Tigers await UCF, first of three American Conference foes in seven days

Raynere Thornton (4) and Karim Sameh Azab (23) have boosted the Tiger bench.

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Tigers await UCF, first of three American Conference foes in seven days

Feb 10, 2018 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Game Notes (vs. UCF)UCF Game Notes (vs. Memphis)

Coaching for Literacy, M Club Hall of Famers to be featured at Sunday's game.

By: Phil Stukenborg

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Hopefully, the University of Memphis men's basketball team has taken its collective breath the past few days. It's about to get hectic.

Starting Sunday at 3 p.m. at FedExForum, the Tigers will begin a weeklong stretch in which they will play three American Athletic Conference games in seven days. The only home game during the run will be Sunday's against UCF, a team the Tigers' dropped a 65-56 decision to Jan. 3 in Orlando.

The Tigers (14-10, 5-6 American) have lost two straight – in overtime at East Carolina last weekend and at home Tuesday to No. 22 Wichita State. But Memphis will attempt to reverse its course by building on the momentum provided by its reserves in the 85-65 loss to Wichita State.

In that game, the Tigers got a season-high 40 points from their bench. Kareem Brewton Jr., led the second group with 12 points and four assists. Raynere Thornton added 11 points and four rebounds and David Nickelberry had his best outing in more than a month with eight points, four rebounds and two assists.

"The bench played particularly well," Tiger coach Tubby Smith said. "So there were some positives along those lines."

UCF (14-9, 5-6) finds itself in a similar situation to the Tigers in that the Knights have added a number of newcomers. UCF has five first-year players making significant contributions. The Tigers, who added 11 newcomers, have three in the starting lineup – Kyvon Davenport, Mike Parks Jr., and Jamal Johnson – and two more reserves (Raynere Thornton and Kareem Brewton) who play regularly.

The Knights also are dealing with a key injury. UCF lost 7-foot-6 junior center Tacko Fall shortly after the Knights played Memphis. He was averaging 11.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and nearly 2 blocked shots per game and was a disruptive presence in the paint, but shoulder issues forced him to shut down in mid-January.

As it has been most of the season, Memphis will be led by junior point guard Jeremiah Martin, who ranks first in the conference with a 19.3 scoring average. Martin is averaging 20.5 points in league games and Parks is shooting 57.8 percent in conference play, which ranks fourth overall.

After playing UCF, the Tigers will travel to Dallas Wednesday to play SMU and to New Orleans Saturday to play Tulane.

"This is an important (stretch)," Smith said. "This time of year, especially, you want to be playing well if you want to get to postseason play. I think our players understand that."

RHODES RE-INSTATED

Tiger coach Tubby Smith re-instated junior guard Malik Rhodes Friday after he had missed the previous three games serving a team suspension for a violation of team rules and conduct detrimental to the team. Rhodes began practicing with the team Friday and will be available Sunday.

INTERNATIONAL PAPER & COACHING FOR LITERACY'S FIGHT FOR LITERACY

Sunday's game will be the International Paper Presents Coaching for Literacy's Fight for Literacy Game with the Tigers.

Coaching for Literacy games bring coaches, players and fans together for a common cause: ensuring America's children can read. To raise awareness about the issues connected to illiteracy, the Tiger coaching staff will wear the CFL's awareness kit, which features a green tie provided by Peter Millar, in addition to a green lapel pin and wrist band.

Memphis fans can pledge a donation for each assist the Tigers record over a four-game stretch starting Sunday and ending Feb. 22. To make a pledge, visit www.pledgeit.org/memphistigers.

For every tweet with the hashtag #IP4Literacy, International Paper will donate $1 to local literacy effort. For details, visit www.coachingforliteracy.org/promotionrules. One hundred percent of the funds raised will remain in Memphis and enable more than 60 elementary students to attend Memphis Teacher Residency's MTR Camp.

QUOTABLE

"We've got to figure out ways to get him open more." – Tiger reserve guard Kareem Brewton Jr., on teammate Jeremiah Martin, who was limited to 10 shots against Wichita State. He averaged 19 shots against the U of M's previous two opponents.

NOTABLE
+ The Tigers are averaging 15.4 assists in their 14 wins. They are averaging 8.7 in their losses.
+ Memphis leads the series against UCF, 21-4. The Tigers are 14-0 in games played in Memphis.
+ Former Tiger Antonio Anderson, a member of the 2007-08 team that played Kansas in the NCAA Championship game, will be recognized at halftime for being inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame Saturday night with three other former Tiger athletes.