Feb. 6, 2004

NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University men's basketball team hosts the University of South Florida on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. at Fogelman Arena. Jani King is sponsoring Youth Basketball Day at Fogelman as the area business has provided tickets to youth basketball teams. There will also be a halftime youth basketball game.

The game tips off a three-game home stand for the Green Wave. Following Saturday's game, the Wave hosts Houston on Wednesday (Feb. 11) and TCU next Saturday (Feb. 14). Tickets for all three games are available by visiting the Green Wave Box Office at the Wilson Center or by calling 504-861-WAVE.

USF (6-11, 0-6 C-USA) comes into Saturday's game in the same position as Tulane, looking for its first Conference USA victory. Despite a veteran roster (its starting lineup includes four juniors and a senior), the Bulls have been victimized by a lack of bodies. Due to injury and attrition, USF will have just six scholarship players available for Saturday's game.

Six-nine big man Terrence Leather leads the Bulls with 13.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while 6-2 guard Bradley Mosley has 13.5 points per game. Point guard Brian Swift has 8.5 points per game and a team-best 31 three-pointers.

"South Florida is fighting the same battle we are," Tulane coach Shawn Finney said. "They are trying to get over that hump. They are very, very athletic and we need to be prepared for that."

Tulane (7-11, 0-7) is being led by four players averaging nine points or more. Athletic center Quincy Davis has a team-best 10.7 points per game to pace the Wave while senior swingman Wayne Tinsley has 10.4 points per outing. Sophomore forward Vytas Tatarunas has 9.8 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game, while point guard Marcus Kinzer has 9.7 points per game and 63 assists.

"We need to come out and play consistent basketball and have five guys playing together on the same page," Finney said. "We seem to have two guys play well one game and then two others in the next. We need everyone to come together as a group, every game."

Consistency would definitely seem to be the key. Davis led the Wave with 19 points and eight rebounds on Tuesday at DePaul, however, he tallied six points and nine rebounds in the two previous games combined. Kinzer had a stretch of five straight double-figure scoring games snapped with a scoreless outing at DePaul. Tinsley followed up a five-game double-figure scoring streak with a total of 22 points in three games.

In addition to the Jani King Youth Basketball Day events, Wave fan Phillip Generose will be presented with a free camera by Chris Bennett of Bennett's Camera and Video. During a halftime shooting contest at the Cincinnati game, Generose connected on four shots, including a halfcourt heave to win the contest and the free camera.