The No.2-seeded Houston Cougars (22-8) and Tulane Green Wave (11-21) meet in the second round of the AAC tournament at the Amway Center. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 11 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Cougars come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, topping Cincinnati 69-56 in their last matchup. Damyean Dotson was a key piece with 13 points and seven rebounds. The Green Wave, meanwhile, are coming off a 65-63 win against UCF in the 1. Cameron Reynolds had a good game for Tulane, registering 12 points, four rebounds, and one steal.
Dotson has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Cougars. During that stretch, he has averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 3.4 three-pointers.
This showdown pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Houston currently ranks 13th in the nation in offensive efficiency and Tulane is 32nd in defensive efficiency. Furthermore, the 321st-ranked offense of the Green Wave (offensive efficiency of 96.3) will face a tough test against the 32nd-ranked defense of the Cougars (defensive efficiency of 102.7).
The Cougars have emerged victorious in both games against the Green Wave this year, but fell short the last time these two teams met, 82-69. Dotson had a stellar game with 19 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one three-pointer.
Notes
In its last game, Tulane won by a margin of two points. Houston is 1-1 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Tulane has a 3-1 record in close games.
The Houston Cougars have a defensive rating of 102.7 (ranked 32nd), while the Tulane Green Wave have an offensive rating of 96.3 (ranked 321st).
The Tulane Green Wave average a field goal percentage of 39.8% this season. The Houston Cougars have a winning 13-8 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 39.8% or greater.
The Houston Cougars rank higher based on their field goal percentage (48th) than their effective field goal percentage (72nd). The Tulane Green Wave rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (331st) than their field goal percentage (336th).
Houston ranks 68th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.25. Tulane is ranked lower at 309th with an A/TO of .84.
Houston ranks 33rd in offensive rebounding. Tulane ranks 195th in defensive rebounding.
Tulane makes an average of 6.5 steals per game. Houston has a winning 7-4 record when it allows at least 6 steals.
