PROVIDENCE, R.I. –  Tulane and Memphis were selected to the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship Tuesday, marking the fifth straight year in which the American Athletic Conference has sent at least two teams to the national tournament.
 
Tulane, which won The American’s automatic bid to the tournament, and Memphis, which was chosen as an at-large selection, will both make their third straight NCAA tournament appearances. First-round play in the 64-team bracket will begin either May 11 or May 12 at 16 campus sites nationally.
 
Tulane will enter the NCAA tournament as the winner of its last seven matches, including three wins at the American Athletic Conference Championship as the Green Wave captured its first American title. The Green Wave, ranked No. 23 in the most recent Oracle/ITA national team rankings, will face No. 50 Alabama in the first round in Tallahassee, Florida. Tulane would face either Alabama State or No. 11 Florida State in a potential second-round match.
 
Tulane is making its 12th appearance in the NCAA Championship. The Green Wave’s best finish in the national tournament was a trip to the round of 16 in 2003.
 
Memphis saw a 13-match winning streak snapped in the semifinal round of the American Athletic Conference Championship as the No. 20-ranked Tigers look to bounce back in its NCAA first-round matchup against South Alabama in Starkville, Mississippi. If the Tigers defeat the Jaguars, they would face either Tennessee Tech or No. 9 Mississippi State in the second round.
 
Memphis is making its sixth NCAA Championship appearance and its second trip to Starkville in its tournament history. The Tigers’  best finish in the tournament came in 2013, when they reached the round of 16.
 
The American has sent at least two teams to the second round of the NCAA Championship in each of the last four years. The conference has had two teams – USF in 2015 and SMU in 2016 – reach the round of 16.
 
 
 
NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
American Athletic Conference Pairings
First Round May 11 or May 12
                                                                                     
at Tallahassee, Fla.
Tulane (18-6) vs. Alabama (18-12)
Alabama State (12-8) vs. Florida State (27-4)
 
at Starkville, Miss.
Memphis (18-5) vs. South Alabama (14-9)
Tennessee Tech (10-11) vs. Mississippi State (20-2)