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| INSIDE THE NUMBERS |
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2000-01 record: 14-15;
5-11 in C-USA (5th/National)
Postseason: None. Last NCAA appearance was in 1995.
RETURNING LEADERS
Points: Brown 14.8
Rebs: Brown 7.4
Assists: Marsh 3.6
FG: Brown 55.3%
3pt: Spann 32.4%
FT: Spann 86.1%
01-02 Stats:
Tulane | C-USA
KEY LOSSES
Linton Johnson | 9.0 ppg
PROJECTED STARTERS
G | Wayne Tinsley | Junior
G | Waitari Marsh | Senior
G | Br. Spann | Senior
F | Brandon Brown | Senior
F | Nick Sinville | Senior
Player to Watch
Brandon Brown
Senior Guard
Not the biggest big man, but he gets the job done inside. Also showed range for first time last season.
DATE TO REMEMBER
C-USA play begins at Memphis in a potential statement game. This is the team Tulane is aiming at within the division, and the team that has beaten it five straight times.
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TULANE GREEN WAVE
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Could a team that lost 11 league games one year ago really win its division the next? When you bring back your entire starting five and compete in Conference USA's uninspiring National Division, it's possibile. This looks like the payoff year in Shawn Finney's rebuilding plan, which has gone from nine wins in Year One to 14 in Year Two. With four senior starters, Tulane appears capable of another big jump, especially in light of the lackluster competition. (Memphis, Houston and South Florida all lost a lot, and the other division teams never had much to begin with.) The Green Wave's defense still must improve after surrendering 75.6 points per game in conference play. And Finney would swim across Lake Ponchartrain for a reliable three-point shooter or two (28.6 percent behind the arc in league play). But this team has talent, should be capable of scoring and has the depth and quickness to play at an aggressive tempo. Brandon Brown is the bell cow, a 6-8 power forward who led the team in scoring (14.8) and rebounding (7.4). His scoring average could increase significantly by simply improving his 62.6 percent free-throw shooting. The other team strength is the backcourt of Brandon Spann and Waitari Marsh, a pair of seniors who combined for 25.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 3 steals per game.
TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
Tulane should be able to play the way Finney wants to play, which is fast, and there are athletes on the roster. Trips to Memphis and Cincinnati shouldn't scare a veteran group, and Louisville remains off the schedule.
TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
These guys have never won anything of consequence on the college level, so asking them to handle the heat of a divisional race come February might be a bit much. The Green Wave isn't very tall, either, and is susceptible to being brutalized by some of the league's more physical teams.
BOTTOM LINE..............................
Tulane got a small taste of success last year by winning just its second C-USA tournament game ever with an upset of Saint Louis. That and the returning talent could carry over into a run at the division title -- and that could result in an NIT berth. (Why not the Big Dance? Here's why: The last National Division team to play in the NCAAs was UAB in 1999. Hard to believe this, but in C-USA's seven years, a team from the current National Division has never won an NCAA Tournament game.)
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