It’s safe to say the coaches in the American Athletic Conference don’t think much of the Tulane Green Wave’s chances of winning the league this season.
The AAC released the preseason coaches’ poll on Friday, with Tulane finishing in a tie for 11th with UTSA, as each received 35 points in voting.
UAB was voted the favorite, as the Blazers received nine first-place votes and finished with 141 points, just ahead of Memphis. The Tigers had four first-place votes and 136 points.
None of Tulane’s players were named among the superlative awards, which included preseason player of the year, freshman of the year, a first team, and a second team.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team or student-athletes.
This will be a season marked by great change for the team. The Green Wave have nine players that are new to the program, either via transfer or by prep recruiting. Tulane also lost all five of last year’s starters, as they either ran out of eligibility or transferred.
On the perimeter, those additions include former Georgetown guard Rowan Brumbaugh, who at one time was also at Texas. He averaged 8.3 points and 2.6 assists last year and is a 37% 3-point shooter. He’ll likely start but will be pushed by a prep recruit, KJ Greene, out of Atlanta.
Michael Eley, the MAAC Rookie of the Year at Siena two years ago, averaged 13.3 points and 5.5 rebounds a season ago. Mari Jordan, a Georgia transfer, will make an intriguing addition to the mix. He didn’t play last season due to injury and didn’t participate in summer workouts due to eligibility issues.
Among players that are returning from a season ago, Tulane hopes to get more out of guard Asher Woods, forward Gregg Glenn III and forward Spencer Elliott, who redshirted last season.
The Green Wave went 14-17 overall and 5-13 in AAC action a season ago. Tulane lost to North Texas, 81-71, in the second round of the AAC Tournament, which was its first game of the event.
Ron Hunter returns to lead the Green Wave for his fifth season as head coach. The former IUPUI and Georgia State head coach has a 515-388 career record and a 70-74 with the Green Wave. Tulane’s only winning season under Hunter was its 20-11 campaign in 2022-23.
Tulane opens its regular season with three straight home games against Louisiana Christian on Nov. 4, ULM on Nov. 8 and Alcorn State on Nov. 11. The Green Wave opens American action on Dec. 31 at Charlotte. The American Athletic Conference Tournament is at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, from March 12-16, with the winner getting the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
