Keys to Tulane Green Wave Defeating Charlotte 49ers in Must-Win AAC Matchup

The Tulane Green Wave has done a great job the last few months of bouncing back following a loss.

That is exactly what they will be aiming to do on Wednesday night when they host the Charlotte 49ers at Devlin Fieldhouse in a must-win game.

The last time Tulane lost multiple games in a row was their five-game losing streak early in the season. After a 4-1 start, they dropped to 4-6 and have been climbing out of that hole ever since.

Coming off a loss on the road to the Wichita State Shockers over the weekend, the Green Wave should be motivated to take the court on Wednesday.

Despite that slipup, they remain in the No. 4 spot in the American Athletic Conference standings. That is the goal for the remainder of the regular season, as the top four teams receive a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

If the Green Wave wants to remain in that spot, they need to defeat Charlotte, who is currently bringing up the rear in the standings.

The 49ers are alone in last place with a 3-11 record, providing Tulane with a golden opportunity to get back into the win column.

How can they get win No. 10 in the AAC? Winning the 3-point battle will be a good place to start.

This is not a strength of the Green Wave, who are eighth in the conference shooting at 33.3% from distance. Charlotte is even worse, making only 30.8%, which places them in 12th.

Alas, for how poorly each teams shoots from distance, they are elite at defending the 3-point line. They are No. 2 and No. 3, with Tulane allowing 31.3% and the 49ers allowing 32.3%.

However, the Green Wave have a massive advantage overall on the defensive end, as they get the job done everywhere on the court.

Tulane is No. 1 in the AAC, allowing opponents to shoot only 40.3% overall. Charlotte is dead last, allowing their opponents to shoot 47.6%.

This is a matchup which Gregg Glenn III could find a lot of success on the interior.

It would also be nice to see Kaleb Banks keep his positive momentum going offensively, as he followed up a 25-point performance against the East Carolina Buccaneers with an efficient 55.6% shooting game against Wichita State.

Another reason this game is a must-win affair for Ron Hunter’s group is that their schedule isn’t too easy the rest of the way.

They play their next two games on the road against the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes and East Carolina. The matchup against the Buccaneers could have major seeding implications, as they are 1.5 games behind in the standings.

Ideally, the Green Wave would have a top-four seed wrapped up before heading into their regular season finale against the UAB Blazers, who already own a head-to-head victory over Tulane this year and are only one game behind the Memphis Tigers for first place in the AAC.

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