Memphis returns to action Sunday afternoon to host Tulane in its ninth conference game of the season. The Green Wave enters the game with a 12-9 record, but they’ve lost five straight games, including a 14-point loss to South Florida in their most recent game.
Ron Hunter’s team dominated its non-conference schedule, only losing four games, and the Green Wave won their first three games in conference play. Tulane beat East Carolina, Florida Atlantic and UTSA before losing the next five games in conference play.
Tulane has lost games in various ways, but its two road losses during this losing streak have come by a combined eight points.
As a team, the Green Wave averages 73.6 points per game, shooting 43 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from deep and 76.9 percent from the free-throw line. Three players average more than 10 points per game, and Rowan Brumbaugh leads the team with 19.1 points per game.
Brumbaugh was named the American Conference preseason player of the year, and he averaged 20.5 points in two games against the Tigers last year.
Defensively, the Green Wave allows 74.7 points per game, and opposing teams shoot 44.7 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from three-point range. Tulane has struggled with rebounding this season, and it averages only 30.8 rebounds with a minus-7.6 rebounding margin.
Here’s a look at how to watch Memphis’ game against the Green Wave:
TV: ESPN2
Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis
Line: Memphis -9.5
Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
What to expect from the Tigers against Tulane:
Memphis picked up a much-needed win earlier this week against FAU, and it’ll be interesting to see what type of energy the Tigers play with on Sunday. Penny Hardaway’s team had no issue with the Owls, and everyone got to play, giving most of the starters some rest.
The Tigers have struggled with rebounding this season, especially in conference play, but this is an opportunity where they can win the rebounding battle and control the game. Tulane lacks size in the frontcourt, and Memphis can throw some bigger lineups at them to cause fits.
It’ll also be interesting to see what the availability report looks like before Sunday’s game. It was announced just a few hours before Thursday’s game that Dug McDaniel, Sincere Parker and Hasan Abdul Hakim were all questionable.
McDaniel and Parker both played, while Abdul Hakim and Curtis Givins III both missed the game. Abdul Hakim missed the game with an illness, while Givens sat with a knee injury.
Both McDaniel and Parker scored more than 20 points, and Parker is starting to look like he’s getting comfortable as a scorer for the Tigers. Despite dealing with injuries last week, Parker has averaged 21.5 points on 66.7 percent shooting in the last two full games that he’s played in.
Memphis has been looking for consistent production this season, and Parker could be that option off the bench. The guard has only started three games this season, and something to watch will be if Hardaway moves him into the starting lineup or if he inserts him into the starting lineup with the recent success.