Tulane Men’s Basketball Travels North to Wichita State on Wednesday

NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University men's basketball team returns to action on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT, as it faces off against the Wichita State Shockers for an American Athletic Conference matchup.

The Green Wave's matchup with WSU will be aired live on ESPN+. Fans can watch the game live by CLICKING HERE. Fans also can listen to the game live on the radio by tuning into 104.1 The Spot or by CLICKING HERE. Tulane's "Voice of the Green Wave" Corey Gloor will call the action live.

STARTING FIVE
1. Tulane's road trip to Wichita State will mark just the fifth visit to WSU in program history. The game will be held inside Wichita State's Charles Koch Arena.
2. The Green Wave enters their meeting with WSU in the hopes of continuing their momentum following a 68-54 victory this past Saturday at home against USF. The Green Wave will look to improve to 4-1 in league play for the first time ever since joining the American Athletic Conference for the start of the 2014-15 campaign.
3. Prior to its meeting with Memphis, Tulane had each of its three previous games (at Texas A&M - Dec. 14; vs. Grambling - Dec. 18; New Orleans - Dec. 21) cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols.
4. This season, head coach Ron Hunter's staff welcomes back six letterwinners, six newcomers and three starters, including preseason All-American Athletic Conference honoree Jaylen Forbes. Forbes is one of three players on the team, averaging 10-or-more points per game. Freshman Jalen Cook leads the team with 19.4 points per game - a figure that ranks second in the American Athletic Conference. As a team, Tulane is averaging 73.0 points per game and connecting at a 44.4 percent clip.
5.   The Green Wave have won the turnover battle in 10 of their 13 games this season. During the 2020-21 campaign, Tulane won the turnover battle in 19 of its 23 contests last season while also forcing opponents into at least 15 mishaps on 11 occasions. During the 2019-20 campaign, 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).

TULANE BY THE NUMBERS
239 - Tulane has made at least one 3-point field goal in 239 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.

54.7 - Forward Kevin Cross leads the American Athletic Conference in field goal percentage connecting at a 54.7 percent rate from the floor.

35.2 - Jaylen Forbes' 35.2 minutes per game lead the AAC.

9 - Tulane's meeting with Wichita State marks the ninth opponent the Green Wave have faced this season that has a .500 record or better.

1 - Tulane's 36.7 shooting percentage from 3-point range is tied for the lead in the American.

WITH A WIN OVER WICHITA STATE...
• Tulane would improve to 4-1 at home for the first time ever in American Athletic Conference play.
• The Green Wave would capture their first ever win over Wichita State.
• Tulane would capture its second road win in league play.
• The Green Wave would get back to .500 on the year.
• Head coach Ron Hunter would collect his first career win vs. Wichita State.

THE SERIES
• Tulane's matchup with Wichita State will mark the seventh all-time meeting between the two teams.
• The two teams met for the first time in program history back on Feb. 21, 2018. In that game, the Green Wave dropped a 93-86 decision to the Shockers.
• Green Wave head coach Ron Hunter is 0-3 all-time against WSU.

THE OPPONENT - WICHITA STATE
• The Shockers enter their matchup with Tulane after they suffered a 76-66 setback to Houston this past Saturday on the road.
• Tyson Etienne (11 points) and Dexter Dennis (10) paced the Shockers (9-5, 0-2) in their last outing at Houston.
• With the loss, Wichita State saw their four-game true road winning streak snapped.
• Etienne, who is in his fourth year at WSU, is averaging a team-best 14.6 points per game. In the preseason, he was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year in the AAC.
• The Shockers return four of program's the top-five scorers from last year's team that won the league's 2020-21 regular season title.
• As a team, WSU ranks fourth in the American in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 63.3 points per game. Offensively, the Shockers' 68.6 points per game ranks ninth in the league.
• The Shockers have proven to be able to defend the 3-point shot well throughout the year, as they are holding opponents to just 28.6 percent from long range - a figure that leads the AAC and ranks 29th nationally.
• Head coach Isaac Brown is in his second year on the bench for the Shockers. WSU is the first school in which Brown has served as a head coach. Last season, Brown guided the Shockers to a 16-6 record (11-2 AAC) and a First Four appearance while serving as the program's interim leader.
• WSU was picked to finish fourth in the AAC Preseason Poll.

LAST TIME OUT: Tulane Downs USF
• The Tulane University men's basketball team continued its strong play in conference action, as it picked up a 68-54 win over the University of South Florida Saturday afternoon inside the Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
• With the win, Tulane improved to 3-1 in American Athletic Conference action and 6-7 overall. The Green Wave's 3-1 mark to open league play is the team's best start since the 2014-15 campaign.
• Tulane's win over USF moved the Green Wave to 2-0 at home in league play for the first time ever.
• The Green Wave never trailed in the game and led for over 37 minutes in the contest. Tulane once again featured a balanced offensive attack, as three players scored in double figures.
• Sophomores R.J. McGee, Kevin Cross and freshman Jalen Cook all finished with 17 points apiece. McGee's 17 points were a career high, as he made his second start of the season. McGee and Cross also finished with eight rebounds apiece.

