University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Basketball Game Notes
Dec 05, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2003
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
MATCH-UP - Memphis (3-1, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Ole Miss (2-2, 0-0 SEC)
TIPOFF - 5:00 pm (CT), Saturday, Dec. 6, 2003
SITE - C.M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum (8,700), Oxford, Miss.
RADIO INFORMATION - WMC-AM 790 will broadcast the game with Dave Woloshin (play-by-play) and Matt Dillon (analyst) calling the action. The radio broadcast can also be heard on the World Wide Web at the U of M athletics site, www.goTIGERSgo.com.
TELEVISION - ESPN2 will televise Saturday's game with Dave Revsine (play-by-play) and Larry Conley (analyst) calling the action. Saturday's game will be the second of 10 appearances for the Tigers on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPN Plus in 2003-04.
THE SERIES - Saturday's contest will mark the 34th meeting between Memphis and Ole Miss. Memphis leads the all-time series 23-10.
WHAT'S NEXT - Memphis returns to play after final exams next Saturday, Dec. 13 at No. 11 ranked Illinois. Game time is 8:00 p.m. (CT).
TIGER TIPOFF
The Memphis Tiger basketball team takes a short trip to Oxford, Miss., Saturday to continue its Mid-South rivalry versus Ole Miss. The Tigers bring a three-game win streak into the contest with victories over Fordham, Austin Peay and Tennessee-Martin. The Rebels dropped a narrow 66-60 decision to Florida State in Tallahassee Dec. 3.
SCOUTING THE REBELS
Ole Miss enters Saturday's game with a 2-2 overall record. The Rebels' victories have come over Centenary 72-60 and Southeastern Louisiana 52-48, while their setbacks have been to Arkansas State 74-69 and Florida State 66-60.
Senior Justin Reed leads the squad in both scoring and rebounding, averaging a double-double of 23.0 points and 12.0 boards. Senior Aaron Harper is the team's only other double-figure scorer at 13.3 ppg. Freshman Todd Abernethy is the top threat from the arc, hitting 54.5 percent (6-of-11).
Ole Miss is shooting 41.6 percent from the floor, 28.6 percent from the three-point line and 67.1 percent from the charity stripe. Opponents are out-rebounding the Rebels by an average of 4.7 boards per contest (36.5-31.8).
Head coach Rod Barnes is in his sixth season at the helm of the Ole Miss program. He has a 102-63 overall record. (See team statistical comparison on next page)
PROBABLES/TOP RESERVES* MEMPHIS ppg rpg OLE MISS ppg rpg
F - Rodney Carney 18.8 6.3 F - Aaron Harper 13.3 5.0
F - Sean Banks 15.3 10.3 F - Kendrick Fox 6.0 3.5
F - Duane Erwin 4.5 8.5 F - Justin Reed 23.0 12.0
G - Antonio Burks 13.5 ^7.3 G - Todd Abernethy 6.8 ^3.8
G - Anthony Rice 13.3 3.8 G - Bam Doyne 2.8 0.8
R - Billy Richmond 7.5 2.0 R - Cavadas Nunnery 0.8 ^3.0
R - Jeremy Hunt 8.5 5.5 R - Justin Johnson 3.3 0.8
R - Ivan Lopez 8.5 4.5 R - Marvin Moore 3.3 1.5
* probables are based on previous game
^ apg
MEMPHIS-OLE MISS SERIES
Memphis and Ole Miss have met 33 previous times on the court, with the Tigers holding a 23-10 lead in the series. Memphis won last year's meeting at The Pyramid, a hard-fought 58-51 victory. Prior to that win, the Tigers had dropped three straight to Ole Miss from 1999-2000 through 2001-02. Before the Rebels' three-game win streak, Memphis won the previous eight encounters.
The two schools played every year from 1976-77 through 1985-86, and then the series stopped. Memphis and Ole Miss revived the Mid-South rivalry in 1998-99 and have played every season since.
RIVALRY GETS HOTTER
Although the teams are in different conferences and have their own league rivals (Memphis - Louisville, Cincinnati; Ole Miss - Miss. State, LSU), the Mid-South rivalry between the Tigers and Rebels has been intense -- especially since the series was renewed in 1998-99. The average margin of victory in the last five encounters is 7.0 points (35 total points), and the largest margin of victory has been 10 points (74-64 Ole Miss win in 1999-2000). The following shows how close the last five encounters have been:
2002-03 Memphis 58-51 1999-2000 Ole Miss 74-64 2001-02 Ole Miss 71-67 1998-99 Memphis (ot)78-72 2000-01 Ole Miss 64-56
TIGERS VERSUS THE SEC
Memphis has an all-time record of 79-62 against current members of the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers have played Alabama (4-2), Arkansas (10-11), Auburn (0-1), Florida (0-1), Georgia (1-1), LSU (2-2), Ole Miss (23-10), Mississippi State (12-11), South Carolina (17-5), Tennessee (6-10) and Vanderbilt (4-8).
