Green Wave Men Host No. 12 Kentucky on Tuesday Evening
Dec 9, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2002
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Tulane University will face its toughest challenge of the year to date on Tuesday evening, hosting 12th-ranked Kentucky in men's basketball action at the New Orleans Arena at 8 p.m.
Tickets for the game are available by visiting the Tulane Box Office or by calling 504-861-WAVE or by visiting any TicketMaster location.
The game will be broadcast live by ESPN. It will also be aired on the stations of the Tulane ISP Radio Network, including WTIX 690 AM and 94.3 FM in the greater New Orleans area, and via the internet by visiting www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
Tulane (3-4) will have its hands full on Tuesday night as Kentucky (4-1) comes to New Orleans fresh off an impressive 98-81 victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Saturday. That win vaulted the Wildcats from No. 18 in the national polls to its current perch of No. 12.
The Green Wave has dropped two straight games on the road as turnovers and poor shooting down the stretch has victimized the team.
"We have played very good defense over the last few games," Tulane coach Shawn Finney said. "Our inside players, Brandon Brown and Nick Sinville, have been solid offensively, but we need to get more consistent with our guards. We need to get our guys to not only score the basketball, but also value the ball, especially down the stretch."
Tulane turned the ball over a total of 39 times in the last two games, losses to New Orleans (80-67) and Vanderbilt (66-46). In the Vanderbilt game, the Wave shot just 32.8 percent from the field.
Brown continues to lead Tulane in scoring and rebounding with 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 55.1 percent from the field with 24 assists. Sinville is also connecting at an over 50-percent clip (.533), while averaging 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per outing.
Tulane's backcourt, which has been victimized by injuries to Waitari Marsh (missed four games with ankle injury), Wayne Tinsley (missed one game and much of preseason due to a knee injury) and Ben Benfield (two full games out with ankle injury), is led by senior Brandon Spann, who has 13.7 points per game and a team-high 25 assists.
Kentucky is led by senior swingman Keith Bogans, who is averaging a career-best 18.2 points per game while connecting on 56.9 percent of his shots. Gerald Fitch adds 15.8 points per game with 18 assists while big man Marquis Estill has 13.0 points per game.
In addition to the win over the Tarheels, the Wildcats have defeated Arizona State (82-65), Gonzaga (80-72) and High Point (84-64). Their lone loss came at the hands of Virginia (75-61).
"It is a great opportunity for us to host a team of the caliber of Kentucky," Finney said. "This is another chance to measure ourselves against one of the best teams in the country. They are playing very well right now, playing as a team, which makes them even tougher to stop."
Finney was an assistant coach under Kentucky mentor Tubby Smith for nine years before taking the Tulane head coaching position. Finney worked under Smith for three years at Kentucky, two at Georgia and four at Tulsa. During that time, those teams compiled a 210-85 (.712) record, with seven NCAA appearances and the 1998 NCAA Championship.
"It is going to be exciting for our team and for the fans," Finney continued. "But at the same time, it is difficult. It is always hard to go against a good friend. Somebody has to come out with a loss."
Following the Kentucky game, the Wave players have a nine-day break from games as they tackle Tulane's grueling final exams. The next game for Tulane will be Friday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. against Savannah State at Fogelman Arena.
