Busting Brackets
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2017 American Athletic Conference: Five bold predictions for tournament

By Daniel Benjamin

Feb 25, 2017; Hartford, CT, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs guard Shake Milton (1) works the ball against Connecticut Huskies guard Christian Vital (1) in the second half at XL Center. SMU defeated UConn 69-61. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Hartford, CT, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs guard Shake Milton (1) works the ball against Connecticut Huskies guard Christian Vital (1) in the second half at XL Center. SMU defeated UConn 69-61. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 8, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tulane Green Wave center Ryan Smith (15) tips the ball in against Houston Cougars forward Danrad Knowles (0) during the second half at Devlin Fieldhouse. Houston Cougars defeated Tulane Green Wave 91-62. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tulane Green Wave center Ryan Smith (15) tips the ball in against Houston Cougars forward Danrad Knowles (0) during the second half at Devlin Fieldhouse. Houston Cougars defeated Tulane Green Wave 91-62. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Cameron Reynolds will score 25 points while leading No. 10 Tulane past No. 7 Tulsa in opening round

Tulane junior guard Cameron Reynolds has had his way against Tulsa this year.

Reynolds closed the regular season in style, pouring in a career-high 31 points as Tulane (6-24) rolled past Tulsa (14-16) 81-69 on March 5. Reynolds was 8-of-15 from the field, including a career-best 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. He also was 8-of-8 from the free throw line.

While it was obviously Reynolds’ day against Tulsa, he wasn’t the only Green Wave that shined. Reynolds, who also had a team-high six rebounds, got help from fellow guards Melvin Frazier and Malik Morgan. Frazier had 18 points and four steals while Morgan contributed 15 points, eight assists, and six boards.

Reynolds also had a fairly big game in the first match-up between the Green Wave and Golden Hurricane. Reynolds finished with a double-double (20 points and 12 rebounds) though he knocked down just 1-of-6 three-point shots and was 7-of-19 from the floor altogether. But Tulsa ended up winning this meeting (89-82) as  Sterling Taplin tallied a career-high 24 points.

Reynolds is currently on a 17-game streak where he has scored in double-figures. He has scored in double-figures in 26 of his 30 games this year overall, including 12 20-point games. The 6’7″ 22-year-old has also posted four double-doubles. For the season, Reynolds is averaging 17.0 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 42.5% from the field and 39.7% from the three-point line.

Tulane and Tulsa are old C-USA rivals. Since both programs entered the AAC, Tulsa owns a 3-1 edge in the series.

Tulane advanced to the conference semis last year as a 10th-seed and is 2-2 overall in the American tournament. Tulsa, on the other hand, is 1-2 overall in the tourney.