2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team
2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball | |
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Conference | American Athletic Conference |
Record | 10–13 (4–12 AAC) |
Head coach |
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Assistant coaches |
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Home arena | Devlin Fieldhouse |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wichita State | 11 | – | 2 | .846 | 16 | – | 6 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 6 Houston † | 14 | – | 3 | .824 | 28 | – | 4 | .875 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Memphis | 11 | – | 4 | .733 | 20 | – | 8 | .714 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SMU | 7 | – | 4 | .636 | 11 | – | 6 | .647 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cincinnati | 8 | – | 6 | .571 | 12 | – | 11 | .522 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UCF | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 11 | – | 12 | .478 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulsa | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 11 | – | 12 | .478 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Florida | 4 | – | 10 | .286 | 9 | – | 13 | .409 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Temple | 4 | – | 10 | .286 | 5 | – | 11 | .313 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulane | 4 | – | 12 | .250 | 10 | – | 13 | .435 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East Carolina | 2 | – | 10 | .167 | 8 | – | 11 | .421 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† 2021 AAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
The 2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team represented Tulane University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Green Wave, led by second-year head coach Ron Hunter, played their home games at Devlin Fieldhouse in New Orleans, Louisiana, as seventh-year members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 10-13, 4-12 in AAC Play to finish in 10th place. They defeated Tulsa in the first round of the AAC tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Houston.
Previous season
The Green Wave 12–18, 4–14 in AAC play to finish in 12th place. They entered as the No. 12 seed in the AAC tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Offseason
Departures
Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Charlie Russell Jr. | 0 | G/F | 6'7" | 190 | Freshman | New Orleans, LA | Transferred to UMass Lowell[1] |
K. J. Lawson | 1 | G/F | 6'7" | 215 | Graduate Student | Memphis, TN | Completed college eligibility[a] |
Ray Ona Embo | 3 | G | 6'5" | 195 | RS Junior | Lognes, France | Left team (mid-season)[2] |
TeShuan Hightower | 5 | G | 6'5" | 190 | Junior | Lithonia, GA | Dismissed from team[3] |
Kevin Zhang | 12 | F | 6'10" | 220 | Sophomore | Shenyang, China | Play professionally[4] |
Nic Thomas | 14 | G | 6'1" | 185 | Graduate Student | Arlington, TX | Completed college eligibility[a] |
Grant Quinn | 15 | G | 6'5" | 200 | RS Junior | Lewisville, TX | Walk-on; did not return |
Christion Thompson | 25 | G | 6'4" | 215 | Graduate Student | Gonzales, LA | Completed college eligibility[a] |
Cameron Galic | 32 | G | 6'6" | 205 | Junior | Bethesda, MD | Walk-on; did not return |
- ^ a b c Lawson, Thomas, and Thompson were all graduate transfers in the 2019–20 season, with Lawson having graduated from Kansas, Thomas from Norfolk State, and Thompson from Rhode Island.
Incoming Transfers
Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oton Jankovic | F | 6'10" | 212 | Sophomore | Zagreb, Croatia | Transferred from Vanderbilt. Jankovic was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility.[5] Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[6] |
Gabe Watson | G | 6'2" | 192 | Junior | Jackson, MS | Transferred from Southern Miss. Watson was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility.[7] Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[8] |
Jaylen Forbes | G | 6'4" | 186 | Sophomore | Florence, MS | Transferred from Alabama. Forbes was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[9][10] |
Kevin Cross | F | 6'8" | 240 | Sophomore | Little Rock, AR | Transferred from Nebraska. Cross was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[11][10] |
2020 recruiting class
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jadan Coleman SG |
Madison, AL | Bob Jones High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | Nov 15, 2018 | |
Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Sion James PG |
Buford, GA | Lanier High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 1, 2019 | |
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 131 | ||||||
Sources:
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Tulane will also add Preferred Walk-on Ben Callahan-Gold, a 6'7" swingman from Northfield Mount Hermon School. Ben is the son of comedian Judy Gold.[12]
Preseason
AAC preseason media poll
On October 28, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[13]
Coaches Poll | ||
Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
---|---|---|
1 | Houston | 99 (2) |
2 | Memphis | 90 (2) |
3 | SMU | 80 |
4 | Cincinnati | 77 |
5 | South Florida | 61 |
6 | Tulsa | 50 |
7 | Wichita State | 44 |
8 | UCF | 37 |
9 | East Carolina | 34 |
10 | Temple | 18 |
11 | Tulane | 15 |
Roster
2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Schedule and results
COVID-19 impact
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Green Wave's schedule is subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.
