For a second there, it looked like the FAU game all over again. A phantom foul call on a three with Tulane protecting a sliver of a lead with under a second to go. Weโd all seen it before. Thankfully for once this time was different. Pure elation at Devlin. The Green Wave finally got the monkey off their back. Down goes #10 Memphis.
How badly did Ron hunter and the wave need that one? As Iโm sure you all heard over and over on ESPN2, it was still the 20th century the last time the Wave took down a ranked opponent.
Some of you reading this werenโt even alive yet. Even further still, it had been 41 years since the Wave had beaten a top 10 opponent. Those streaks ended today. Over. Done. Iโd write a play by play recap, but I think everyone watched that game. If you did not, find highlights below.
Instead, I want to write about how much that game meant to Ron Hunter and his legacy at Tulane. This season was always going to be a make a break one for Coach Hunter. He finally crossed the 20 win plateau last year and brought home our first AAC tournament victory in 2023.
In American society, no matter what you do, you have to do it better than the previous year you did it. A positive trend is important in all corners of sales and business, but it is paramount in sports.
Ron Hunter has brought the Green Wave back from the depths of the Dunleavy misery era. He has returned respectability to Green Wavs basketball, but I think everyone will agree he must return the Wave to the NCAA tournament to be thought of as a success. Fair or not, his time is running out.
Fast forward to present day, a couple of brutal losses at home to George Mason and Florida Atlantic put this season on the brink. Hunterโs most talented Tulane team ever was without a quad one or quad two win midway through the year.
To make matters worse, they had two dreaded quad 3 losses. A triple digit net rating and a season with so much promise slipping away. Ron and his guys needed a big win the worst way.
Into Devlin field house walks #10 Memphis, the class of the American on the hardwood. The Tigers entered the gym fresh off a heart breaking one point loss to USF in which they led by 15 at half time. The deck was stacked against Tulane.
From the jump, you could feel it. The crowd was awesome today, Devlinโs a small gym but it has the potential to be mighty. Love the decision to go for a black out, execution can be improved going forward but a coordinated crowd theme is always a positive.
Rebounding and effort were so much better than the last few games. It was noticeable immediately. Ron clearly asked his guys to rise the occasion and boy did they ever.
Going bucket for bucket with a high powered Memphis office that regularly scores 100 is not a recipe for success. It was a team effort to keep this close, but down the stretch it was all about one. Between Cross, Forbes and James, we needed one to rise.
Sion James seemed to have a bucket every time the wave needed one. A career high 22 to go with 7 assists and 6 boards but most importantly 17 in the second half. A Memphis tiger killer was born last year at Devlin and solidified today.
In the end, there was no foul. The buzzer sounded. The Disney ending was not spoiled. Ron Hunter finally got the win that he so desperately needed and quite frankly deserved. A historic win for the wave and perhaps the promise of something greater.
Sometimes turning points are hard to see. Other times, they hit you over the head with all the subtlety of a vin deisel movie. Mark this one in the latter category. The Ron Hunter era had to reach its brink to create a moment this big, but boy it was sweet.
Tulane Football Blog 
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