Friday, December 20
Washington, D.C.
1:30 p.m.
Tulane University
vs
Akron
Photo by: Niamh Brennan
Men's Basketball Heads to DC Holiday Hoops Fest Tournament
Dec 19, 2019 | Men's Basketball
| GAME 11: TULANE Green Wave (8-2) vs. AKRON Zips (8-2) |
|
| Â When: | Â Friday, December 20 2019Â |Â 1:30 p.m. (CT) |
|  Where: |  Washington, D.C. | Entertainment and Sports Arena |
| Â Watch: | Â FloHoops |
| Â Commentators: | Â Chris Knoche (PxP) & Jeremy Huber (Color) |
|  Radio: |  1280 AM New Orleans |
| Â Radio Talent: | Â Andrew Allegretta (Play-By-Play) |
| Â Live Scoring: | |
|  Notes: |  Tulane | Akron | American Athletic Conference |
| Â Social Media:Â | Â @GreenWaveMBBÂ |
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane men's basketball team closes out its non-conference slate Dec. 20-21 on a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the 2019 D.C. Holiday Hoops Fest Tournament at Entertainment and Sports Arena. The Green Wave faces Akron on Friday at 1:30 p.m. (CT), before facing the winner or loser between Liberty and Towson at 11 a.m., or 1:30 p.m., on Saturday.
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The game will be streamed on FloHoops as Chris Knoche calls play-by-play action and Jeremy Huber delivers color analysis.
STARTING FIVE
1. Tulane plays the first of its final two non-conference games of the season against Akron, which represents the second and last opponent on the Green Wave's entire 2019-20 schedule that they have never faced in program history.
2. The Green Wave own a 3-2 record in games played outside their friendly confines this season, including 2-2 mark on neutral courts. The Wave have defeated Middle Tennessee and Utah on a neutral floor and Southern Miss in their only true road tilt.
3. On Monday night, Tulane trailed 50-48 with eight minutes remaining in the second half before ripping off a 13-1 scoring run to pull ahead for good and close out a 68-57 home win over Alcorn State. Teshaun Hightower led four Green Wave scorers in double-figures with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Nic Thomas chipped in 13 points off the bench, as Jordan Walker added 11 points and Christion Thompson contributed 10 more. The Wave won the turnover battle, 19-9, and outscored the Braves, 20-12, off turnovers.
4. Head coach Ron Hunter and Akron head coach John Groce will face off for the third time overall after splitting the first two meetings. Hunter led IUPUI over Ohio on the road in 2010 one year after Groce's Bobcats defeated Hunter's Panthers at home.
5. Tulane has won the turnover battle in nine of its 10 games this season and owns a 7-2 record in those contests. The Green Wave Wave are forcing opponents into 18.0 turnovers per game and own a +5.2 turnover margin which ranks 18th nationally.
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SCOUTING AKRON
• The Zips (8-2) enter Friday's matching riding a four-game winning streak after defeating Concord, 100-50, on Sunday.
• Akron owns a 7-0 record at home this season, but is just 1-2 on the road. The Zips share one common opponent in Southern, as they defeated the Jaguars, 72-57, at home on Dec. 8.
• Akron possesses four scorers averaging double-digits points, led by Tyler Cheese (15.4 PPG) and Loren Jackson (14.5). Xeryius Williams averages a double-double with 14.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, while Channel Banks is scoring 11.7 points per contest.
• The Zips rank sixth nationally in 3-point field goal defense (.243), 21st in rebounding (41.5), 23rd in scoring margin (+15.8), 24th in free throw percentage (.772), 29th in free throws made and 46th in scoring defense (61.9).
BY THE NUMBERS
• 4 – When Tulane has four scorers reach double-digit points, the Green Wave own an unblemished 6-0 record this season.Â
• 108 – In 10 games this season, Tulane has shot 108 more free throws than its opponents (223-113) for a +10.8 margin per game. The Green Wave are also converting at a 71.9 percent clip, while opponents are making just 61.9 percent of their attempts.
• 184 – Tulane has made at least one 3-point field goal in 184 consecutive games. The last time the Green Wave failed to do so came on Jan. 16, 2014 at home against Louisiana Tech when they went 0-for-14 from outside.
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The game will be streamed on FloHoops as Chris Knoche calls play-by-play action and Jeremy Huber delivers color analysis.
STARTING FIVE
1. Tulane plays the first of its final two non-conference games of the season against Akron, which represents the second and last opponent on the Green Wave's entire 2019-20 schedule that they have never faced in program history.
2. The Green Wave own a 3-2 record in games played outside their friendly confines this season, including 2-2 mark on neutral courts. The Wave have defeated Middle Tennessee and Utah on a neutral floor and Southern Miss in their only true road tilt.
