Women’s basketball looking to rebound, make slam dunk at AAC championship

Olivia Henderson, Sports Editor

With just two conference games left, the 2019 women’s basketball season is rapidly coming to a close. Before the Green Wave wraps up the year, however, it will travel to Uncasville, Connecticut, for the American Athletic Conference championships.

Because Tulane currently has a 5-9 conference record and is ranked eighth out of 12 the teams in the AAC, if the current rankings remain roughly the same, the Green Wave will become the eighth seed and open the tournament against the ninth seed, likely the University of Memphis Tigers.

This season, Tulane has played Memphis twice, once resulting in a narrow victory (62-61) and once resulting in a tough loss (59-65). This potential game could go either way, but since the Green Wave defeated the Tigers in the first round last year, it has a fair chance of doing so again.

Should it beat Memphis, however, Tulane will take on the University of Connecticut Huskies, who have already been declared the tournament’s number one seed. Though the Huskies demolished Tulane last year, perhaps the Green Wave will learn from its mistakes and become an unexpected underdog.

This scenario, however, may never even come to pass, as there is still a chance that Tulane will boost or lower its current conference ranking. Earlier this season, the Green Wave beat the University of Central Florida Knights with a score of 61-59. The Tulane basketball team could accordingly defeat the Knights again at its Saturday game.

Monday’s match against the University of Cincinnati Bearcats could prove to be more difficult, as Tulane lost to the Bearcats last year with a score of 52-83. The Green Wave has not yet tested itself against Cincinnati this year.

Conversely, if the University of Tulsa and Temple University, both ranked just above Tulane, lose its next few games, the Green Wave could easily move up in the conference rankings.

Still, regardless of its seeding placement, the core strength of Tulane basketball will likely push the Green Wave through the first round of the AAC championship. Expect some exciting games and seeding announcements later this week.

The women’s basketball team will play its final home game against the University of Cincinnati at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, March 4 in the Aaron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse. The AAC Women’s Basketball Championship begins next Friday, March 8 in Uncasville, Connecticut, at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Game times have not yet been determined.

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