The Green Wave had some hope for their season with a strong win over Memphis that feels lost in a disappointing loss to Wichita State.
There was hope that the Tulane Green Wave might ride the momentum of its February 1st victory over the Memphis Tigers into a quiet week of practice and the rest of the season.
That hope was quickly dashed, as the Green Wave looked largely uncompetitive in its 75-61 loss to the Wichita State Shockers on Sunday. Many of the team's same problems persisted, once again with little evidence that there's been any effort to fix them.
The team managed to keep up somewhat in the first half, though it ultimately went into the locker room trailing by a score of 31-26. Rather than use that deficit as fuel to come back out and cause chaos, the team fell behind even further.
Rowan Brumbaugh led Tulane with 17 points and six rebounds, and he tied the team-high in assists with three. Tyler Ringgold was the only other Green Wave player to score in double figures, with 13 points, three rebounds and two assists. Luke Rasmussen contributed eight points and five rebounds in his third-straight start, Curtis Williams added seven points and Asher Woods dropped six points to go along with his four boards and three assists.
Once again, the bench lacked the level of production needed to keep up with a tough Shockers squad. Percy Daniels, JoJo Moore and KJ Greene combined for just 10 points.
As a whole, Tulane's offense made just three of its 17 three-point attempts, and had 10 assists to Wichita State's 17. 32 of the team's points came in the paint.
Now... that defense. The Green Wave did manage to pull down 23 rebounds -- that's more than in previous games -- but it had just as much of a problem keeping the Shockers off the boards. Wichita State was able to grab 13 offensive rebounds. Additionally, Tulane had four blocks and eight steals.
At this point, it's tough to imagine that there's going to be any improvement for the team moving forward. Nothing has changed so far, and the Green Wave keeps slipping back in American Conference standings. It's the most crucial part of the season, and Tulane looks absolutely lost. Worst of all, the hardest stretch of the season is still a few weeks away.
Who is the root of this problem? The players certainly have talent, but it almost seems like they don't know how to use it. Everything is a mess, and that ultimately falls back on coaching. As cries for a change heat up across the Green Wave fanbase, so does Ron Hunter's seat. At this point, it's hard to imagine that the program is going to choose to retain him for much longer.
Time is running out for Tulane to make a move and grab some momentum. The Green Wave will have a chance to bounce back against one of the top teams in the league in the Temple Owls. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11th at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.