Tulane Green Wave’s Defense Falls Short in Major Matchup Against North Texas

Throughout American Athletic Conference play, the one thing that the Tulane Green Wave have been able to count on has been their performance on the defensive end of the court.

They have been amongst the stingiest teams in the conference, which was going to be tested in a huge road matchup against the North Texas Mean Green.

Sole possession of third place in the AAC was on the line, as the teams entered the game tied behind the Memphis Tigers and UAB Blazers.

It was expected to be a low-scoring affair given how well both teams play defensively. North Texas entered the game in first place in the conference allowing only 59.1 points per game; Tulane is second at 67.6 points.

Pace isn’t the only reason they are both in those spots; each team gets after it defensively and routinely locks down their opponents.

The Green Wave are first in the AAC allowing their opponents to shoot 39.4%; the Mean Green are third at 41.3%. They are both excellent at defending the 3-point line as well with Tulane in second with 29.9% and North Texas in fifth at 31.7%.

Naturally, their matchup on Saturday afternoon was more of a shootout than people were expecting as the Green Wave’s defense didn’t travel to Denton, Texas for the game.

It was a very cleanly played game with only 10 combined turnovers and 27 fouls being committed. Both teams are disciplined on the defensive end of the court, but it was the Mean Green who were able to execute their offense at a more efficient level, caving up a normally stout Tulane unit.

Where the Green Wave got hurt was from beyond the 3-point line.

They were an abysmal 5-of-22 from long range, as Asher Woods was the only player to make multiple attempts in the game.

It was as much of a struggle trying to slow down North Texas from beyond the arc. They were on fire, knocking down 11-of-24 attempts; Atin Wright, Johnathan Massie and Latrell Jossell all knocked down three 3-pointers apiece.

The Mean Green had a total team effort offensively with all but one player knocking down multiple baskets; on the contrary, only three Tulane players made multiple attempts.

With the loss, the Green Wave are now in fourth place, only a half-game ahead of the Temple Owls and Florida Atlantic Owls in the AAC standings.

The three teams ahead of Tulane, Memphis, UAB and North Texas, make up three of their four losses in conference; the fourth was at the hands of Temple.

If the Green Wave wants to hold onto a top-four spot and earn a double-bye in the conference tournament, they need to start beating some of the upper-echelon teams in the AAC. If not, they are going to start plummeting in the standings.

Recommended Articles