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No. 5 Memphis can win 21st straight vs. Tulane

Mar 9, 2007 - 4:03 PM Tulane (17-12) vs. No. 5 Memphis (28-3) 4:30 pm EST

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Having the conference tournament on its home floor has been a blessing for Memphis.

The fifth-ranked Tigers can extend the nation's longest winning streak to 21 consecutive games and advance to the the championship contest of the Conference USA tournament with Friday's meeting against Tulane.

Averaging 80.1 points, Memphis can set the school record for consecutive victories established in 1985-1986. The Tigers can also match Brigham Young for the nation's longest home-court winning streak (31).

Memphis also has won all 17 showdowns against conference opponents. After winning all 16 regular-season games to secure the tournament's No. 1 seed, the Tigers advanced to the semifinals with Thursday's 92-71 triumph over Marshall.

Doneal Mack and Jeremy Hunt scored 19 points apiece off the bench and Joey Dorsey added 14 with 11 rebounds for Memphis, which forced 22 turnovers.

Coach John Calipari tied Kentucky's Tubby Smith for fifth place in coaching victories in his first 15 seasons (365) and is four away from Syracuse's Jim Boeheim for fourth.

Tulane overcame a rough stretch in January when it lost five times in six games. The Green Wave won five of its last six regular-season contests to finish 9-7 against conference foes.

Seeded fourth, the Green Wave posted a 58-56 victory over Tulsa in Thursday's quarterfinals. Kevin Sims scored 15 points, including two free throws with 12 seconds remaining, and David Gomez added 11.

Tulane may still be smarting from a 95-51 pounding against Memphis on February 10. Robert Dozier and Willie Kemp scored 13 points apiece for the Tigers in their most lopsided win of the season.