Tulane University
Memphis
Men's Basketball Hosts UConn on Senior Day in Regular-Season Finale
Mar 7, 2020 | Men's Basketball
| GAME 30: TULANE Green Wave (12-17, 4-13 AAC) vs. UCONN Huskies (18-12, 9-8 AAC) |
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| When: | Sunday, March 8, 2020 | 3 p.m. (CT) |
| Where: | New Orleans | Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse |
| Watch: | ESPNU | WatchESPN |
| Commentators: | Kevin Brown (Play-By-Play) and Reid Gettys (Color) |
| Radio: | 1280 AM New Orleans |
| Radio Talent: | Andrew Allegretta (Play-By-Play) |
| Live Scoring: | Statbroadcast |
| Notes: | Tulane | UConn | American Athletic Conference |
| Tickets: | Purchase Online |
| Social Media: | @GreenWaveMBB | #RollWave |
The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU, as Kevin Brown calls play-by-play action and Reid Gettys delivers color analysis.
GAME PROMOTIONS
» The first 200 students will receive FREE chicken fingers from Raising Canes!
» Senior Day festivities will begin with a pregame ceremony honoring Nic Thomas, K.J. Lawson and Christion Thompson at 2:40 p.m.!
STARTING FIVE
1. Tulane looks for its first all-time win against a resurgent UConn team in what will be the Huskies' final regular-season game as a member of the American Athletic Conference.
2. Sunday's game features The American's top teams in turnover margin this season, as Tulane ranks first (+4.4) and UConn stands third (+1.5). Christion Thompson is tied for third in steals per game (2.0), while Christian Vital sits atop the chart (2.5).
3. The Green Wave lead the conference in steals per game (8.6) turnovers per game (11.8) and turnover margin (+4.4), while standing second in 3-point field goal percentage (.335) and fewest fouls committed per game (15.5). The Green Wave rank in the top 100 nationally in each of those categories, while their average beyond the arc is the only one that ranks outside the top 50.
4. Last time out, graduate guard Christion Thompson scored a career-high 30 points, but Tulane dropped a 74-67 home contest in overtime to Memphis on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 3,023. Teshaun Hightower finished the game with 22 points, as Tulane forced Memphis into 24 turnovers and limited itself to just 10 miscues. The league's leading 3-point shooting team entering the game, the Green Wave shot just 4-for-32 (.125) beyond the arc. Precious Achiuwa led the Tigers with 22 points, 22 rebounds and five blocks.
5. Tulane has committed fewer or an equal number of turnovers to its opponent in 27 of its 29 games this season. The Green Wave Wave are forcing teams into 16.2 turnovers per game and own a +4.4 turnover margin which ranks 12th nationally.
SCOUTING UCONN
• The Huskies (18-12, 9-8 AAC) enter Sunday's game with four straight wins and five victories in their last six games following a 77-71 home win over Houston on Thursday night in Storrs, Conn.
• UConn owns a 14-3 record on its home court, but is just 2-7 in true road games and a combined 4-9 in games played away from its friendly confines.
• The Huskies rank second in the conference in free throw percentage (.742) and blocks per game (5.9), while their blocks also stand seventh nationally. They are also third in scoring (72.6 PPG), and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (.326), rebounds per game (37.8) and scoring margin (+5.9).
• UConn is led by Christian Vital's 16.0 points per game, which rank fourth in the league, while his 2.5 steals per contest rank first and his 6.3 rebounds per outing are 10th. Alterique Gilbert is fifth in assists per game (3.8), while James Bouknight's 46.8 percent field goal clip is ninth-best.
GREEN WAVE-HUSKIES CONNECTIONS
» Tulane graduate transfer Christion Thompson signed with Rhode Island out of high school and spent three years (lettered two seasons) playing under current UConn head coach Dan Hurley.
» Tulane junior Teshaun Hightower and UConn redshirt junior Alterique Gilbert were teammates as eighth graders on Lithonia Middle School's 2012 DeKalb County Middle School Boys Basketball Championship team in Georgia.
» Tulane redshirt sophomore Jordan Walker and UConn redshirt sophomore Sidney Wilson are extremely close friends and leaders in the New York basketball community as members of the "Jelly Fam." Iona's Isaiah Washington is also part of the group that still enjoys a large social media following.
» Jordan Walker and UConn freshman Richie Springs were AAU teammates for the New York Lightning on the Nike EYBL circuit.
LAST TIME THEY MET: JANUARY 8, 2020
Teshaun Hightower scored 17 points with five rebounds, as K.J Lawson added 16 more and made all three of his 3-point attempts, but UConn held on for a 67-61 home win in Storrs. Christion Thompson grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and dished out four assists. Tyler Polley led four UConn scorers in double-figures with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Christian Vital added 14 points and eight boards. Tulane trailed by as many as 13, but drew within as few as four in the final minute.
BY THE NUMBERS
• 33 – Teshaun Hightower scored 33 points against Towson on Dec. 21 in Washington, D.C., the most points scored in a single game by any player in The American this season.
• 43 – Tulane attempted 43 free throws in its 80-72 home win over SMU on Feb. 19, marking the first time the Green Wave shot over 40 in a game since having exactly 40 against Colgate on Nov. 26, 2013.
• 203 – Tulane has made at least one 3-point field goal in 203 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.
MINUTES MONSTERS
• Playing primarily with an eight-man rotation, Tulane's starters are seeing more court time than any team in The American Athletic Conference this season.
• K.J. Lawson (36.1), Teshaun Hightower (34.2) and Christion Thompson (33.8) currently and rank first, fifth and sixth among all players in The American in minutes played.
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).
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.
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.
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.
