Tigers, No. 18 Volunteers Clash Saturday Morning in Nashville
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Riding the momentum of a marquee win, the Memphis Tigers venture to Downtown Nashville to face cross-state rival No. 18/18 Tennessee Saturday morning at Bridgestone Arena. The 11 a.m. tip-off can be seen on ESPN2.
A win Saturday would make Memphis 5-1 against the Volunteers in the last six meetings, which would be its best stretch in series history.
The Tigers took down No. 6/8 Alabama in commanding fashion Tuesday night at FedExForum and against the Volunteers have the chance to pick up a second statement victory in five days.
The Volunteers enter the game with an 8-2 record and currently lead the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, which is the amount of points a team would allow per 100 possessions against an average Division I opponent. Memphis is 33rd in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Tennessee's eight wins on the season include an 89-72 victory over then-No. 18 North Carolina in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Uncasville, Conn. Its two defeats are against No. 5 Villanova and Texas Tech in overtime.
Saturday's game is an important opportunity for the Tigers to add to their resume in non-conference play. The Tigers have two Quad I wins so far this season (Virginia Tech, Alabama) and have played a third Quad I game (Iowa State). Memphis went 1-4 in Quad I games a season ago. Only five teams in the country have three Quad I wins already this year and 11 others join Memphis in having two. Tennessee, with its current NCAA NET ranking of 6, is a fourth Quad I game for Memphis in the first 11 contests this campaign.
Following Saturday's showdown, the Tigers wrap up non-conference play Tuesday at FedExForum against Alabama State at 7 p.m. The American Athletic Conference portion of the schedule begins Dec. 29 at Tulane.
GAME DETAILS
Memphis Tigers (6-4) vs. #18/18 Tennessee (8-2)
Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 | 11 a.m. CT
Bridgestone Arena (18,500); Nashville, Tenn.
Television: ESPN2 (Kevin Brown, pxp; Jay Bilas, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)
Satellite: Sirius 81 / XM 81 / SXM App 81
BY THE NUMBERS
2014: The last time Memphis played two ranked teams within a five-day span (L at No. 15 Cincinnati, March 6; W vs. No. 18 SMU, March 8).2007: The last time Memphis played at Bridgestone Arena, called Sommet Center at the time; No. 2 Memphis defeated Middle Tennessee on Dec. 15, 65-41.3: Games this season shooting at least 80.0 percent from the free throw line with at least 15 attempts; Memphis accomplished the feat once last season.3-0: Memphis' record when DeAndre Williams has at least 15 points, four assists and three steals in a game.0:00: Amount of time in nine games this season Alabama had trailed by 10 points before Tuesday, when Memphis led by double digits for 13:28 of game action and by as many as 19.
THE LAST TIME OUT
Memphis led by as many as 19 points and ran away with a 92-78 win over No. 6/8 Alabama in front of 15,266 raucous fans Tuesday night in a "White Out" at FedExForum.Memphis snapped a four-game losing streak in emphatic fashion and picked up its first win over a top-10 team since 2014 and first over a ranked squad in two seasons.Five Tigers were in double figures, led by DeAndre Williams' 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting.Jalen Duren added 14 on 7-of-9 shooting, Landers Nolley II made three 3-pointers en route to 13 points and Lester Quinones added 12.Tyler Harris made three triples and finished with 11 points in 16 minutes off the bench.Nolley II and Williams also combined for 12 assists, seven steals and only two turnovers.Memphis' well-rounded game as a whole included shooting 53.3 percent from the field (32-60), making 80.0 percent of its free throws (20-25), dishing out 20 assists on 32 baskets and swiping 12 steals.The Tigers led by five at the break, 37-32, and a swift 12-0 run five-and-a-half minutes into the second half ballooned the lead to 19 at 61-42.The Crimson Tide got no closer than nine points the rest of the way.In the second half, the Tigers committed only six turnovers and six fouls.Memphis drew 14 second-half fouls and went 18-for-22 from the stripe (.818) in the last 20 minutes.Alabama (8-2) was led by Keon Ellis' 19 points.Memphis held Crimson Tide stars Jahvon Quinerly and Jaden Shackelford to 22 combined points, 12 below their joint season average.
NOTING THE OPPONENT
Tennessee is led by Memphis native Kennedy Chandler's 14.6 points per game, and Santiago Vescovi is also averaging double figures at 13.1 points per outing.Three Volunteers are averaging at least 6.0 rebounds per game, topped by John Fulkerson's 6.2 per contest.The Volunteers rank in the top 10 nationally in five statistical categories.Offensively, Tennessee is fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8), fifth in assists per game (19.3) and 10th in scoring margin (20.6).On the defensive end, the Volunteers rank fifth in turnover margin (+7.1) and eighth in steals per game (10.6).Tennessee was picked to finish fourth in the SEC's preseason poll, behind Kentucky, Alabama and Arkansas.Tennessee brings back three starters and six other returners from last season's team that went 18-9 overall and 10-7 in the SEC.The Volunteers were seeded fifth in the NCAA Tournament, where they bowed out in the first round to eventual Elite Eight participant Oregon State, 70-56.
