NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane men’s basketball team hosts Cincinnati for the first time in over 13 months in an American Athletic Conference matchup on Sunday, February 7. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, as Jack Benjamin delivers play-by-play of all the action and David Grubb provides color analysis.
STARTING FIVE
1. Tulane plays its lone home contest during a stretch of six American Athletic Conference road trips in seven games against Cincinnati in the first matchup of the regular-season series.
2. On Wednesday evening, the Green Wave’s second-half comeback attempt at Wichita State fell short in a 75-67 setback. Jordan Walker scored 17 of his game-high and season-high 23 points in the final 20 minutes and handed out a team-leading four assists. Reigning American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week Tylan Pope finished in double-figures for the third straight game with 13 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
3. Tulane, which ranks 12th nationally in free throw percentage (.789), shot 23-of-26 (.885) at the stripe and scored a season-high 48 points in the second half. The Green Wave also committed just six turnovers to the Shockers’ 13.
4. Tulane has won the turnover battle in 11 of its 13 contests this season while also forcing opponents into at least 15 mishaps on six 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).
5. Tulane currently ranks first in The American in free throw percentage, turnover margin (+4.2) and fewest turnovers per game (10.8). On the national scale, the Green Wave rank in the top 100 in all three categories as well as fewest fouls per game (16.3).
SCOUTING CINCINNATI
• The Bearcats (4-7, 2-4 AAC) enter Sunday’s game coming off a 63-60 road win at Temple on Feb. 3. That game was the team’s first since Jan. 10 after five consecutive postponements.
• Cincinnati is led by senior guard Keith Williams who averaged 15.0 points per game which ranks sixth in the conference. Junior guard David DeJulius ranks second in the league with 5.1 assists per contest.
• As a team, the Bearcats are fourth in The American in field goal percentage (.427), assists per game (14.9) and blocks per game (3.5), but they are last in 3-point field goal percentage (.284) and commit the most fouls per game (20.1) of any team in the league.
BY THE NUMBERS
• 48 – Tulane scored 48 second-half points at Wichita State on Feb. 3 which was a season-high. The Green Wave also scored 46 points in the second half of their two prior games against Houston (Jan. 28) and at Temple (Jan. 31).
• 81 – Tulane scored 81 points in its road win at Temple on Jan. 31 – the most the Green Wave have scored in a game this season. The last time the Wave scored more in a game that ended in regulation was Dec. 1, 2019 with 82 against Southern University.
• 217 – Tulane has made at least one 3-point field goal in 217 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.
LAST TIME THEY MET – JANUARY 4, 2020
Hightower scored a game-high 22 points and Christion Thompson added 20 more, as the Tulane men’s basketball team defeated Cincinnati, 76-71. Thompson grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and went 11-for-12 at the free throw line, while Kevin Zhang scored a season-high 15 points and went a perfect 5-for-5 beyond the 3-point line. The Green Wave also owned an 18-6 scoring advantage off turnovers. Chris Vogt led Cincinnati with 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting, while Keith Williams scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half.
AAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
• Tulane redshirt freshman forward Tylan Pope was named American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week by the league office on Monday, Feb. 1. Pope averaged 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting over 56 percent from the field in a 1-1 week for the Green Wave. He recorded his second double-double of the season by matching his personal best with 12 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and two blocks in Tulane’s 81-64 road win over Temple on Jan. 31. On Jan. 28, the Franklinton, Louisiana native tallied 12 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench against No. 6 Houston.
AAC WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
• Tulane sophomore Jaylen Forbes earned a spot on the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll three times this season on Nov. 30, Jan. 4 and Feb. 1. The first came after averaging 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in a a pair of wins over Lamar and Lipscomb. The second time came after his 20-point performance that led the Green Wave to a league home win over ECU. He then added his third honor after scoring a career-high 23 points in the win at Temple.
• Redshirt junior Jordan Walker earned his first Weekly Honor Roll nod of the season and third of his career on December 14. He averaged a team-leading 15 points per game on 50-percent shooting from the field while recording 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per contest in a 2-0 week for the Green Wave.
{Press release courtesy of Tulane Athletics}