Brumbaugh Ties Career High, Tulane Dumps Memphis, 81-69

Originally posted on Tulane Green Wave on SI
By Doug Joubert | Last updated Mar 11, 2026 11:01 PM ET

Three days after losing a heart-breaker to Memphis in the final regular season game, the Tulane men's basketball team was licking its collective chops for a rematch. The American Conference tournament granted the Green Wave's wish, putting the Wave against the Tigers in round one of the post season, and the Greenies took it from there.

Behind a career high-tying night in Birmingham from junior guard Rowan Brumbaugh, Tulane took advantage of Memphis, 81-69. The 10th seeded Wave led by as many as 18-points over 8th seed Memphis before putting the Tigers away.

Brumbaugh Hits from Everywhere

Brumbaugh was lights out, scoring 35-points, going 10-of-15 from the field, 5-of-8 from three-point land, and 10-of-13 at the charity stripe. Besides the pre-season pick for player of the year, only Curtis Williams Jr hit double digits, getting 11-points from the field. However, every Greenie but two put points on the board while on the court.

What kind of night was Brumbaugh having? With just under seven minutes to go in the game, and Tulane up by 15, the junior worked around a screen way above the top of the key. Then he spotted up from close to 30-feet away and banged a three-pointer off the glass.

While Brumbaugh was putting on an offense show, the Green Wave defense was making a case for lasting longer than one game. Tulane forced Memphis into a dozen turnovers, but most importantly, held the up-tempo Tigers to only twelve fast break points. In fact, the Wave beat Memphis at its own game, putting together 19 fast break points of their own. The Tigers couldn't hit a tres, going 5-of-22 from three-point land, which is considered the Tigers' bread and butter.

Post Game Gathering

The post game media conference was attended by head coach Ron Hunter, and the aforementioned Brumbaugh and Williams Jr.

The Wave Storm Ahead Late in the 1st Half

With four minutes remaining in the first half, the Green Wave used a 10–4 run to take a 39–31 lead into halftime, capped by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Luke Rasmussen. Tulane shot 43.8 percent from behind the arc in the first half (7-of-16), while Memphis connected on just two of its eight attempts (25 percent).

The Tigers went without a field goal for two separate six-minute stretches in the second half, during which the Green Wave extended their lead to as many as 18 points.

With the win, the Green Wave (17–14) advance to face No. 5 Charlotte in the second round on Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m. CDT on ESPNU and on The Ticket 106.7 FM in New Orleans.

Portions Courtesy The American Conference

This article first appeared on Tulane Green Wave on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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