Northwestern St. @ Tulane preview

A new-look Tulane team has taken care of business in its first two games under first-year coach Ron Hunter, handling smaller conference opponents. The Green Wave turn their attention to visiting in-state opponent Northwestern State on Saturday in the hopes of starting 3-0 before facing major-conference opponents.

The Green Wave have relied heavily on a group of six players with 71 of their 82 points per game coming from the starting lineup. But it is understandable that Hunter leans on the group considering three of the five players were previously with major-conference schools. After his eligibility was up in the air, Georgia transfer Teshaun Hightower has averaged 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds The Demons are no stranger to major-conference talent as they put up a respectable performance against Texas A&M, and also led against Rice for 25 minutes in a six-point loss.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN STATE (1-2): Quite the contrary to Tulane, the Demons have not relied heavily on a small group this season, with no player averaging more than 21.3 minutes while 12 have averaged 10 or more. The only player that averages double-figures is sophomore guard Brian White, thanks in part to a game- and career-high 26 points against Rice. The team has struggled with taking care of the ball, posting a 2:1 turnover-to-assist ratio against Rice and had more turnovers than assists in its blowout win against Division III Centenary.

ABOUT TULANE (2-0): Rhode Island graduate transfer Christion Thompson has played well in his first two games as a member of the Green Wave, posting his first career double-double against Southeastern Louisiana and following that up with 19 points and eight boards against Jackson State. Swingman K.J. Lawson, who played nearly every game for Kansas in 2018-2019, has averaged 13.5 points while leading the team in assists. But for another player whose eligibility was uncertain prior to the year, Arkansas transfer Ibrahim Ali, who has not played in two years, has recorded only two minutes this season.

TIP-INS

1. Tulane has received 85.4 percent of its points from newcomers.

2. Green Wave starting F Kevin Zhang is one of five Chinese-born players in Division I.

3. Northwestern State is 0-3 against the American Athletic Conference.

PREDICTION: Tulane 82, Northwestern State 68