Feb. 15, 2008
Note: The following is the third of a bi-weekly series of articles leading up to the 2008 Conference USA Women's Basketball Tournament to be hosted by UCF at the New UCF Arena in Orlando, Fla., March 6-9.
1996-97 Season
Under the direction of third-year head coach Lisa Stockton and coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, the Tulane Green Wave had high expectations entering the 1996-97 campaign.
Some of that excitement was dampened by a 27-point loss at Louisiana Tech in the first round of the Preseason NIT. That early exit left the Green Wave with a 10-day break before their next game with New Orleans. Not only did Tulane win that game, the Green Wave went on to win 10 consecutive contests, including the Malibu Classic Championship and a win against Van Chancellor's talented Ole Miss squad.
Tulane lost just two games in Conference USA play en route to finishing 12-2 in the league and capturing the regular season crown in a three-way tie with Louisville and Memphis. It was just the second year of existence for Conference USA and would begin a stretch where the Green Wave won either the regular season or conference championship in four of five years.
Seeded second in the league tournament due to losing the tiebreaker with Memphis, Tulane toppled 10th-seeded St. Louis 75-57 in the quarterfinals before edging third-seeded Louisville 76-74 to reach the finals.
In the C-USA Championship game, the Green Wave exploded for a 76-53 win against Marquette in Chicago's Alumni Hall on the campus of DePaul University. It marked the first time in league history that a team had won both the regular season and tournament championships in the same year.
Tulane was sent to the nation's capital to participate in the NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds, hosted by George Washington University. The Green Wave pulled off a narrow 72-69 win against UC-Santa Barbara in the first round before falling to the host team, 81-67 in the second round.
Despite failing to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, Tulane concluded the best season in Conference USA history. Their +14.1 scoring advantage against opponents still ranks as the fourth-widest season scoring margin in league annals.
Tulane is one of the 12 league teams coming to Orlando, Fla., March 6-9 for the Conference USA women's basketball tournament. Single-game and session ticket packages are now available. Call the UCFAA Ticket Sales Office at 407-823-1000. For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.