3. On Monday night, Tulane trailed 50-48 with eight minutes remaining in the second half before ripping off a 13-1 scoring run to pull ahead for good and close out a 68-57 home win over Alcorn State. Teshaun Hightower led four Green Wave scorers in double-figures with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Nic Thomas chipped in 13 points off the bench, as Jordan Walker added 11 points and Christion Thompson contributed 10 more. The Wave won the turnover battle, 19-9, and outscored the Braves, 20-12, off turnovers.
4. Head coach Ron Hunter and Akron head coach John Groce will face off for the third time overall after splitting the first two meetings. Hunter led IUPUI over Ohio on the road in 2010 one year after Groce's Bobcats defeated Hunter's Panthers at home.
5. Tulane has won the turnover battle in nine of its 10 games this season and owns a 7-2 record in those contests. The Green Wave Wave are forcing opponents into 18.0 turnovers per game and own a +5.2 turnover margin which ranks 18th nationally.
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SCOUTING AKRON
• The Zips (8-2) enter Friday's matching riding a four-game winning streak after defeating Concord, 100-50, on Sunday.
• Akron owns a 7-0 record at home this season, but is just 1-2 on the road. The Zips share one common opponent in Southern, as they defeated the Jaguars, 72-57, at home on Dec. 8.
• Akron possesses four scorers averaging double-digits points, led by Tyler Cheese (15.4 PPG) and Loren Jackson (14.5). Xeryius Williams averages a double-double with 14.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, while Channel Banks is scoring 11.7 points per contest.
• The Zips rank sixth nationally in 3-point field goal defense (.243), 21st in rebounding (41.5), 23rd in scoring margin (+15.8), 24th in free throw percentage (.772), 29th in free throws made and 46th in scoring defense (61.9).
BY THE NUMBERS
• 4 – When Tulane has four scorers reach double-digit points, the Green Wave own an unblemished 6-0 record this season.Â
• 108 – In 10 games this season, Tulane has shot 108 more free throws than its opponents (223-113) for a +10.8 margin per game. The Green Wave are also converting at a 71.9 percent clip, while opponents are making just 61.9 percent of their attempts.
• 184 – Tulane has made at least one 3-point field goal in 184 consecutive games. The last time the Green Wave failed to do so came on Jan. 16, 2014 at home against Louisiana Tech when they went 0-for-14 from outside.
FEW FREEBIES
•  Tulane opponents are shooting just 11.3 free throws per game and making just 7.0 of those attempts so far this season.
•  On four occasions, opponents have attempted seven or fewer free throws in a game including Middle Tennessee (seven on Nov. 22), Southern Miss (four on Dec. 4), Saint Louis (seven on Dec. 8) and Alcorn State (four on Dec. 16).
•  Including those teams, seven Green Wave opponents have made eight or fewer free throws in a game along with Southeastern Louisiana (two on Nov. 6), Northwestern State (four on Nov. 16) and Utah (eight on Nov. 24).
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HUNTER WINS NO. 450
•   It took just five wins and six games for first-year head coach Ron Hunter to reach a new milestone, as he earned his 450th career win on November 24 against Utah at the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
•   In his 26th season as a head coach, Hunter ranks 35th nationally among active NCAA Division I head coaches and third in the American Athletic Conference behind only Houston's Kelvin Sampson (619) and Wichita State's Gregg Marshall (508).
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HISTORICAL WIN OVER PAC-12 FOE
•   In its 110th season sponsoring men's basketball, Tulane's November 24 game against Utah in Conway, S.C., was just its 20th against a Pac-12 Conference program.
•   The Green Wave's 65-61 victory over the Utes was their first over a Pac-12 team since defeating Stanford, 56-53, at home on Dec. 19, 1957.
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 nine schools nationally to have three of its four coaches currently or previously holding head-coaching titles, along with Pittsburgh (4), Iowa (4), Creighton (3), Michigan State (3), Minnesota (3), Oklahoma State (3), South Carolina (3) and Washington (3).
TULANE INKS TWO EARLY SIGNEES
•   Head coach Ron Hunter received two NLI's in the NCAA's Early Signing Period from Jadan Coleman (Madison, Ala.) and Sion James (Atlanta, Ga.) as part of his first signing class.
•    A 6'4 wing player, Coleman plays at Bob Jones High School. On the AAU trail, he averaged 9.7 points per game for the Alabama Fusion on the 2019 Nike EYBL circuit. He made 34 3-pointers in 13 games and set the EYBL record with 10 3-pointers made in a 36-point outburst against Team United.
