University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Bryant
Tigers to battle Bryant at noon Saturday at FedExForum
Dec 08, 2017 | Men's Basketball
           MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Much like the AutoZone Liberty Bowl-bound University of Memphis football team, the Tiger basketball program has a streak to preserve.
        The football team is unbeaten at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium this season and plays its Dec. 30 bowl game against Iowa State in hopes of extending the streak. The men's basketball team has won its first five games at FedExForum and will look to go to 6-0 at home when it plays host to Bryant University at noon Saturday in the Houzz Gotham Classic Presented by TicketIQ. The game will be carried on ESPN3.   Â
        The Tigers are coming off a dramatic, 65-64, win Tuesday night at home over Samford. Freshman guard Jamal Johnson scored with 2.5 seconds to tie the game and dropped in a free throw to convert a three-point play that provided the margin of victory.           Â
        The Tigers (5-2) will be playing a first-time opponent for the second time this season. Last month, the Tigers met Northern Kentucky for the first time.
Game Quick Facts
|
Opponent |
Bryant |
|
Day/Date |
Saturday, Dec. 9 |
|
Time |
12 p.m. (CT) |
|
Site |
Memphis, Tenn./FedExForum |
|
Television |
None (Web: ESPN3.com) |
|
Radio (Flagship) |
600 WREC AM/Rock 103 (102.7 FM) |
Head coach Tubby Smith
        "I've got to commend our players, and Jamal Johnson, what courage that young man has, the toughness he has. He's stepping up big time and when you're a freshman and you're doing that, that's big."
Tigers Tidbits/Five Notes To Know
·       Saturday's match-up is the first meeting between the two programs. Since 2000-01, the Tigers are 37-5 when playing an opponent for the first time.
·      There are four Division 1 basketball programs in Rhode Island. After the Tigers play Bryant today at FedExForum, Memphis will have played each. The Tigers also have played Brown, Providence and Rhode Island, all in Memphis. The Tigers are 3-0 vs. Brown and 0-1 against Providence (2004-05) and Rhode Island (1963-64).
·      Bryant, which became a Division 1 member during the 2008-09 season, lost, 84-68, Wednesday to Albany in the Houzz Gotham Classic Presented by TicketIQ. Bryant (1-8) was led in scoring by freshman Brandon Carroll, whose 15 points represented a career high.
·       Bryant joined Division I in 2008. The Bulldogs played in the Division II national championship game in 2005.
·       The land for Bryant's Smithfield campus was donated by alum Earl Tupper, the inventor of Tupperware. The New England Patriots held training camp at Bryant for 27 seasons prior to the opening of Gillette Stadium and its surrounding practice facilities in 2002.
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