Tigers Back in Action Saturday Night against UCF
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Tigers hit the hardwood for the first time in nine days Saturday night against UCF at FedExForum. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
Following this week's winter storm, Memphis Athletics is offering a free ticket to Saturday's game so fans can warm up at FedExForum with fellow Tiger fans. The free tickets will be distributed inside the FedExForum Grand Lobby near the Grizzlies Team Store when doors open Saturday. Fans can receive one free ticket per person, and all parties must be present to claim the ticket. FedExForum doors open at 6 p.m.
Memphis last played Jan. 27, a 71-54 win over East Carolina, after Thursday's scheduled game at Cincinnati was postponed due to inclement winter weather in Cincinnati. The game against the Bearcats will be made up on Tuesday, Feb. 15, creating a three-game road stretch for the Tigers in the middle of the month at Houston (Feb. 12), Cincinnati (Feb. 15) and SMU (Feb. 20).
A win against UCF would give Memphis its second three-game winning streak since the calendar flipped to 2022 and improve the Tigers to 6-4 in American Athletic Conference action. As the league standings currently sit a 6-4 record would keep Memphis one loss out of third place, which is held by 5-3 Cincinnati and Temple.
After Saturday, Memphis' next five games are against teams ahead of it in the AAC standings. The Tigers remain at home to play Tulane Wednesday at 7 p.m., then hit the road for that three-game stretch before welcoming Temple to FedExForum on Thursday, Feb. 24.
Saturday’s game is presented by Regional One Health.
GAME DETAILS
Memphis Tigers (11-8, 5-4 AAC) vs. UCF Knights (13-7, 5-5 AAC)
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022 | 7 p.m. CT
FedExForum (18,400); Memphis, Tenn.
Television: ESPN2 (Kevin Brown, pxp; Mark Adams, analysis)
BY THE NUMBERS
100: Saturday's game can be the 100th in Alex Lomax' Memphis career; the Bluff City native is averaging 5.9 points and 3.5 assists in an average of 22.3 minutes per game in his Tiger career.1: Freshman in the nation, Memphis’ Josh Minott, has at least 20 assists, 15 steals and 10 blocked shots while playing fewer than 20.0 minutes per game this year.40.4: Lester Quinones' 3-point percentage in the 11 Tiger wins (19-47), compared to 22.2 percent in Memphis' eight losses (6-27).15-7: Memphis' record in the month of February under head coach Penny Hardaway, including 5-0 in 2020-21.9th: The Tigers' national rank in free throw rate (.403), measuring a team's ability to get to the free throw line (FTA/FGA); the Tigers are 317th in free throw percentage, however (.658).
THE LAST TIME OUT
A strong second half powered the Tigers past East Carolina last Thursday night at FedExForum, 71-54.Memphis used a 13-4 run to open a 45-36 lead after the Pirates tied the game at 32 at the start of the second half, and the Tigers led by double figures for the final 7:18 of the contest.The Tigers were led by Lester Quinones' 17 points, including four 3-pointers.Josh Minott recorded a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double, and Emoni Bates, Malcolm Dandridge and Earl Timberlake had eight points apiece.Timberlake also grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and had five assists.Eight Tigers played at least 19 minutes in the game.Memphis held East Carolina to 26.4 percent shooting in the game (19-72), which is the second-lowest field goal percentage allowed by the Tigers this year behind North Carolina Central's 26.2 percent shooting on Nov. 13 (17-65).Memphis ended the game shooting 42.1 percent from the field (24-57) and was 14-for-24 in the second half (.583).East Carolina (11-8, 2-5 AAC) was led by Tristen Newton's 19 points.
NOTING THE OPPONENT
UCF is led by three players in double figures, with Darin Green Jr. leading the way at 13.8 points per game, Darius Perry scoring at an 11.5-point-per-game clip and Brandon Mahan contributing 10.2 points per outing.Mahan was a preseason all-conference second team selection entering this season. The Knights are fifth in the AAC in scoring offense (71.2) and sixth in scoring defense (66.6), with the Tigers second and ninth, respectively. UCF also ranks second in the conference in 3-pointers made per game with 8.6.Last season, the Knights' campaign ended with an 11-12 record after a 70-62 loss to the Tigers in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament. UCF was picked to finish fifth this year in the preseason coaches poll, behind Houston, Memphis, SMU and Wichita State.