CALIPARI VERSUS THE SEC
Memphis head coach John Calipari has a 9-10 record in games against members of the Southeastern Conference. Calipari has faced Alabama (0-1), Arkansas (3-2), Florida (1-0), Kentucky (1-4), Ole Miss (1-2), South Carolina (2-0) and Tennessee (1-1).
GOING FOR THE TRIFECTA
Well, it's all on the shoulders of the Tiger men's basketball team. For the first time since the 1976-77 athletic year, Memphis is trying for the trifecta over Ole Miss in football, men's basketball and women's basketball. In September of this year, the Tigers defeated the Rebels on the gridiron 44-34 in Memphis (that game was played on ESPN2), and then Memphis posted a 69-63 victory over Ole Miss in the Lady Tiger Classic Thanksgiving weekend.
In 1976-77, the Tigers defeated Ole Miss in men's basketball (88-83), women's basketball (73-71) and football (21-16).
A GOOD OMEN?
Memphis -- the University and the city -- is excited about the football program's first bowl bid since 1971. The Tigers will play in the New Orleans Bowl Dec. 16 against North Texas.
The last time Memphis played in a bowl game was the 1971 campaign, when it participated in the Pasadena Bowl (28-9 win over San Jose State). That same athletic year (1971-72), the Tiger basketball team posted a 21-7 record under second-year head coach Gene Bartow. Memphis finished the year ranked No. 13 in both national polls (AP & UPI) and advanced to the NIT. The Tigers also posted a 74-71 victory over Ole Miss at the Vanderbilt Classic in Nashville that season.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
Saturday's game will be the second appearance for the Tigers on national television this year. Memphis played in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic against Wake Forest Nov. 13 on ESPN2.
In their history, the Tigers are 83-69 in national television games. Memphis has a 13-8 record on ESPN2.
The last two Memphis-Ole Miss games have been broadcast by ESPN, with the 2001-02 contest (71-67 Ole Miss win) on ESPN and the 2002-03 encounter (58-51 Memphis win) on ESPN2.
BANKS IS BALLIN'
Is he really only a freshman? Sean Banks is, but he is playing like an upperclassman. The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging -- yes, averaging -- a double-double after his first four collegiate games at 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds.
Banks had a career night to date against Tennessee-Martin Dec. 3 with 24 points on 7-of-13 from the field, 6-of-9 from the arc and 4-of-6 from the foul line. The six three-pointers tied him for the fourth-most in a single game in Memphis basketball history.
The Oradell, N.J., native had a sparkling college debut with 10 points and 14 rebounds against Wake Forest Nov. 13, and followed that with solid performances against Fordham (15 points, 9 boards) and Austin Peay (12 points, 10 boards).
RICE HOT FROM THE ARC
Anthony Rice led the Tigers from the three-point line in 2002-03 with 56 treys, and he is picking up where he left off last year. After four games, the 6-foot-4 guard has hit 12 three-pointers and is hitting 46.2 percent from the arc. Rice is ranked among C-USA leaders in three-point field goal percentage and three-pointers made per game. He entered his junior campaign with 104 career treys and now has 116. Rice is moved into sixth place on the Memphis career list for three-pointers made against Tennessee-Martin Dec. 3 and will continue to climb that chart during 2003-04. On his pace of hitting 52 three-pointers per season, Rice would finish 2003-04 with 156 treys, good enough for the No. 2 spot on the chart.
WELCOME BACK!
In the 74-60 victory over Austin Peay Nov. 29, the Tigers welcomed two players back to the floor from injuries in sophomore guard Jeremy Hunt and freshman forward Ivan Lopez. The season debuts for both were solid, as Hunt and Lopez provided major lifts off the bench. Both players also made an impact in the Tigers' victory over Tennessee-Martin Dec. 3.
Hunt, who made a sparkling collegiate debut in 2002-03 with his performance against Syracuse, had eight points, five rebounds and three assists against Austin Peay Nov. 29, and followed that game with nine points, six rebounds and six assists versus Tennessee-Martin Dec. 3. The Memphis, Tenn., native returned to play after sitting out with a stress fracture in his left foot. Hunt began practicing with the team Nov. 24.
The Nov. 29 game was Lopez's collegiate debut, and he made his presence known in the lane. The 6-foot-8 Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, native had seven points and seven rebounds, including five on the offensive end, against Austin Peay. He posted 10 points and two boards against the Skyhawks. Lopez did not play in the first two games due to a hamstring injury, in addition to serving a two-game suspension for playing in an unsanctioned summer league in Puerto Rico.
LIGHTING IT UP FROM THE ARC
Last year, the Tigers hit a school single-season record 210 three-pointers. On the pace Memphis is hitting treys in 2003-04, that record is in serious jeopardy. After four games, the Tigers have hit 44 three-pointers for an average of 11.0 made per contest ( first in Conference USA). If that pace keeps up, Memphis would have close to 300 three-pointers this season.
