Tulane Hosts Jackson State
Dec 22, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2002
Tulane (3-5, 0-0 C-USA)
vs.
Jackson State (1-7)
Monday, December 23, 2002 ~ 7 p.m. (Central)
New Orleans, La. ~ Fogelman Arena
Official Jackson State Athletics Website
Green Wave Facts
2002-03 Record: 4-5
2001-02 Record: 14-15
2001-02 C-USA Record: 5-11
Head Coach: Shawn Finney
Alma Mater/Year: Fairmont St/1985
Record at Tulane/Year: 27-41/3rd
Overall Record/Years: Same
President: Scott Cowen
Athletic Director: Rick Dickson
Basketball SID: John Sudsbury
Direct Phone: 504-314-7271
SID Fax: 504-865-5512
SID E-Mail: jsudsbu@tulane.edu
Ticket Office Phone: 504-861-WAVE
RADIO:
New Orleans, WTIX-AM, 690
Northshore, WJSH-FM, 104.7
Baton Rouge, WSKR-AM, 1210
Lafayette, KROF-AM, 960
TELEVISION: None
CATCH THE WAVE
Tulane returned from a nine-day exam break on Friday and cruised to a convincing 103-47 victory over Savannah State at Fogelman. Tonight's contest features Jackson State, which played at Louisiana Tech on Saturday evening.
JACKSON STATE
The Tigers visit Fogelman Arena with a 1-7 record. After dropping its first five games against a brutal schedule (Arkansas, Southern Miss, UNO, Iowa State, Mississippi State; all on the road), Jackson State earned a 63-57 victory over Utah State at home, before falling to Stephen F. Austin and Louisiana Tech on the road. Senior Cliff Walker, a 6-5 forward, leads the way for JSU with 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, however, Walker has missed the last two games due to an injured hand. Forward Tim Henderson has 11.2 points per game.
HISTORY LESSON
Tulane and Jackson State have played just one other time in history, exactly 10 years ago as the Tigers upset the Green Wave, 92-84 on Dec. 23, 1982 in Fogelman Arena. Jackson State was led by current NBA standout Lindsey Hunter's 28 points. Following the loss, the Wave went on to win 11 straight games and 15 of 16 on route to its second NCAA Tournament appearance.
SHUTTING DOWN SAVANNAH
Tulane played its most complete game of the year on Friday, exploding for 103 points while holding Savannah State to just 47 points in a blowout victory in which no player saw more than 20 minutes of action. Tulane shot 51.6 percent from the field while holding the Tigers to 30 percent. Freshman Vytautas Tatarunas led the Wave with 18 points while sophomore Ben Benfield added a career-best 17 points.
Savannah State Story and Stats
IN THE RECORD BOOK
The Green Wave dented the record books on Friday against Savannah State. Tulane's 13 three-pointers established a new school record, topping the mark of 12 set in 1997 against UAB and matched in 1998 against Stetson. The 103 points by the Wave was its most since Nov. 29, 1997, a 104-73 win over Southeastern Louisiana. The 56-point margin of victory is the third-most all-time by the Wave; the record is a 122-58 (64 points) shellacking of Prairie View A&M on Dec. 3, 1994.
TIGER TIME
Jackson State marks the Green Wave's second game in a row against "Tigers" with one more to come on Saturday with LSU. The Savannah State Tigers opened the stretch on Friday. The LSU game on Dec. 28 will take place in the New Orleans Arena as part of the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic Doubleheader. Oklahoma and Mississippi State meet in the other contest of the day.
RIVALRY RETURNS
Tulane and LSU will meet on the hardwood for the first time in 20 years this season. The Green Wave and the Tigers will play as part of the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic on Dec. 28th at the New Orleans Arena. Game time is 2:30 p.m. and the renewed rivalry will be broadcast nationally on Fox Sports Net. The last meeting was an 83-72 victory by Tulane in the first round of the 1982 NIT Tournament in Baton Rouge.
IN THE ARENA
The Kentucky game was Tulane's 16th game in the New Orleans Arena, but the first of the 2002-03 season. It was also the first Arena game since the arrival of the NBA's Hornets. The Green Wave now has an 8-8 record in its downtown home.
VEE IS FOR VICTORY
Vytautas Tatarunas scored his first career points on a pair of first half free throws against Savannah State. Apparently he enjoyed the feeling. The freshman continued to score, finishing with a game-high 18 points. In addition to four free throws and two three-pointers, the 6-7, 242-pounder added a monster slam dunk and three more buckets. He also had four rebounds in his 16 minutes of action. To save trouble saying his name (pronounced VIH-tot-us), follow his teammates lead and call him "Vee" as in the letter. Tatarunas, who played for two years of high school in Virginia, is known by VEE-tis to his family back home in Lithuania. Due to NCAA rules regarding playing with professional players as a junior player in Europe, the rookie had to sit out his first six games. He saw his first career action with five scoreless minutes against Kentucky.
