NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane men’s basketball team closes out its non-conference slate and a six-game homestand against Grambling State on Saturday, December 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ as Jack Benjamin delivers play-by-play of all the action and David Grubb provides color analysis.
STARTING FIVE
1. Tulane prepares for its final non-conference game of the season against Grambling State – an in-state foe it has faced just once in program history with the lone meeting occurring just shy of 12 years ago.
2. Tulane is coming off its first setback of the season in its American Athletic Conference opener against Memphis on Wednesday evening. Four Green Wave players scored in double-figures, led by Gabe Watson’s 18 points and five rebounds off the bench. Jordan Walker added 16 points and four assists, Jaylen Forbes has 15 points and Kevin Cross scored in double-figures for the first time on the year with 12 points, five boards and a pair of blocks. 3. The Green Wave shot 24-of-59 (.407) from the field and 19-of-23 (.826) at the free throw line while outscoring the Tigers, 15-11, off turnovers and 15-7 on fast breaks. Memphis won the rebounding battle, 44-33, and shot 15-of-26 (.577) overall in the second half to preserve the win.
3. Tulane has won the turnover battle in four of its first five contests this season while also forcing opponents into at least 15 mishaps on four 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 15 times in his career, and the Green Wave own a 9-6 record when he compiles at least 10 points. Tulane is 5-1 when he hands out at least five assists.
TULANE-GRAMBLING STATE CONNECTIONS
» Tulane sophomore forward Nobal Days once played in a fall league for high school against Grambling guard Dwayne Walker. Both are from the Milwaukee area in Wisconsin.
» Nobal Days and Grambling State’s senior guard Trevell Cunningham played for the same AAU program, Playground Elite, in Wisconsin. Cunningham is two years older than Days, as Days played on the younger team within the program.
SCOUTING GRAMBLING STATE
• The Tigers (2-3) enter Saturday’s matchup coming off a 78-61 road win at UL Monroe on Wednesday evening.
• Grambling is led by Cameron Christion’s 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while Cameron Woodall is also averaging double-figures with 10.6 points per contest.
• The Tigers were picked to finish sixth out of 10 teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Preseason Poll.
BY THE NUMBERS
• 29 – As of December 17, Tulane ranks No. 29 nationally in scoring defense. The Green Wave are holding opponents to just 59.4 points per game through their first four games this season
• 209 – Tulane has made at least one 3-point field goal in 209 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 – DECEMBER 29, 2008
Junior Asim McQueen led three Tulane players into double figures with 14 points and the Green Wave defense held Grambling State scoreless for over nine minutes and to just two field goals during the final 13:45 of the second half en route to a 72-37 victory in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Tulane offense was clicking on all cylinders chalking up 24 assists on its 28 total field goals, while committing just 10 turnovers. The Green Wave defense grabbed 26 defensive rebounds en route to out-rebounding GSU, 39-32, forced 23 turnovers, including 12 steals, and held the Tigers to 30.8 percent from the field for the game with just a single trey.
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.
AAC WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
• Tulane sophomore Jaylen Forbes earned a spot on the first American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll on Nov. 30 after averaging 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in a a pair of wins over Lamar and Lipscomb. Additionally, he averaged four made 3-pointers made per game and converted at a 47 percent clip from beyond the arc.
• 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.
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}