In Orange Bowl Classic, Tulane out to keep Florida State down

Tulane looks to build momentum while Florida State aims to avoid a three-game skid in the Orange Bowl Classic on Saturday afternoon in Sunrise, Fla.

Tulane (5-6) broke a five-game losing streak on Tuesday with an 86-58 home victory over Southern Mississippi.

Florida State (7-3) has lost two straight at LSU and against NC State in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener.

The Seminoles, who are 9-4 in the Orange Bowl Classic, have won the past three meetings with the Green Wave and own a 26-12 record in the teams' series. This will be Tulane's first appearance at the event.

The Green Wave struggled and were unable to close out potential victories during the skid, which followed a 4-1 start. But thanks to a strong defensive effort, Tulane capitalized on 21 turnovers in the win over Southern Miss.

"Just like most young teams, we panic and lose our confidence," Tulane coach Ron Hunter told NOLA.com. "Defensively, rotations get out of whack, and offensively we turn the ball over trying to get it all back in one possession, mistakes that veteran teams don't make."

The Green Wave are led by Kaleb Banks and Rowan Brumbaugh. Banks is averaging a team-best 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Brumbaugh is averaging 13.3 points and paces Tulane with five assists per game.

For the Seminoles, Jamir Watkins is averaging 17.7 points per game despite only shooting 27.3 percent from 3-point range. Malique Ewin (12.4 ppg) has scored in double figures in seven straight games and leads Florida State with 6.9 rebounds per game.

"We are almost doing everything correct," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton recently told reporters. "It's more thinking going on right now on offense and defense than reacting and playing instinctively. And that's what our biggest challenge is."

--Field Level Media