•    A 6'5 guard from Lanier High School, James earned Region 8 Class 6A Player of the Year honors and received 2019 North Atlanta boys' all-state first team honors and all-county recognition after averaging 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game as a junior. He led the Longhorns to the Class 6A title and was a 2019 Gwinnett County All-Metro Second Team pick while being selected to the 2019 North Georgia All-Star Basketball Classic.
2020 PAC-12 CHINA GAME
• In an announcement on November 8, the Tulane University and University of Washington men's basketball programs will meet in Shanghai for the sixth edition of the Pac-12 China Game, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2020.
• Tulane possesses one of just five Chinese-born players in NCAA Division I for the 2019-20 campaign in Shenyang native Kevin Zhang. He is also the son of 1992 Olympic silver medalist and former China Women's National Team coach Wang Fang.
HUNTER WINS NO. 450
•   It took just five wins and six games for first-year head coach Ron Hunter to reach a new milestone, as he earned his 450th career win on November 24 against Utah at the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
•   In his 26th season as a head coach, Hunter ranks 35th nationally among active NCAA Division I head coaches and third in the American Athletic Conference behind only Houston's Kelvin Sampson (619) and Wichita State's Gregg Marshall (508).
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HISTORICAL WIN OVER PAC-12 FOE
•   In its 110th season sponsoring men's basketball, Tulane's November 24 game against Utah in Conway, S.C., was just its 20th against a Pac-12 Conference program.
•   The Green Wave's 65-61 victory over the Utes was their first over a Pac-12 team since defeating Stanford, 56-53, at home on Dec. 19, 1957.
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 nine schools nationally to have three of its four coaches currently or previously holding head-coaching titles, along with Pittsburgh (4), Iowa (4), Creighton (3), Michigan State (3), Minnesota (3), Oklahoma State (3), South Carolina (3) and Washington (3).
TULANE INKS TWO EARLY SIGNEES
•   Head coach Ron Hunter received two NLI's in the NCAA's Early Signing Period from Jadan Coleman (Madison, Ala.) and Sion James (Atlanta, Ga.) as part of his first signing class.
•    A 6'4 wing player, Coleman plays at Bob Jones High School. On the AAU trail, he averaged 9.7 points per game for the Alabama Fusion on the 2019 Nike EYBL circuit. He made 34 3-pointers in 13 games and set the EYBL record with 10 3-pointers made in a 36-point outburst against Team United.
•    A 6'5 guard from Lanier High School, James earned Region 8 Class 6A Player of the Year honors and received 2019 North Atlanta boys' all-state first team honors and all-county recognition after averaging 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game as a junior. He led the Longhorns to the Class 6A title and was a 2019 Gwinnett County All-Metro Second Team pick while being selected to the 2019 North Georgia All-Star Basketball Classic.
2020 PAC-12 CHINA GAME
• In an announcement on November 8, the Tulane University and University of Washington men's basketball programs will meet in Shanghai for the sixth edition of the Pac-12 China Game, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2020.
• Tulane possesses one of just five Chinese-born players in NCAA Division I for the 2019-20 campaign in Shenyang native Kevin Zhang. He is also the son of 1992 Olympic silver medalist and former China Women's National Team coach Wang Fang.
NEWCOMER RUNDOWN
Following a roster overhaul, Tulane enters the 2019-20 campaign tied for the sixth most newcomers nationally:
1. TCU 13
T2. Nebraska 12
T2. ECU 12
T2. Utah 12
T5. Tulane 11
T5. Austin Peay 11
T5. Cleveland State 11
T5. Long Beach State 11
T5. Navy 11
T5. Southern Miss 11
SMALL NUMBERS RETURN
•  Tulane returns just two scholarship players for the 2019-20 season in Kevin Zhang and Buay Koka. Zhang was the only Green Wave player to appear in the team's final 15 games of last season.Â
•  This season, Tulane is one of just six NCAA Division I teams returning less than 21 percent of their scoring while also bringing back less than 16 points per game. Among those teams, the Green Wave return the fewest in both categories:Â
1. Tulane (10.8 PPG, 12.2%)
2. Virginia Tech (13.3 PPG, 18.1%)
3. Washington (13.9 PPG, 19.8%)
4. UCF (14.5 PPG, 20.0%)
5. Long Beach State (15.2 PPG, 20.2%)
6. South Dakota State (15.8 PPG, 16.9%)
SEASON TICKETS
Fans can get their hands on season tickets starting at just $75 – a $50 reduction from last year. That means fans can lock up a seat for every home contest for as little as $5 each. Visit TulaneTix.com or call the ticket office at 504-861-9283 to reserve your seats.
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All sections are available for purchase so you can customize your viewing experience from your favorite seating location. Discounts are also available for Tulane faculty and staff.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For behind-the-scenes coverage, follow Tulane men's basketball (@GreenWaveMBB) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.Â
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WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
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