Tulane Meets Memphis to Open American Championship Wednesday

NEW ORLEANS – Nine seed Tulane University men's basketball opens the 2026 American Conference Championship against eight seed Memphis in the first round at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, on Wednesday. The Green Wave will look to advance to the second round of the tournament to face five seed Charlotte on Thursday night, March 12.

The game between the Wave and the Tigers is set to tipoff at 6 p.m. on ESPNEWS. Fans can also listen to the action live on the Tulane Sports Network from Learfield on 106.7 The Ticket with the Voice of the Green Wave Corey Gloor or streaming on the Tulane Athletics App and The Varsity Network App.

This marks the third meeting this season and the 82nd all-time between Tulane and Memphis with the Green Wave trailing the series 16-65. The Wave and the Tigers split the regular season series with each team earning a victory on the road. Tulane defeated the Tigers 78-76 in the first meeting of the year in Memphis on February 1. Memphis returned the favor against the Wave in the regular season finale in New Orleans as Tulane lost 95-96 in overtime on March 8. The Green Wave has never beaten the Tigers in a neutral site contest holding an 0-5 record in those games including a 77-78 loss in the American Championship semifinals last season on March 15 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Wave holds a 6-10 record in the American Conference Championships including a 2-4 mark in the first round of the tournament. The Wave has reached at least the second round of the tournament nine times in 10 total appearances. The last time the Green Wave competed in the first round was 2021 when it earned a 77-70 victory over Tulsa. In the American Championships last season Tulane went 1-1 reaching the semifinals for the fourth time since joining the conference.

In its last time out, Tulane dropped a heartbreaking overtime battle against Memphis 95-96 in the regular season finale on March 8. The Green Wave erased a nine-point deficit in the final 1:49 of regulation to force overtime, but the Tigers got the final say at the free throw line in the extra period. Five players scored in double figures for the Wave led by Rowan Brumbaugh with 31 points and Asher Woods with 21.

The Green Wave backcourt duo of Brumbaugh and Woods each earned American Conference postseason honors this season. Brumbaugh was named All-Conference Second Team after leading the Green Wave in scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals. Woods earned the Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award for best exemplifying the qualities of sportsmanship, fair play and leadership.

Memphis enters the game as the nine seed in the tournament with a 13-18 record overall and an 8-10 mark in league play. The Tigers hold a 12-8 record in the American Championship with two tournament titles.

Defensively, the Tigers lead the conference in three-point percentage defense holding opponents to 30.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc and rank second in the league in field goal percentage defense limiting teams to 42.4 percent overall. Meanwhile, on offense Memphis leads the league in bench points averaging 32.06 per game which ranks 16th in the nation.

With a win over the Tigers, Tulane advance to the second round of the American Championship to face five seed Charlotte on Thursday, March 12. The second-round matchup will tipoff at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.

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Tulane Meets Memphis to Open American Championship Wednesday

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Players Mentioned

Rowan Brumbaugh

Asher Woods

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