Green Wave to try and tame Tigers in C-USA Tourney semifinals

In the quarterfinal round yesterday, the fourth-seeded Green Wave slipped past Tulsa in a 58-56 final. It was the fourth consecutive win for Tulane, which is now a respectable 17-12 on the season.

As for the top-seeded Tigers, they not only have the nation’s longest winning streak at 20 games, but they are also boasting a national-best 30-game home winning streak. Memphis became just the second team to ever go undefeated in C- USA action and in this event the Tigers are 11-10 all-time and have one title, which they captured last season. Memphis moved one step closer to repeating as conference tourney champs when they rolled to a 92-71 victory over Marshall in the quarterfinals.

In terms of the all-time series between these two teams on the hardwood, Memphis has won all four previous meetings.

The Green Wave only scored 58 points in their quarterfinal-round matchup with Tulsa, but that is all Tulane would need to advance to the semis. The Green Wave only shot 41.7 percent from the floor and made just 15-of-28 from the foul line, but capitalized on Tulsa’s mistakes by scoring 20 points off 17 Golden Hurricane miscues. Kevin Sims paced Tulane with 15 points, while David Gomez contributed 11 points. Gomez, who leads the team with more than 15 ppg, shot just 5-of-13 from the floor and collected just three boards in the contest. Overall, it was a subpar effort by Tulane, which is currently averaging 69.9 ppg while shooting 45.3 percent from the field.

The Tigers have been outstanding since day one of the 2006-07 season and are clearly one of the top teams in the nation. The fifth-ranked Tigers are averaging a robust 80.1 ppg and are shooting 46.3 percent from the floor. Chris Douglas-Roberts has been the main option for Memphis this season, as the talented guard is netting 15.3 ppg, while shooting a sizzling 54.4 percent from the field. Jeremy Hunt has also made solid contributions this season, as he is posting 14.1 ppg. Robert Dozier and Joey Dorsey have been a tenacious duo in the paint, as Dozier chips in with 10.1 points and 5.8 caroms per contest. As for Dorsey, he is only posting 8.9 ppg but logs a team-best 8.9 rpg and 76 blocks. In yesterday’s win over Marshall, the Tigers shot a smooth 50 percent from the floor and were led by Hunt and Doneal Mack, both of whom tallied 19 points. Dorsey added 14 points and grabbed 11 boards, while Douglas-Roberts pitched in with 11 points.