Schedule
Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regular season | |||||||||||
November 27, 2020 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Lamar Tulane Classic |
W 66–57 | 1–0 |
15 – Forbes | 7 – Forbes | 4 – Walker | Devlin Fieldhouse (100) New Orleans, LA | ||||
November 29, 2020* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Lipscomb Tulane Classic |
W 68–66 | 2–0 |
16 – Tied | 8 – McGee | 6 – Walker | Devlin Fieldhouse (100) New Orleans, LA | ||||
December 9, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Southern Miss | W 58–38 | 3–0 |
15 – McGee | 11 – McGee | 6 – Walker | Devlin Fieldhouse (100) New Orleans, LA | ||||
December 12, 2020* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Arkansas–Pine Bluff | W 67–56 | 4–0 |
16 – Forbes | 9 – Forbes | 3 – Walker | Devlin Fieldhouse (100) New Orleans, LA | ||||
December 16, 2020 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
Memphis | L 74–80 | 4–1 (0–1) |
18 – Watson | 5 – Tied | 4 – Walker | Devlin Fieldhouse (100) New Orleans, LA | ||||
December 19, 2020* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Grambling State | W 77–65 | 5–1 |
21 – Forbes | 6 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Devlin Fieldhouse (100) New Orleans, LA | ||||
December 22, 2020 2:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
at East Carolina | L 58–68 | 5–2 (0–2) |
16 – Forbes | 7 – McGee | 4 – Watson | Williams Arena (65) Greenville, NC | ||||
January 2, 2020 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
East Carolina | W 60–56 | 6–2 (1–2) |
20 – Forbes | 7 – Cross | 2 – Watson | Devlin Fieldhouse (100) New Orleans, LA | ||||
January 9, 2020 7:00 p.m., ESPNU |
at No. 11 Houston | L 50–71 | 6–3 (1–3) |
13 – Walker | 6 – Pope | 3 – Watson | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX | ||||
January 16, 2020 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Temple Previously scheduled for Jan. 6 |
L 57–65 | 6–4 (1–4) |
14 – Forbes | 5 – Tied | 4 – James | Devlin Fieldhouse (100) New Orleans, LA | ||||
January 20, 2020 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
SMU | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[15] | Devlin Fieldhouse New Orleans, LA | ||||||||
January 23, 2020 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Tulsa | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[16] | Reynolds Center Tulsa, OK | ||||||||
January 28, 2020 8:00 p.m., ESPN |
Houston | L 60–83 | 6–5 (1–5) |
16 – Walker | 9 – Cross | 4 – Walker | Devlin Fieldhouse New Orleans, LA | ||||
January 31, 2020 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ |
at Temple | W 81–64 | 7–5 (2–5) |
23 – Forbes | 13 – Pope | 8 – Walker | Liacouras Center Philadelphia, PA | ||||
February 3, 2020 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Wichita State | L 67–75 | 7–6 (2–6) |
23 – Walker | 8 – Pope | 4 – Walker | Charles Koch Arena Wichita, KS | ||||
February 7, 2020 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ |
Cincinnati | L 61–64 | 7–7 (2–7) |
15 – Forbes | 9 – Pope | 4 – Walker | Devlin Fieldhouse New Orleans, LA | ||||
February 10, 2020 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Tulsa | W 58–48 | 8–7 (3–7) |
20 – Forbes | 7 – Pope | 7 – Walker | Reynolds Center (100) Tulsa, OK | ||||
February 12, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at UCF Previously scheduled for Dec. 30 |
L 49–53 | 8–8 (3–8) |
14 – Tied | 8 – Forbes | 5 – Walker | Addition Financial Arena (1,420) Orlando, FL | ||||
February 14, 2021 1:00 pm, ESPNU |
at South Florida Previously scheduled for Feb. 13 |
W 62–59 | 9–8 (4–8) |
19 – Forbes | 5 – Tied | 4 – Walker | Yuengling Center Tampa, FL | ||||
February 17, 2020 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at SMU | Postponed due to severe weather[17] | Moody Coliseum University Park, TX | ||||||||
February 20, 2020 1:00 p.m., ESPNU |
UCF | L 81–84 | 9–9 (4–9) |
30 – Forbes | 8 – Cross | 10 – Walker | Devlin Fieldhouse New Orleans, LA | ||||
February 24, 2020 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Memphis | L 46–61 | 9–10 (4–10) |
18 – Walker | 10 – Forbes | 3 – Walker | FedEx Forum (2,253) Memphis, TN | ||||
