The Tulane basketball team is building its funeral home one brick at a time.

After shooting poorly for most of the non-league schedule, the Green Wave has been even worse in its first two conference games, connecting on 33.3 percent in a home loss to UTEP and 31.8 percent in a defeat at SMU.

The season is still early, but it will get late fast if Tulane, coming off back-to-back last-place finishes in Conference USA, does not start putting the ball in the basket.

"There's always more than one factor, but the good news is we do have guys who can shoot the basketball," coach Ed Conroy said. "Shooting is all about rhythm and timing, and for whatever reason in the last two or three games we have not been in synch offensively. A big part of it comes from sharing the basketball, making good decisions, throwing guys a pass in the right spot and just playing the game in the right way."

The recent struggles have exacerbated a yearlong trend. Through 17 games, Tulane (12-5, 0-2 C-USA) is shooting 40.7 percent overall and 31.8 percent from 3-point range, ranking in the bottom three of the conference in both categories.

That first number is historically horrible. Since Tulane's first season playing with the 3-point line (1989-90), only two Wave teams have shot worse.

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