1) We won't really learn a lot about the Tulane baseball team until this weekend when Ole Miss, picked second in the SEC West, comes to town, but the early signs are positive. Talk of togetherness and team chemistry in the preseason are platitudes, but now that the Green Wave has three games under its belt, the words ring true. This team, which has only three players who were on the active roster in David Pierce's final year (Ross Massey, Jonathon Artigues, Tyler Heinrichs), has bought into Travis Jewett and his staff and clearly enjoying each other's company, which was not the case at all two years ago and to a lesser degree last season.
Attitude no longer is an issue. If this team is talented enough, it will get to a regional this year. That part still is to be determined. The first step is beating Lamar on Tuesday and Wednesday to get to 5-0, something that has happened only once since 2008, when Tulane made its final regional appearance under Rick Jones. The Wave did it in 2014, too, getting to 6-0 before finishing 23-29. That fact is why I go back to my original point--we won't really know what's in store for this team until this weekend.
2) Krishna Raj's brilliant relief performance on Saturday was a breath of fresh air. Tulane has been rotten out of the bullpen the last two years and could be counted on to self-destruct on the mound. It appeared to be happening again Saturday until Raj came in and was lights out, allowing one hit and no runs in six innings, showing a full repertoire of pitches and acting like a confident upperclassmen.
Wow.
3) The Tulane basketball team actually gave a better effort against Houston than it did against Tulsa, but it did not matter. After Caleb Daniels inexplicably missed a dunk on a perfect alley oop to start the second half, we all knew what was coming. Well, maybe not the ridiculous 35-5 Houston run, but certainly it was clear the Cougars would pull away. Tulane's only realistic chances to win a conference game come Feb. 23 against ECU at home and March 9 in the regular season finale against Wichita State at home as it tries to avoid becoming the first team in school history to go winless in conference play.
4) Houston does not always shoot like it did yesterday, but that was not only the highest ranked team to play on Tulane's campus since No. 1 Memphis and Derrick Rose in 2008. It was the best team since those Tigers, who made it to the NCAA championship game and would have won it without some missed free throws and a lucky shot by Kansas. With the right draw, Houston is Final Four material. Three of the 3s it hit during its killer run were outstanding shots, and Tulane, which had played with terrific intensity to that point, fell apart from there.
5) From all indication, Junior Day was a big success for Tulane. I expect a significantly higher rated recruiting class (with actual 3-star guys instead of fictional 3-star guys who don't even exist) next December assuming Tulane builds on its bowl momentum from this year, which I expect it will. I have not decided whether I will pick the Wave to win the West or not in the AAC media poll. It will be either Tulane or Houston in my mind.
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Attitude no longer is an issue. If this team is talented enough, it will get to a regional this year. That part still is to be determined. The first step is beating Lamar on Tuesday and Wednesday to get to 5-0, something that has happened only once since 2008, when Tulane made its final regional appearance under Rick Jones. The Wave did it in 2014, too, getting to 6-0 before finishing 23-29. That fact is why I go back to my original point--we won't really know what's in store for this team until this weekend.
2) Krishna Raj's brilliant relief performance on Saturday was a breath of fresh air. Tulane has been rotten out of the bullpen the last two years and could be counted on to self-destruct on the mound. It appeared to be happening again Saturday until Raj came in and was lights out, allowing one hit and no runs in six innings, showing a full repertoire of pitches and acting like a confident upperclassmen.
Wow.
3) The Tulane basketball team actually gave a better effort against Houston than it did against Tulsa, but it did not matter. After Caleb Daniels inexplicably missed a dunk on a perfect alley oop to start the second half, we all knew what was coming. Well, maybe not the ridiculous 35-5 Houston run, but certainly it was clear the Cougars would pull away. Tulane's only realistic chances to win a conference game come Feb. 23 against ECU at home and March 9 in the regular season finale against Wichita State at home as it tries to avoid becoming the first team in school history to go winless in conference play.
4) Houston does not always shoot like it did yesterday, but that was not only the highest ranked team to play on Tulane's campus since No. 1 Memphis and Derrick Rose in 2008. It was the best team since those Tigers, who made it to the NCAA championship game and would have won it without some missed free throws and a lucky shot by Kansas. With the right draw, Houston is Final Four material. Three of the 3s it hit during its killer run were outstanding shots, and Tulane, which had played with terrific intensity to that point, fell apart from there.
5) From all indication, Junior Day was a big success for Tulane. I expect a significantly higher rated recruiting class (with actual 3-star guys instead of fictional 3-star guys who don't even exist) next December assuming Tulane builds on its bowl momentum from this year, which I expect it will. I have not decided whether I will pick the Wave to win the West or not in the AAC media poll. It will be either Tulane or Houston in my mind.
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