In their season opener this past Monday, the Tulane University men’s basketball team rolled to an 85-72 win over the Samford University Bulldogs. They were able to stymie Samford’s runs at making a comeback with shotmaking and active hands on defense.
Returning guard Asher Woods led the team with 24 points, which included a perfect nine for nine from the free-throw line. Georgetown University transfer Curtis Williams Jr. had himself a career night with 22 points on 100% shooting from the field.
Williams Jr. and Woods don’t tell the full story. The entire offense was also incredibly efficient, as the Green Wave shot nearly 59% from the field and around 52% from the 3-point line.
Defensively, Tulane was very active in the passing lanes as they racked up ten steals. Their length and versatility proved to be trouble for the Bulldogs as a lot of their shot attempts were well-contested.
However, there was one Bulldog that Tulane could not stop until late. Graduate student Jadin Booth dropped a whopping 34 points while going 9-17 on 3-pointers. He was pulling up from anywhere and making tough shots consistently; he was really the only player who gave the Wave any sort of trouble.
In the second half, head coach Ron Hunter made some key adjustments to make up for Booth’s stellar performance. Guards K.J. Greene and Rowan Brumbaugh were chasing him everywhere, which was rare to see out of Hunter, who usually chooses to run a zone defense. It seemed to have worked, and they eventually ran Booth and the Bulldogs out of the gym.
Tulane’s returning big man, Tyler Ringgold, was all over the floor. He connected on two triples and also recorded three blocks, all of which energized the Wave.
Were there some mistakes? Sure. It’s the first game of the season. Were there as many mistakes as I had thought there were going to be? No. Hunter seems to have his team in a great spot. Last year, the Green Wave’s biggest plague was committing unforced errors; there weren’t many in this contest.
Another thing I noticed was the conditioning of the players. They out-ran and out-hustled Samford, a team that is known to be scrappy. They never once seemed out of gas.
This season will be full of ups and downs like any college basketball season. However, if the players stay healthy, there’s no reason why Tulane can’t compete for a conference championship and a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Green Wave will tip off against Texas State University on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. in Uptown. The first road contest of the season will be on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. against the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.