The American Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament continues in Fort Worth, Texas as the Memphis Tigers defeated the UCF Knights in the quarterfinals with an 81-76 victory. Afterward, the Tigers watched as the No. 3 seed Tulane Green Wave defeated the No. 6 seed Wichita State Shockers 82-76 to set up the third matchup of the season between the Tigers and the Green Wave.
Tulane swept the season series with the Memphis Tigers winning the first matchup in New Orleans 96-89 on New Year’s Day and winning at the FedExForum 90-89 in overtime on February 4th. The Tigers’ defense struggled in both matchups as they allowed multiple 20-plus point scorers and 11 made three-pointers in each game. Kendric Davis led Memphis in scoring in each game with 31 points in the first matchup and 26 points in the second matchup while DeAndre Williams scored 19 points in each game but fouled out in the first matchup.
Now round three is upon us in the AAC Tournament semifinals with Memphis looking to beat Tulane for the first time this season. Kendric Davis and DeAndre Williams are coming off an electrifying performance against UCF with both players combining to score 68 points including 38 of the teams’ 41 points in the second half. The dynamic duo will need to continue to lead the charge on Saturday to finally defeat the Tulane Green Wave. Also, limiting the turnovers and keeping Tulane off the three-point line will be key in helping the Tigers prevail. The Tigers have all but solidified their NCAA Tournament bid but Tulane will be looking to try to make the tournament themselves and need to win the conference tournament to make it to the big dance.
The Prediction:
Memphis 85, Tulane 82
Matchup: Memphis Tigers (24-8, 13-5 in AAC) vs Tulane (20-10, 12-6 in AAC)
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
TV/Stream/Radio: ESPN2 / 98.9 The Roar of Memphis