Tulane Green Wave Men’s Basketball Controls AAC Tournament Destiny
The Tulane Green Wave were lucky to escape Devlin Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon with a victory against the Rice Owls.
A back-and-forth game throughout, some late-game heroics from Rowan Brumbaugh, Gregg Glenn III and Asher Woods saved the team from what would have been an incredibly disappointing loss.
With 33 seconds remaining in the game, Brumbaugh knocked down two free throws to tie the game. On the ensuing defensive possession, Glenn blocked a shot, secured the rebound and pushed the ball up the court to Woods.
He dribbled into a 3-point attempt and knocked down a buzzer-beater to send the fans home happy with an 81-78 victory.
That win improved the Green Wave’s record to 14-11 overall and 8-4 in AAC play.
It helped keep them in a tie for fourth place in the conference with the Florida Atlantic Owls. Courtesy of a head-to-head victory on Jan. 15, Tulane holds the tiebreaker over Florida Atlantic.
This means, that had the regular season ended this weekend, it would be the Green Wave receiving a double bye in the conference tournament, going directly into the quarterfinals.
“We knew how big this was,” Tulane coach Ron Hunter said, via Guerry Smith of NOLA.com. “This was a big game for us. We know what’s in front of us, and we don’t have to scoreboard watch. What we need to do is just win the games ahead of us.”
Brumbaugh has set the tone, saying the team’s goal is to win the league. But at the very least, they should be aiming for a top-four seed and the double-bye.
Luckily for Tulane, as Hunter hinted at with his comments, they don’t have to rely on anyone else to accomplish that feat. They control their own destiny and just have to handle business on the court.
With six games remaining in the season, things are lining up well for the Green Wave.
They have three games at home against the East Carolina Pirates, Charlotte 49ers and UAB Blazers. On the road, they will face off against the Wichita State Shockers, Tulsa Golden Hurricanes and East Carolina.
Wichita State, Charlotte and Tulsa are all under the .500 mark in AAC play this season. East Carolina is 7-6 and the Blazers are 8-3.
That final regular season game against the Blazers could have major seeding implications as UAB currently leads Tulane by a half-game in the standings and won their first matchup of the season.
Of course, for that game to matter, Hunter’s squad has to continue playing at a high level and racking up victories. Only 2.5 games behind the first-place Memphis Tigers, nothing is set in stone yet when it comes to the AAC standings.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.