Tulane Green Wave Frustrated With Controversial Ending Against Memphis
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For Tulane, their mission for the AAC Tournament was simple; win and get in.
The only way the Green Wave would be competing in the NCAA Tournament this year was through an automatic berth by winning the conference since they hadn't done enough during the regular season to warrant an at-large bid.
After beating Florida Atlantic in the quarterfinals, Tulane had an opportunity to take out the favorites in the semis - the Memphis Tigers.
For a while, it looked like they were going to accomplish it.
This was a tightly-contested affair throughout the game, and it was to no one's surprise that things came down to the wire.
Unfortunately, it didn't go Tulane's way, losing to Memphis 78-77 which eliminated them from the AAC Tournament and likely ends their 2024-25 barring being invited to a postseason event.
But, the finish to the game was not without controversy.
Rowan Brumbaugh seemed to give the Green Wave the lead with 26 seconds remaining after the referees called goaltending on his layup attempt.
TO THE MONITOR
— Isaac Bourne (@IsaacBourne_) March 15, 2025
Cisse is called for the goaltending and the referees head to the monitor.
The bucket would put Tulane up 73-72.@mid_madness pic.twitter.com/4Go6UksIeT
After going to the monitor, the officiating crew decided that it was not goaltending, and that Moussa Cisse got a piece of the ball before it hit the backboard.
Tulane got the ball back because they had the possession arrow in their favor, but Brumbaugh was at the center of another controversial ruling when he turned it over after physical play resulted in Memphis stealing the ball, a sequence where the Green Wave guard believed he got fouled.
Following those two plays, both of which went against Tulane, the Green Wave faced an uphill battle and ultimately lost the game.
Head coach Ron Hunter addressed the controversy, expressing frustration about what happened.
"I hate that it had to end the way it ended, especially with what I just saw in the locker room on tape. I'm not going to get into that, but I hate it for the kids. Those are some plays that shouldn't have happened," he said, per Guerry Smith of Nola.com.
The reality of the situation is that Tulane had an opportunity to make the goaltend ruling a moot point.
Brumbaugh could have been stronger with the ball, and when he was at the free-throw line with 13 seconds left, he could have made his second shot to cut their deficit to one point instead of two, changing the outlook of the end-game scenario.
He knows that, too, and that's why he's not blaming the referees.
"I felt it was a missed call, but that's what seasons come down to. There were tons of possessions that I wanted to make up during the game. It's not the officials' fault we lost. I missed a big-time free throw ... this just sucks," he said.
Still, this is going to leave a sour taste in the mouths of many, and Hunter had a hard time after the game not expressing that.
"There were some things we could have done better, but again, these kids go home. Some of these guys that are officiating go on to the NCAA tournament and there are no repercussions for them," the head coach added.
