Saint Louis @ Tulane preview

After being picked to finish dead last in the American Athletic Conference, Tulane has been the surprise of the league under first-year head coach Ron Hunter, having lost just one game on the season. The Green Wave will look to extend its winning streak to five when they take on another one-loss team in Saint Louis in a neutral-site game in Phoenix.

Although Hunter brought 11 new scholarship players into the fold, Tulane has played incredibly disciplined basketball, forcing turnovers and taking care of the ball themselves (plus-4.9 turnover margin) while getting to the free-throw line. The Green Wave have been led by four veteran transfers from high-conference schools that all play more than 29 minutes a game and account for 73 percent of the team's points. “I love having four guys in double figures. I like having different scorers, because how do you scout us? Who do you try to shut down?" Hunter told The Times-Picayune following a win against Southern Miss. As for the Billikens, they have struggled to put points on the board of late, failing to reach 70 points in their last five games, but they have won four in a row, including an impressive victory at Boston College.

TV: 1:30 p.m.

ABOUT SAINT LOUIS (7-1): Junior guard Jordan Goodwin has been the go-to scorer, averaging 15.9 points and scoring at least 13 on all but one occasion, while averaging more than 10 rebounds and recording a double-double in each of the last three games despite his 6-foot-3 stature. Forward Hasahn French also averages a double-double, thanks in part to a ridiculous 21-point, 24-rebound performance against Belmont, in addition to being tied for 18th in the nation with 2.9 blocks. While point guard Yuri Collins has not done much in the way of scoring, he averages just under six assists per game to rank second in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

ABOUT TULANE (7-1): Swingman K.J. Lawson, who played in nearly every game as a freshman at Kansas, has averaged just under 16 points and eclipsed double figures in every contest, including a 30-point eruption against Southern. Leading scorer Teshaun Hightower from Georgia and graduate-transfer forward Christion Thompson from Rhode Island both shoot higher than 43 percent from the floor while making over 34 percent of their 3-point tries. Though sophomore point guard Jordan Walker from Seton Hall has been the least prolific scorer of the foursome, he still averages 10.1 points, is the team's leader in assists (3.5) and steals (2.5) and is the best 3-point shooter in the rotation.

TIP-INS

1. Tulane is 6-1 when winning the turnover battle.

2. Saint Louis has the best field goal percentage defense (38.7) in the A-10.

3. Tulane is tied for the fifth-most newcomers in the country.

PREDICTION: Tulane 72, Saint Louis 68