The South Florida Game, Feb. 6, 1999

February 4, 1999

Game Data: Tulane (9-10, 3-7 C-USA) looks to return to the winning side of the ledger this afternoon against South Florida (10-9, 3-6) . . . Today's game with USF is the Wave's first game with a fellow C-USA National Division foe in two weeks. Tulane is 2-3 within the division this season . . .Following today's game, Tulane will have just two home dates remaining.

On the Air: The Tulane Basketball Network will broadcast every Tulane regular season game. The flagship station is 50,000-watt WWL-AM 870 in New Orleans. "Voice of the Green Wave" Ken Berthelot is in his 10th year on the men's basketball broadcasts. Additionally, two of Tulane's regular season games will be televised regionally this season. ESPN Regional will carry the Feb. 6 game with South Florida, while ABC-TV will televise the Feb. 21 contest at North Carolina State.

Tulane Head Coach Perry Clark: Perry Clark is in his tenth year as the Green Wave head coach with a record of 162-129 (.557). Clark has guided Tulane to five 20-win seasons and six postseason appearances (3 NCAA, 3 NIT). He was the 1992 National Coach of the Year and a two time Metro Conference Coach of the Year (1991, 1992). Only one other coach in school history has more wins or a longer tenure. He is assisted by Julius Smith, Greg Gary and Kim Lewis. Clark is 10-5 against South Florida.

The Series: Today's game is the 16th meeting of the series with Tulane holding a 10-5 advantage. South Florida swept the season series for the first time last year, including a 76-74 win in Fogelman Arena on Feb. 28. Prior to last season, Tulane had won five straight in the series, which dates back to the 1991-92 campaign. Tulane is 5-2 in games played in New Orleans, 4-3 in Tampa and 1-0 in neutral-site games. See page 88 in the Tulane media guide for more series information.

Scouting South Florida: The Bulls enter play this afternoon with a 10-9 record after Tuesday's 77-66 loss at Florida State. USF has struggled in C-USA play of late, losing six of its last seven league games. As a team, the Bulls shoot 42.7 percent from the field, 58.1 percent from the line and average 71.6 points per game. Four USF players average in double figures, led by B.B. Waldon's 16.7 ppg average. He also ranks among the top 10 C-USA rebounders with a 7.8 rpg average.

Stolen Moments: This afternoon's ballgame features Conference USA's top two teams in terms of steals. Entering the week, South Florida and Tulane ranked one and two in the league in steals per game. USF averages 10.7 thefts per game, while the Green Wave averages 10.6 pilfers per contest. Tulane's Waitari Marsh and USF's B.B. Waldon and Chonsey Asbury rank four, five and six individually.

Coming Into His Own: Freshman Waitari Marsh continues to make strong contributions to the Tulane cause. In Wednesday's game at Cincinnati, the guard from Chicago scored a team-high 15 points and added a career-best nine rebounds. In his last five games, Marsh is averaging 10.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He has started the last nine games for the Green Wave.

A "Double-Double": Sophomore Ledaryl Billingsley continued this month-long stretch of solid play with 14 points and five boards against Cincinnati. It was Billingsley's 10th double-figure game of the season, which ties him for the team lead. Six of his 10 double-figure efforts have come since the turn of the year. He is averaging 12.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in his last seven games.

Assist to Mason: In Wednesday's loss to Cincinnati, junior Wade Mason equaled his season high with six assists. It was the second time this season that Mason had tallied six assists in a game. Mason has been one of the keys to Tulane's improved offensive effort this year, as he and Waitari Marsh have combined for 106 of the team's 241 assists.

Getting a Lift Off the Bench: Freshman Linton Johnson got an increase in playing time against Cincinnati and responded with seven points, his best effort since scoring a career-high eight vs. UAB on Dec. 30. Johnson was 3-of-5 from the floor and added a steal in 13 minutes of action.

On the Offensive Glass: The Green Wave outrebounded Cincinnati on the offensive glass, 20-19, marking the sixth time this season that Tulane had accomplished the feat. It was also the fourth time this season that the Wave has tallied at least 20 offensive rebounds in a game. In conference games, Tulane ranks third with an average of 15.6 offensive rebounds per game.

In February: Since the 1993-94 campaign, Tulane is 22-21 in the month of February.

Up Next: Tulane begins the final portion of the regular season with four of its last six games away from home. The stretch run begins with a two-game road trip next week. The Green Wave travels to Hattiesburg, Miss., for a game with Southern Miss on Thursday, Feb. 11, before facing Houston on Saturday, Feb. 13.