Tulane @ Central Florida preview
Addition Financial Arena
Last Meeting ( Feb 22, 2020 ) Tulane 75, Central Florida 74
It was a "living hell."
That's how Tulane coach Ron Hunter described his recent bout with COVID-19. There were days, Hunter said, when he couldn't even get out of bed.
"I had extreme symptoms," said Hunter, 56. "I had shortness of breath. It was no joke."
Hunter, who missed three games before returning on Jan. 28, is 2-2 since coming back. On Friday night, Hunter and the Green Wave (8-7, 3-7) will visit Central Florida (5-10, 3-9) in an American Athletic Conference game at Orlando.
The Green Wave started a four-game road trip on Wednesday by defeating Tulsa 58-48. With the win, Tulane snapped a 10-game road losing streak.
Jaylen Forbes led Tulane with a game-high 20 points, and teammate Jadan Coleman added a career-high 13 points in just 14 minutes off the bench.
Forbes, who has reached at least 20 points four times this season, leads Tulane in scoring this season (15.3). Jordan Walker is second at 12.9. But Hunter said Coleman -- just a freshman -- has great potential despite his modest 3.2 scoring average.
"He's a great shooter," Hunter said of Coleman, who made 5 of 10 shots, including 3 of 6 on three-pointers on Wednesday. "He made big shots for us, and we needed that."
UCF, however, leads its series against Tulane, 16-3, including 7-1 at home. The teams split two matchups last season, with each squad winning on the road.
The Knights were set to host Tulane on Dec. 30, but the game was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
That was right around the time when UCF's season started to fall apart. The Knights started the season 3-1 with impressive wins over Auburn, Florida State and Cincinnati.
Since then, however, the Knights have lost nine of their past 11 games. That includes a 61-60 loss to Wichita State on Wednesday.
Darius Perry led UCF with a career-high 27 points on Wednesday. He made 10 of 19 shots from the floor, including 5 of 10 on three-pointers, while also adding four rebounds and two assists. He turned the ball over just once.
However, Perry's would-be game-winning shot from the free-throw line bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
"I feel like I've got to make that shot," Perry said. "I've shot it a million times, but it just didn't go down."
UCF coach Johnny Dawkins aid Perry played a strong game.
"I love the shot he got (at the end)," Dawkins said. "He shot it with conviction, and I will take that every time."
Perry leads UCF in scoring (14.2) this season. Brandon Mahan (13.7) and Darin Green (11.4) also average in double figures. Mahan is fifth in the AAC with a 44.1 three-point percentage.
--Field Level Media