Tulane Men's Basketball Takes Down Cincinnati on the Road, 68-60
• The Tulane University men's basketball team opened 2022 on a high note, as it picked up a hard fought 68-60 win over the University of Cincinnati on Jan. 1 inside Fifth Third Arena.
• With the win, Tulane improved to 2-0 to start league play for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign. The Green Wave's win at Cincinnati was Tulane's first since a 50-49 win over the Bearcats back in 2015.
• The win also served as Tulane's largest margin of victory at Cincinnati since the Green Wave defeated the Bearcats 70-59 back on Feb. 23, 1991.
• Freshman guard Jalen Cook scored 20-or-more points for the fifth time this season, as he netted a game-high 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting. He also drilled three 3-pointers. Joining Cook in double figures were teammates Jaylen Forbes and Kevin Cross, as they finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
• Tulane finished the night by shooting 38 percent as a team and finished with just 10 turnovers which equaled Cincinnati's 10 miscues.
• The Green Wave never lost the lead in the second half and led by double digits for 29 of the game's 40 minutes.

Green Wave Shine in AAC Opener Against Memphis
• The Tulane University men's basketball team opened American Athletic Conference play in the win column as it defeated Memphis 85-84 on Dec. 29 inside the Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
• With the victory, the Green Wave snapped a 12-game losing skid to the Tigers. The Wave's last win over Memphis was on February 13, 2016.
• The Tulane offense was in rhythm on its home floor as it shot 55 percent from the field and shot a scorching 45 percent from beyond the arc. The Green Wave also dominated the paint outscoring the Tigers 42-32 around the rim.
• Four players finished in double figures for the Green Wave as freshman Jalen Cook led all scorers with 25 points. This marks the fourth time this season Cook has reached the 20-point plateau. Kevin Cross followed with 15 points while Sion James and R.J. McGee rounded out the top scorers for Tulane with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
• On the defensive end, Tulane forced the Tigers into 15 turnovers and 10 steals. The Green Wave converted those Memphis turnovers into 21 points on the other end of the floor.
• The Green Wave had three-or-more players score in double figures for the eighth time this year.
• Six of the opponents the Green Wave have faced this season have had winning records.

MILESTONE WATCH
• Sophomore Jaylen Forbes needs 26 points to reach 600 career points at Tulane.
• Senior Scott Spencer needs 43 points for 500 in his career.
• Senior DeVon Baker needs 48 points to reach 1,200 in his career.

COOK MAKES IMMEDIATE IMPACT
• Freshman Jalen Cook has been named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll twice this season, earning a spot on Nov. 15 and Nov. 22. Most recently, Cook was selected as the AAC Player of the Week and Louisiana Sports Writers Association Player of the Week on Jan. 3.
• Cook currently ranks second in the American Athletic Conference with 19.4 points per game.
• Cook shined at home in the Green Wave's league opener, as he poured in 25 points against Memphis.
• In his last outing, Cook was scored 17 points against USF.
• Earlier this year, Cook was selected to the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship All-Tournament Team.

FORBES' THE FLAMETHROWER
• In his two outings from Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, sophomore Jaylen Forbes averaged 22.5 points per game, a figure which ranked second in the American Athletic Conference. On Dec. 6, Forbes was selected to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll.
• Forbes currently leads the American in minutes played, averaging 35.1 per game.
• Forbes poured in 24 points in an overtime loss at ECU.
• Earlier this season against Drexel, Forbes poured in a season-high 30 points in the Green Wave's 90-87 win.
• Last season, he poured in a career-high 37 points on 9-of-15 shooting and made his first seven attempts from 3-point range while going 12-of-15 at the free throw line at Cincinnati on Feb. 26, 2021. The Florence, Mississippi, native's 37 points are the most by a Green Wave player in a regulation game since Jerald Honeycutt had 38 against Xavier on Jan. 16, 1997.
• His seven treys are tied for the second most in a single game in program history with Cameron Reynolds being the last to make seven against Alcorn State in November 2017.

UP NEXT
• Tulane returns to action on Saturday (Jan. 15) where it will welcome SMU. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be aired live on ESPN+.

Tulane Men’s Basketball Travels North to Wichita State on Wednesday

Players Mentioned

DeVon Baker

Jalen Cook

Kevin Cross

Jaylen Forbes

Sion James

R.J. McGee

Scott Spencer

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