February 26, 2020 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Cincinnati Previously scheduled for Jan. 16 |
L 71–91 | 9–11 (4–11) |
37 – Forbes | 4 – James | 3 – Watson | Fifth Third Arena (1,135) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
March 3, 2020 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Wichita State | L 70–78 | 9–12 (4–12) |
17 – Walker | 9 – McGee | 4 – Walker | Devlin Fieldhouse (100) New Orleans, LA | ||||
March 6, 2020 11:00 a.m., ESPNU |
South Florida | Cancelled due to scheduling changes[18] | Devlin Fieldhouse New Orleans, LA | ||||||||
AAC tournament | |||||||||||
March 11, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPNU |
(10) | vs. (7) Tulsa First Round |
W 77–70 | 10–12 |
24 – Walker | 7 – Tied | 7 – Walker | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX | |||
March 12, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
(10) | vs. (2) No. 7 Houston Quarterfinals |
L 52–77 | 10–13 |
11 – Cross | 5 – McGee | 4 – Cross | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |
Awards and honors
American Athletic Conference honors
All-AAC Third Team
- Jaylen Forbes
Source[19]
References
- ^ Langone, Matt (April 27, 2020). "Notebook: UMass Lowell's Noel testing NBA draft waters". lowellsun.com. Lowell Sun. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Guerry [@Guersmith] (December 1, 2019). "#Tulane guard Ray Ona Embo has left the team and returned to France, coach Ron Hunter said after Sunday's win over Southern. Backing up Jordan Walker, Ona Embo was averaging 5.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 21.8 minutes" (Tweet). Retrieved April 14, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Schlabach, Mark (April 26, 2020). "Tulane guard Teshaun Hightower charged with murder in Georgia". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ Zacher, Benjamin (October 27, 2020). "Tulane Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Green Wave". bustingbrackets.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
Zhang left the program to play professionally in China.
- ^ "Men's Basketball Transfer Oton Jankovic Granted Immediate Eligibility". tulanegreenwave.com. Tulane Athletics. October 19, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ "Men's Basketball Adds Vanderbilt Transfer Oton Jankovic". tulanegreenwave.com. Tulane Athletics. April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ @GoodmanHoops (August 24, 2020). "Tulane has received a waiver for Gabe Watson to play this season, Ron Hunter told @Stadium. Tulane now with three transfer waivers. Watson transferred in from Southern Miss" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Rothstein, Jon [@JonRothstein] (April 18, 2020). "Source: Southern Miss transfer Gabe Watson has committed to Tulane" (Tweet). Retrieved April 18, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Tulane Men's Basketball Adds Alabama Transfer Jaylen Forbes". wgno.com. WGNO. April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Goodman, Jeff [@GoodmanHoops] (August 19, 2020). "Tulane got waivers for Jalen Forbes (Alabama) and Kevin Cross (Nebraska), Ron Hunter told @Stadium. Both eligible for this season" (Tweet). Retrieved August 21, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Rothstein, Jon [@JonRothstein] (May 1, 2020). "Source: Nebraska transfer Kevin Cross has committed to Tulane" (Tweet). Retrieved May 1, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Burack, Emily. "Judy Gold's son will be playing Div. I college basketball, and Ben Stiller is cheering him on". jta.org. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ "Houston Tabbed as 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. February 3, 2021.
- ^ "Tulane-UCF Game Scheduled for Dec. 30 Postponed". theamerican.org. January 18, 2021.
- ^ "Tulane-Tulsa Game Scheduled for Jan. 23 Postponed". theamerican.org. January 22, 2021.
- ^ "The American Announces Changes to Men's Basketball Schedule". February 16, 2021.
- ^ "The American Announces Changes to Final Weekend of Regular Season". theamerican.org. March 2, 2021.
- ^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.