Memphis started their two-game road trip with a trip to New Orleans on Thursday night to take on the Green Wave of Tulane. Something weird happens when the Tigers travel into the Crescent City to take on the Green Wave; it doesn’t matter the sport when Memphis takes on Tulane in New Orleans; the weird always follows. Thursday night was no different, as the Green Wave came into the matchup with the Tigers with an upset on the mind as they looked to cause mayhem in the American Athletic Conference.

Things weren’t easy for the Tigers in the first half. Tulane refused to go away, and the Green Wave held the Tigers to 29 first-half points despite shooting 45% from the field. Memphis had a 29-26 lead over the Green Wave at the break.

As halftime gave way to the second half, Tulane jumped out to a fast start, flipping the lead 34-33 at the under-16 media timeout. Despite an uptempo from the Tigers, Tulane led 44-43 at the under-12 media timeout of the second half. As the under-8 media timeout rolled around, Coach Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers held on to a 51-48 lead over Tulane. A slight Tulane lead caused the Tigers to call timeout with 4:28 remaining, with Memphis leading Tulane 56-53. However, 19th-ranked Memphis was too much for the Green Wave, as the Tigers escaped New Orleans with a 68-56 victory over Tulane.

On Thursday night, Memphis saw three guys score double digits in the win over Tulane. Dain Dainja again led the Tigers in scoring with 19 points, and PJ Carter and Colby Rogers finished with 14.

Coming into the game with Tulane, Coach Penny Hardaway knew his boys would face adversity as it goes with life on the road, especially while playing against Tulane in New Orleans. Yet again, the Tigers came into the season hoping to reach the second weekend and beyond of the NCAA Tournament; they played a ridiculously tough non-conference slate to allow for adversity once conference play started. Coach Hardaway knew what his guys needed, and he also knew a loss or two might come once the Tigers start playing on the road in conference; no matter the team in the AAC, everyone wants to beat Memphis. The Tigers have that extra juice about them that brings everyone’s best shot because beating Memphis means something to every program they play. It comes with the territory for being one of those programs with a lot of history and tradition.

Pulling away in the end, Memphis again showed resilience as they earned another road win over a solid opponent in Tulane. Memphis might take another couple on the chin before the NCAA Tournament. Still, Coach Hardaway has a team that can make a deep run in March, becoming a bracket buster for the novice basketball fans who have ignored the Tigers since October. Most teams have one to two playmakers on the roster, with many playing the role of role players. However, the Tigers have the depth and basketball IQ to compete with just about anybody in the country.

Memphis will remain on the road as they travel to Houston to take on the Rice Owls on Sunday afternoon. The 2:00 tip will be available on ESPN Plus. Memphis returns home Wednesday night as they welcome Tulsa to the FedEx Forum.