On Saturday, the Tulane Green Wave (12-6) will visit the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (4-13). Tulane had their five-game winning streak snapped by top-ranked Houston as they battled for the top spot in the conference.
Ron Hunter's squad is now tied with Cincinnati and Temple for second place, as they will likely fight for an at-large bid. Meanwhile, The Golden Hurricane is still hunting for their first win in the conference as they remain the only winless AAC team against the conference. Their last win came against lowly Mississippi Valley State in mid-December.
Tulane vs. Tulsa
Betting Odds
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Tulane Green Wave vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane Match Details
Fixture: Tulane Green Wave at Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
Date and Time: Saturday, January 21 at 8:00 PM ET
Venue: Donald W. Reynolds Center
ShotQuality Tale of the Tape
Below, we will highlight essential ShotQuality data for this matchup, including Adjusted Offensive and Defensive SQ, strengths, weaknesses, and frequency. SQppp is a player's average ShotQuality points per possession.
Thus, SQppp = Total SQpoints/Total No. of Possessions.
The Tulane Green Wave owns a 1.03 AdjOFF SQ this season, which is suitable for 133rd in the nation. The Golden Hurricane has the 144th-best AdjDEF SQ at 1.00. Tulane does well in all key stats but the rim & three rate metric. Conversely, the Golden Hurricane is 213th in the defensive rim & three rate metric but also struggles in defensive spacing and shot-making, a strength of Tulane.
The Green Wave owns high-frequency numbers in cut, finishing at the rim, half-court, isolation, and off-the-dribble three-point shot types. They are between 130-200 in SQ PPP for those shot types. Conversely, the Golden Hurricane is in the top 70 in defending all those categories except off-the-dribble three-pointers, where they are 218th (1.01 SQ PPP).
The Golden Hurricane has a 0.97 AdjOFF SQ, the 265th-best mark in the country. Tulane has posted a 0.96 AdjDEF SQ this season, clocking in at 56th in the country. The Golden Hurricane is 80th in spacing, placing in the 73rd percentile. The Green Wave is in the 100th percentile in defensive spacing (361st in the country).
Tulsa is in the country's top half in frequency regarding the following shot types: catch & shoot three-pointers, cut, isolation, off-the-dribble three-pointers, P&R ball screen, and transition. Tulane is in the top 90 in defending all those shot types except with the perimeter shots, where they own an SQ PPP just outside the top 250.
Tulane vs. Tulsa Prediction
The SQ model suggests the under and I think it's right. Tulsa is an absolute dumpster fire in the AAC, but they do tend to hang tough at home unless it's Houston. While Tulane is well-coached, they are laying nearly double-digits on the road in a trap game. So grab the under and be ready to watch some ugly hoops.
Prediction: Under 159.5 (-110)
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