THE MAGIC 70 WORKS AGAIN
Tulane continues to excel when reaching the 70-point mark in games. In all four of its wins this year, the Wave has scored over 70 points. On the flip side, in all five of its losses, Tulane has been below 70. Last year, when scoring 70 or more points, the Green Wave posted a 12-4 record. However, in games where points were more scarce, the team record was just 2-11.
A LITTLE HEALTH GOES A LONG WAY
For the first time all year, the Green Wave was at full health for a game on Friday against Savannah State. And it showed with a 103-point explosion. After losing just one full game last year to injury (Nick Sinville missed the entire TCU game with an ankle injury), the Green Wave has suffered through eight games lost to injury in 2002-03: Ben Benfield, Waitari Marsh, George Brown and Wayne Tinsley all missed entire games through the first eight games of the year. Benfield was back to full health for the first time on Friday after a sprained ankle had hampered him -- he responded with a career-high 17 points in the Wave win.
FREE THROWS WIN BALL GAMES
Tulane is proving the adage true in two ways this season. In its four victories, the Wave has connected on 69.4 percent (59-of-85) of its free throws while in its five losses that percentage drops to 57.9 percent (44-of-76). However, the Wave is also playing poor "free-throw defense." While not a true stat, as there is obviously no defense on free throws, Tulane's opponents are connecting on 79.8 percent (79-of-99) of their free throws when beating the Wave, but shooting just 57.4 percent (31-of-54) from the line when losing to Tulane.
MILESTONES
Senior Brandon Brown became the 17th player in school history to record 500 career rebounds with his fourth board against Savannah State. The senior, who leads the Wave in scoring, rebounding, steals, minutes and field-goal percentage, now has 503 boards to rank 17th all-time. In addition, Brown needs just 67 points to become the 26th 1,000-point scorer in school history. While his scoring and rebounding has been expected, the senior's 27 assists (second on the team) have been a bit of a surprise. Last year, Brown had a TOTAL of just 43 assists.
ONE THOUSAND POINTS
Brandon Spann, who entered the season needing 50 points for 1,000 in his career, reached that impressive milestone in the first half of the UCF game with a free throw with 6:36 to go. He now has 1,069 career points, 21st all-time at Tulane. The New Orleans native leads the team in assists (31) and is second in scoring (13.2 ppg).
JUST CALL HIM EVEN
Junior Ivan Pjevcevic has been a major surprise for the Wave this year, averaging 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds after averaging 1.6 and 1.0 in his first two years. The 6-11 shooter's last name may be a mouthful (pee-EV-cha-vich), so just remember his first name is pronounced EE-ven, as in Even and Odd, and not EYE-van. Ivan tallied career bests of 15 points and six rebounds against Southeast Missouri; he had established a career-high with 12 points against Maine.
PARKER UPS HIS PLAY
Senior Byron Parker has stepped up his play this season. After averaging just 6.1 minutes last season, he is currently playing 15.8 minutes per game in 2002-03. The juco transfer is second on the team in blocks (6) and tied for second in steals with 13. He has established new career highs in nearly every category, but his biggest contribution may be his high energy defense. Against Savannah State on Friday, Parker added more career-bests with six rebounds and five assists in the Wave win. He had a career-high seven points vs. Loyola.
BIG EASY CLASSICS
New Orleans fans have the opportunity to catch the Wave 21 times without leaving the city this season. In addition to 18 Fogelman Arena games (including two exhibitions), two games will be played at the New Orleans Arena and one will be played on the road at Lakefront Arena.
WINNING WILDCATS
Tulane had its hands full on Dec. 10 with 12th-ranked Kentucky visiting the New Orleans Arena. The Wildcats topped the Wave 76-60 behind a deadly inside-outside attack. Its mammoth frontline started things and swingman Keith Bogans (21 points, 5-for-5 three-pointers) finished them for UK. The Wave was led by Waitari Marsh, who scored a season-high 19 points, including a career-best five three-pointers.
SHOOTING SLUMP
Tulane went ice cold from the floor against Vanderbilt on Dec. 7, connecting on just 32.8 percent of its shots. Despite playing solid defense (Vandy shot 43.3 percent), the Wave lost by 20 points, 66-46. A second-half rally cut the deficit to six at 48-42, but the Commodores closed the night with an 18-4 run. Brandon Brown was the lone Wave player in double figures with 13 points. He also added nine rebounds.
UNO RECAP
UNO jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead on Dec. 5 and the held off numerous Green wave rallies on route to an 80-67 victory. Tulane was victimized by 38.9 percent (7-of-18) shooting from the free throw line and 22 turnovers. Brandon Spann tallied 15 points to lead the Wave, while Brandon Brown logged a 14-point evening. Nick Sinville and Waitari Marsh each had 11 points in the loss.
