Tulane Green Wave Keep Pace in AAC Standings With Win Over East Carolina Pirates
The Tulane Green Wave know the assignment down the stretch of the 2024-25 regular season, as they control their own destiny.
As long as they handle business on the court, they will have a chance to compete for the American Athletic Conference regular season title, which point guard Rowan Brumbaugh made clear is their goal.
But, at the very least, they should be aiming for a top-four finish in the standings as that will give them a double-bye in the AAC tournament in March.
It is a hotly contested race for one of the top four spots.
Needing to continue winning, the Green Wave picked up a huge win on Wednesday night against the East Carolina Pirates.
Entering the contest, East Carolina was only 1.5 games behind Tulane in the standings, have their sights set on a top-four seed as well.
That lead is now 2.5 after the Green Wave picked up an 86-81 victory at Devlin Fieldhouse.
While the final score may not indicate it, Tulane was able to pick up the victory in large part because of their success on the defensive end of the court.
They held the Pirates to 40.3% shooting overall from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range. East Carolina was able to keep the game close because they took 16 more shot attempts than the Green Wave
The foul line was a determining factor as well, with Tulane taking 29 attempts from the charity stripe and making them count, knocking down 23.
Leading the way from there was Brumbaugh, who went 10-of-12 en route to 21 points. He stuffed the stat sheet, pulling down six rebounds with seven assists and one steal.
Kam Williams, who has been struggling with his shot in recent games, recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He went 5-of-6 from the field, rediscovering his 3-point stroke as he knocked down 3-of-4 from distance.
However, the most encouraging thing to come from this game is that Kaleb Banks looks to have broken out of his slump.
After scoring in single digits only once in the first 17 games of the campaign, he lost his rhythm on that side of the court. He failed to reach 10 points in four consecutive outings and five out of the previous seven heading into the matchup with the Pirates.
But, he was able to break out in a huge way, scoring a game-high 25 points on 8-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 6-of-8 from the foul line.
Banks rounded out his stat line with seven rebounds, one assist, one steal and three blocks, as he continues to impact the game on both ends of the floor.
The Green Wave will be looking to win three games in a row for the third time this season when they head on the road to face the Wichita State Shockers on Feb. 23.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.