NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane men’s basketball team opens the book on its American Athletic Conference schedule when it hosts Memphis on Wednesday, December 16. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m., at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and streamed live on ESPN+ as David Saltzman delivers play-by-play of all the action and Sean Harrington provides color analysis.
STARTING FIVE
1. For the second year in a row and the third time in the last six seasons, Tulane begins its American Athletic Conference slate with a matchup against Memphis. Wednesday marks the 69th all-time meeting between the programs on the hardwood.
2. Tulane is off to a 4-0 start to the season for the third time in four years following its 67-56 non-conference home win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday. Jaylen Forbes scored a game-high 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Jordan Walker reached double-figures for the third straight game with 15 points, all of which came in the second half. Nobal Days and Jadan Coleman each added eight points off the bench, while Days also matched his career high with eight rebounds to go with three assists. Tulane forced 18 turnovers and scored 20 points off of those miscues
3. Tulane has won the turnover battle in three of its first four contests this season while also forcing opponents into at least 15 mishaps on three occasions. Last season, the Green Wave committed equal or fewer turnovers than its opponents in 28 of 30 contests while ranking in the top 15 nationally in turnover margin (+4.3).
4. Head coach Ron Hunter earned his 460th career win on December 9 against Southern Miss and currently has the 34th most victories among active NCAA Division I head coaches.
5. Jordan Walker has scored in double-figures 14 times in his career and the Green Wave own a 9-5 record when he compiles at least 10 points. Tulane is 5-1 when he hands out at least five assists.
TULANE-MEMPHIS CONNECTIONS
» Tulane associate head coach Ray McCallum was born in West Memphis, Arkansas, approximately 10 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee.
» Tulane sophomore forward Oton Jankovic was teammates with former Memphis star and 2020 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year Precious Achiuwa at Montverde Academy during the 2018-19 season.
» Memphis sophomore forward D.J. Jeffries and Tulane sophomore guard Jaylen Forbes were ranked the No. 1 and No. 2 high school prospects, respectively, in Mississippi in the 2019 class. Jeffries was ranked No. 25 and Forbes was tabbed No. 87 in the final 2019 ESPN 100 national recruiting rankings.
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
• Memphis leads Tulane, 57-11, in the all-time series and has won 10 straight.
• The Tigers (4-3) enter Wednesday’s matchup with wins in three of their last four games, but dropped a neutral site game to Auburn, 74-71, in Atlanta on Saturday.
• Memphis
BY THE NUMBERS
• 9 – As of December 15, Tulane ranks No. 9 nationally in scoring defense. The Green Wave are holding opponents to just 54.5 points per game through their first four games this season
• 208 – Tulane has made at least one 3-point field goal in 208 consecutive games. The last time the Green Wave failed to do so occurred on January 16, 2014 at home against Louisiana Tech when they shot 0-for-14 from outside.
• 362 – Tulane scored 2,050 total points last season but return just 362 of those from one year ago. That means more than 82.3 percent of the Green Wave’s total offense will be replaced in 2020-21 and that is the seventh most among NCAA Division I programs this season.
LAST TIME THEY MET – FEBRUARY 29, 2020
Graduate guard Christion Thompson scored a career-high 30 points, but the Tulane men’s basketball team dropped a 74-67 home contest in overtime to Memphis in front of 3,023 fans. Tulane forced Memphis into 24 turnovers and limited itself to just 10 miscues. Memphis forward Precious Achiuwa tallied 22 points, 22 rebounds and five blocks to lead the Tigers. In the overtime session, Tulane was outscored 14-7 and shot just 1-of-8 from the field. Memphis shot 12-of-14 at the foul stripe in overtime alone. Prior to the game, Hunter presented a check in the amount of $10,000 to Samaritan’s Feet. Hunter also coached the game from the sideline barefoot to raise awareness for his charity.
SOUTHERN MISS SCORING SUPPRESSION
• Tulane put on perhaps its most impressive defensive effort in recent years against Southern Miss on December 9 by holding the Golden Eagles to 38 total points and 24.5 percent shooting as a team in a 58-38 win.
• The 38 points were the fewest allowed by the Green Wave to an opponent since giving up 36 to Centenary in 2010 while the 12 first-half points surrendered were the fewest in any half since at least 2001.
CHARITY STRIPE PERFECTION
• In the 58-38 win over Southern Miss on December 9, Tulane shot a perfect 12-of-12 at the free throw line as a team. The last time the Green Wave made 100 percent of their free throws (minimum 10 attempts) was when they went 15-of-15 at the foul stripe against Syracuse on December 1, 2007.
FINAL FOUR HEADED BACK TO NOLA
• In an announcement made on Nov. 10, 2016, the NCAA and the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee announced the 2022 Men’s Final Four will be played in New Orleans with Tulane serving as the host institution.
• New Orleans will host the Final Four for the sixth time overall and the first time in 10 years. New Orleans traditionally has been one of the most popular Final Four cities and has provided several iconic championship moments that will be celebrated as anniversaries in 2022.
SEASONED COACHING STAFF
• Head coach Ron Hunter has assembled a veteran coaching staff featuring two former NCAA Division I head coaches – Ray McCallum (Ball State – 1993-2000; Houston 2000-04; Detroit Mercy – 2008-16) and Kevin Johnson (Centenary – 1999-2005), as well as Claude Pardue.
• The Green Wave are one of just five schools nationally to have three of its four coaches currently or previously holding head-coaching titles, along with Pittsburgh (4), Iowa (4), Michigan State (3) and Washington (3).
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For behind-the-scenes coverage, follow Tulane men’s basketball (@GreenWaveMBB) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
{Courtesy: Press Release from Tulane Athletics}