 12-game losing skid to the Tigers. The Wave’s last win over Memphis was on February 13, 2016.
• The Tulane offense was in rhythm on its home floor as it shot 55 percent from the field and shot a scorching 45 percent from beyond the arc. The Green Wave also dominated the paint outscoring the Tigers 42-32 around the rim.
• Four players finished in double figures for the Green Wave as freshman Jalen Cook led all scorers with 25 points. This marks the fourth time this season Cook has reached the 20-point plateau. Kevin Cross followed with 15 points while Sion James and R.J. McGee rounded out the top scorers for Tulane with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
• On the defensive end, Tulane forced the Tigers into 15 turnovers and 10 steals. The Green Wave converted those Memphis turnovers into 21 points on the other end of the floor.
• The Green Wave had three-or-more players score in double figures for the eighth time this year.
• Six of the opponents the Green Wave have faced this season have had winning records.
WITH A WIN OVER MEMPHIS…
• Tulane would improve to 8-4 for the first time ever in American Athletic Conference play.
• Tulane would have 11 wins on the year, besting their total from 2020-21 campaign.
• Tulane would sweep their season series with Memphis for the first time.
• Green Wave head coach Ron Hunter would improve to 2-5 all-time against Memphis.
THE OPPONENT – Memphis
• Memphis’ win over the Crimson Tide is the highest-ranked victory by an AAC team this year
• The Green Wave snapped a 12-game losing skid to the Tigers earlier this season. Prior to that victory the Wave’s last win over Memphis was on February 13, 2016.
• Jalen Duren leads the conference in rebounds averaging 7.5 per game and blocked shots per game with 2.5.
• Memphis leads the conference in field-goal percentage averaging 47.2 per game.
• Josh Minott is the only freshman in the nation that has at least 15 steals and 10 blocked shots while playing under 20.0 minutes per game this season.
• Memphis leads the conference in steals per game (8.7) and turnovers forced (15.65).
LAST TIME OUT: GREEN WAVE SINK THE PIRATES
• Sophomore Jaylen Forbes led Tulane with 26 points as the Tulane men’s basketball team put on an offensive clinic in their 86-66 victory over ECU.
• With the win, Tulane moved to 7-4 in conference play and 10-10 overall. This is the Green Wave’s best conference record since they joined the AAC for the 2014-15 campaign.
• All 12 of Cook’s first-half points came from the three-point range, while 12 of Forbes’ 14 points in the first also came from beyond the arc.
• The Green Wave defeated the Pirates after falling to them in Greenville earlier in the season in OT 88-80.
• Kevin Cross has now scored double figures in 13 straight contests.
• This is the 18th time this season three or more players have scored in the double-digits.
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TICKETS
Tickets for the 2021-22 season can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
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WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out at NolaBuilt.com.
{Courtesy: release from Tulane}