UNIVERSITY HOOPS CLASSIC
Tulane had a strong showing at the University Hoops Classic over Thanksgiving weekend at Fogelman Arena. The Wave finished third place in an event, which was won by UCF on a last second shot. Brandon Brown and Brandon Spann both earned all-tournament honors as Brown averaged 18.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 69 percent from the field. Spann, meanwhile, had 16.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. Junior Ivan Pjevcevic also had a strong tourney, twice establishing career-highs and averaging 10.7 points per game, including 6-of-9 three-point shooting in the three games.
THE SEMO GAME - DECEMBER 1
The Green Wave played perhaps its best game of the year on Dec. 1, cruising to an 81-60 victory over Southeast Missouri to claim third place at the University Hoops Classic. Brandon Brown scored 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting and added nine rebounds in the victory, while Brandon Spann had 14 points and nine assists and junior Ivan Pjevcevic scored a career-high 15 points. The Wave nailed 64.2 percent of its shots, while holding the Indians to 43.6 percent shooting.
THE UCF GAME - NOVEMBER 29
A lack of offensive rhythm continued to plague the Green Wave, which fell, 66-61, to UCF on Nov. 29 in round two of the University Hoops Classic. Tulane shot just 37.3 percent from the field overall and 31.8 percent in the first half. Tulane used an early second half run to take its first lead of the game at 41-39, but then went over six minutes without a point as the Golden Knights scored just enough to take charge of the contest. Brandon Brown and Brandon Spann each had 17 points and five assists, while Brown added a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Ben Benfield scored a career-high 13 points.
THE MAINE GAME - NOVEMBER 28
Tulane took advantage of its size and power on Thanksgiving Day in its opener at the University Hoops Classic with an 84-65 victory over Maine. The Wave dominated in the paint and out-rebounded the Black Bears, 44-26, to offset 12 three-points by the foe. Maine attempted just 18 shots from inside the arc (37 from downtown). Brandon Brown tallied his first double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Brandon Spann had 18 and Nick Sinville scored 17.
BRAGGING RIGHTS
Tulane and Loyola met for the third straight year to battle for Uptown bragging rights on Nov. 25 at Fogelman Arena. The Green Wave struggled with the tenacious Wolfpack, but still managed to earn a 74-58 victory. Brandon Brown and Nick Sinville each tallied 16 points, while Brandon Spann added 15. The Wave held Loyola to just 35.5 percent shooting.
DO IT AGAIN?
Senior big man Brandon Brown made a huge jump last season, from blue-collar workhorse to C-USA star. Brown led the Green Wave with 14.8 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game while connecting on 55.3 percent of his field-goal attempts. As a sophomore, the 6-8 Louisiana native averaged 11.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
HOME COOKIN'
The Green Wave has four players from the state of Louisiana, including three members of its starting lineup. Brandon Spann is a New Orleans native who attended Jesuit High School, located less than three miles from Fogelman Arena. Spann's older brother, Tookie, played baseball and football at Tulane from 1985-87. Brandon Brown is from Houma, located 60 miles southwest of New Orleans; Nick Sinville's hometown of Shreveport is 340 miles northwest of the Big Easy. The other Bayou State product is Ben Benfield, who is from River Ridge, a New Orleans suburb.
GREAT RATES
In the latest graduation rates figures released by the NCAA, Tulane once again ranks among the national leaders in terms of graduating its student-athletes, and also its men's basketball players. In fact, Tulane's graduation rate of 64% for the four-class average ranks it second among Conference USA programs. The Wave's 100% number for the 1995-96 cohort alone matches two other C-USA schools. The Green Wave's graduation rate of 78% for all student-athletes was 12th nationally and ranked ahead of all other Louisiana and Conference USA schools.
COACHES POLL
Tulane was selected No. 2 in the National Division in a preseason poll of Conference USA Coaches. The Green Wave is behind only Memphis, while Cincinnati was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the American Division and overall.
CONFERENCE USA COACHES PRESEASON POLL
NATIONAL
1. Memphis
2. Tulane
3. Houston
4. TCU
5. South Florida
6. Southern Miss
7. UAB
AMERICAN
1. Cincinnati
2. Marquette
3. Louisville
4. Charlotte
5. Saint Louis
6. East Carolina
7. DePaul
PRESEASON RANKINGS
Tulane has been picked anywhere from second to fourth in the National Division of Conference USA by various publications. Street & Smith's and Basketball Times both selected the Green Wave as the second place team behind Memphis in the division. Athlon's and Blue Ribbon Basketball rank the Wave third and The Sporting News and Lindy's tab Tulane as No. 4.
