The Green Wave will welcome the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to Uptown with a chance to end February action on a high note.
The Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team is riding the ultimate high right now, with four straight wins over some solid American Conference opponents.
It couldn't have come at a better time for Tulane, as there are just a handful of games left in the regular season ahead of the conference tournament. The team is currently tied with the Charlotte 49ers at fifth place in the league, but could jump up to the top four and earn a tournament bye with just a few more wins.
At the same time, the American features plenty of teams that are separated by just one or two games, and the margin for error is extremely slim. The Green Wave's 8-6 conference record hasn't put them in a comfortable enough position to guarantee a higher seed in the tournament: four other teams are chomping at the bits with 7-7 or 7-8 records to round out the top 10 teams. Even the Rice Owls -- which are on the outside of the tournament looking in with a 5-9 league record -- could find themselves in the postseason.
Tulane will face one of its toughest tests of the season on Wednesday night, as it welcomes the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to Uptown. Tulsa currently sits at second place in American standings with a 10-5 league record, though it's 22-6 overall, and the program is riding a two-game winning streak into the matchup.
The Golden Hurricane boasts an impressive offensive attack, with four players averaging in double figures on the year. The team leads the league with a field goal percentage of 48.4-percent and a three-point percentage of 38.8 percent. It will be a tough challenge for the Green Wave to combat, as Tulane has struggled heavily on defense at times this season.
At the same time, the home team has found a bit of a groove throughout the month of February. Rowan Brumbaugh has continued to be the most prolific player for the Green Wave offensively, but Asher Woods has proven to be a strong partner on the court. At the same time, Curtis Williams Jr. and Tyler Ringgold have made bigger contributions across all aspects of their respective games, and Scotty Middleton is heating up from beyond the arc. Tulane has the talent to match what Tulsa does offensively, but every player is going to have to be at the top of his game; there's been minimal contribution off the bench for the program, so the pressure is heavily on the starters to carry the load.
If the Green Wave can pick up its fifth win in a row, then it will tie the longest winning streak of the season for the program and provide some major momentum to finish the regular season strong. A loss doesn't derail what's been a successful past few weeks, but it does make the final three games of the season even more crucial.
Tip-off for Wednesday's game is set for 6:30 p.m. CT from Avron B. Fogelman Arena at the Devlin Fieldhouse.