University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
ECU
Tigers play ECU in season finale at FedExForum; honor seniors Rivers and Moffatt
Mar 03, 2018 | Men's Basketball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis will be playing Sunday for more than a regular-season-ending victory for outgoing seniors Jimario Rivers and Alex Moffatt.
If the Tigers can get past East Carolina at 2 p.m. in an American Athletic Conference game at FedExForum, they'll secure the No. 5 seed in next week's American Athletic Conference Championship in Orlando.
Getting past ECU (10-18, 4-13 American) may be a challenge. The Tigers (18-12, 9-8 American) dropped an overtime decision to the Pirates Feb. 3 in Greenville, N.C., and, unlike the road game, Memphis will be without point guard Jeremiah Martin, the league's leading scorer.
Martin, averaging 18.9 points, was injured in the first half of the team's Feb. 22 upset of nationally ranked Houston at FedExForum and was lost for the season with a broken left foot.Â
The Tigers also must shake off a disappointing loss Thursday night at home to USF. Memphis dropped a 75-51 decision to the Bulls (9-21) and shot only 39.2 percent, including 3-of-19 from beyond the arc.
Still, the Tigers have won four of their last five and a victory would provide momentum ahead of the conference tournament, which will begin Thursday for Memphis.
And Sunday's game should allow for a proper sendoff for Rivers and Moffatt. Rivers, from Clarksville, Tenn., has been the team's inspirational leader and one of the Tigers' best defenders, according to Tiger coach Tubby Smith.
"I feel like I've grown as a player, I've gotten better over the years," Rivers said. "Coach Smith pushes me every day in practice and I have improved."
He came to the U of M after two seasons at Southwest Tennessee, where he averaged 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds as a sophomore before transferring to Memphis. With the Tigers, he averaged 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds as a junior and upped those totals this season to 7.3 and 3.9.  Rivers scored a career-high 21 points, with nine rebounds, in the upset of Houston.
"Jimario has been a tough, tough guy," Smith said. "He's one of the toughest kids I think I've ever coached as far as just getting the most out of his body."
Moffatt, a former walk-on, came to the U of M from Shawnee State and appeared in nine games for the Tigers as a junior.  He has appeared in one game this season, playing four minutes in a lopsided victory over UConn in mid-January. Smith awarded him a scholarship before the season began.
"He's going to be an excellent coach, if that's what he wants to do," Smith said. "He understands the game and he's always engaged, always talking to (his teammates) and saying the right things. And he understands the game as well as anyone on the team. I've been impressed with that."
NOTABLES
+ While a victory secures the No. 5 seed in next week's American Athletic Conference Championship in Orlando, the Tigers could also secure the spot if they lose. But it would require two things: a win by Temple at Tulsa and a win by Tulane at UCF.
+ ECU's Kentrell Barkley, who had 19 points and 13 rebounds in 44 minutes in the win over the Tigers Feb. 3, will not play. Barkley was suspended indefinitely after a Feb. 22 loss to SMU, a game which he was ejected following a double technical.
+ ECU's Shawn Williams, who made 6-of-10 3-pointers and finished with 30 points against the Tigers, is making a bid for league rookie-of-the-year honors. He will set a school freshman record with his next 3-pointer, breaking the mark of 69. He is averaging 14.4 points in conference games to lead all league freshmen.
