Men's basketball defeats Nichols State 73-51, looks ahead towards University of New Orleans

On Friday night, for the 16th straight time, the Green Wave defeated the Nichols State Colonels to improve their record to 3-0. Early on, the Green Wave looked like they were in trouble, as they got down 16-4. The Green Wave responded though with a 20-1 run, and by half-time were ahead 35-27. In the second half, Tulane turned the game into a blowout, running the score up to 73-51 before the final buzzer sounded. Tulane was able to seize control of the game with great defense and a balanced offense. That is what got the job done against Auburn. Robinson Louisme led the team with 14 points, but four other players had at least nine points. Gomez is supposed to be the star player, yet he has only led the team in scoring once. If the team is going to have a great season, the supporting cast is going to have to be there for Gomez. There will be nights where he just doesn't have it, and if the supporting cast can continue to pick him up, Tulane should have a great season.

This Saturday, the 24th, Tulane plays the University of New Orleans Privateers (2-0), which should surprisingly be a tough game. While last year Tulane won pretty handily 78-64, this year the Privateers are seemingly a different team. They will be playing with tons of confidence, and deservedly so, after knocking off #22 ranked North Carolina State 65-63, in North Carolina nonetheless, a huge upset by an standard. New Orleans is led by senior Bo McCalebb. He is the reigning Sun Belt Conference player of the year, averaging 25.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals last year. Against North Carolina State, he led the team with 20 points. What makes him more amazing is that he averages 6.8 rebounds and is 6-0! That is almost unheard of. Expect him to be a handful for point guard Kevin Sims. UNO has won twice on the road, and that is usually a sign of two things: good coaching and mental toughness.

Tulane is the more talented team overall though, especially in the front-court, and should win this game. But New Orleans clearly is a different team from last year's edition, and proved in North Carolina State they can't be taken lightly. Expect a hard-fought came that comes down to the wire.

Hullabaloo Prediction: Tulane 67, UNO 63