Conventional wisdom was Tulane needed to avoid landing in dominant regular-season champion Texas-San Antonio’s half of the bracket for the American Athletic Conference baseball tournament, but that may not be the case.

The fifth-seeded Green Wave fared better against the three teams on its side —including the Roadrunners—than the four on the opposite side.

Tulane (30-24, 13-14) swept eighth-seeded Rice, was one of two teams to win a game at UTSA all year and nearly took two of three from Florida Atlantic, losing a late lead when closer Michael Lombardi was unavailable with an oblique injury.

The Wave went 4-8 against the other half, getting swept by No. 2 seed Charlotte and No. 3 seed South Florida.

Here is a look at the eight-team field before Tulane’s quest for a three-peat begins Tuesday morning against Florida Atlantic in Clearwater, Florida.

Strengths: The Roadrunners rake. Their . 322 batting average leads the AAC by a long way and ranks sixth nationally. They also are second in ERA and third in fielding.

Weakness: Ace Braylon Owens’ 4.47 ERA does not compare to the top pitchers in the league.

Outlook: Although UTSA is the class of the AAC, its incentive level is murky as an at-large regional lock that did not bid on hosting.

Strengths: Pitching and defense. The 49ers’ ERA in league games (3.91) is more than half-a-run lower than anyone else. Ace Blake Gillespie’s ERA is 1.39 in nine AAC starts. They rank third nationally in fielding percentage.

Weakness: They did not hit for average before pummeling Tulane over the weekend, but they are plenty good enough at the plate, ranking second in home runs during league games. Third baseman Bryce Dawson bats a league-high .387 in conference play.

Outlook: This complete team should reach Sunday’s championship game.

Strengths: Ace Corey Braun went 6-1 in league action. The Bulls were third in ERA and runs in conference games.

Weakness: The Bulls hit only 29 home runs and have a slugging percentage considerably below the other top contenders.

Outlook: USF is better than the sum of its parts. It won series against all three teams on its side of the bracket.

Strengths: The long ball and ace Trey Beard. The Owls lead the league with 42 home runs in conference play. Beard is second with a 2.93 ERA, allowing only 54 hits with 113 strikeouts in 80 innings.

Weakness: The Owls went 2-7 against the three teams seeded above them. They were swept by UTSA.

Outlook: FAU is solid enough to make a run at the championship, although opening against two-time reigning champion Tulane with a potential second game against nemesis UTSA is not ideal.

Strengths: Offense and Lombardi. The Wave finished second to UTSA in runs during conference games. Lombardi tied for the league lead with 11 saves , boasting a microscopic 1.45 ERA.

Weakness: Tulane’s league-worst ERA of 8.07 in conference play says it all. It enters the tournament having giving up 15 or more runs in a game during five consecutive series.

Outlook: The Wave will rely heavily on mojo after going 8-1 in Clearwater the past two years.

Strength: Pitcher Ethan Norby’s up side is as good as anyone in the league. He allowed one earned run in 13⅔ innings with 15 strikeout in back-to-back appearances against Tulane and Rice.

Weakness: The Pirates rank in the bottom half of the league in runs, ERA and fielding.

Outlook: Unless the name on the jersey means something in Clearwater, ECU’s run of seven consecutive regional berths will end.

Strength: Momentum? The Shockers needed to win a season-ending series vs. Memphis to reach the tournament and swept the Tigers.

Weakness: Wichita State has no qualifying pitcher with an ERA below 5.75.

Outlook: Picked second in the preseason poll, the Shockers went 6-15 against the other teams in this field. They will need an about-face to survive past Wednesday.

Strengths: Former Tulane coach David Pierce brought some stability to a program in disarray when he took over in mid-March. Ace Davion Hickson has high-end stuff.

Weakness: Everything else. The Owls were outscored 194-137 in league play.

Outlook: Hickson, who threw a one-hit complete-game shutout of Charlotte and limited Wichita State to two runs in his past two starts, gives Rice a chance against UTSA in its opener. After that, good luck.