Tigers, UCF ring in New Year at Orlando

Wednesday, January 3

Orlando, Fla.

6 PM

University of Memphis

UCF

Jan 02, 2018 | Men's Basketball

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

By: Phil Stukenborg

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After opening American Athletic Conference play last weekend in Cincinnati, where the outside conditions were frigid (temperatures in the single digits), the University of Memphis men's basketball team plays its second league game Wednesday night in Orlando.

They hope to encounter more favorable conditions – outside and inside.

The Tigers (9-5, 0-1 AAC) are looking for a better outcome against UCF (10-4, 1-1) at CFE Arena, where the weather outside will be considerably warmer with temperatures in the upper 40s. Tipoff is 6 p.m. (CT) and the game will be carried by ESPN3.

Memphis is coming off a lopsided loss (82-48) on New Year's Eve to 19^th-ranked Cincinnati, which moved up two spots in the Associated Press Poll after the win. UCF is coming off a different outcome on New Year's Eve. The Knights overwhelmed East Carolina with a suffocating defensive display, holding the Pirates to 39 points – the second fewest in school history – in a 59-39 victory.

In the win, UCF limited ECU to 31.9 percent shooting and forced 21 turnovers.

The Tigers will attempt to snap a two-game losing streak that began with last week's home loss to LSU. The U of M dropped a 34-point decision at Cincinnati in a game played at Northern Kentucky's on-campus arena in Highland Heights, Ky.

U of M guard Kareem Brewton led the Tigers with 17 points in 17 minutes against the Bearcats, scoring all of his points after halftime. Mike Parks added a season-high 10 points.

Memphis will be led by former Mitchell High standout Jeremiah Martin, who is averaging 17.4 points per game, and newcomer Kyvon Davenport, who averages 12.8 points.

One of the biggest obstacles for the Tigers will be someone who is a challenge for any UCF opponent. Junior Tacko Fall is a 7-6 post player and a shot-blocking presence in the paint.

The Knights also have been getting key contributions from A.J. Davis and newcomer Ceaser DeJesus. Davis posted his fourth double-double of the season (17 points, 10 rebounds) in the win over ECU. DeJesus was named AAC Rookie of the Week Tuesday for his 15-point, 2-steal, 2-assist effort against the Pirates. It was DeJesus' second rookie of the week honor this season.

Martin said the Tigers can regroup after the disappointing loss to Cincinnati providing the first-year players keep pushing forward, but learn from their mistakes. The Tigers have 11 newcomers, the most in the AAC. Eight are scholarship players.

"I tell them to keep playing," Martin said. "They are young. I was a freshman once. You just have to do the little things: play defense, don't get your head down when coach gets on you."

Davenport, the most consistent of the first-year Tigers, said "we've got to come out better prepared; and I need to take smarter shots."

QUOTABLE
"Hopefully, they know we are not going to tolerate anything but their best effort. We just had a real breakdown in fundamentals and mechanics (at Cincinnati) and that's what it leads to." -- Tiger coach Tubby Smith

NOTABLES

Tiger point guard Jeremiah Martin has 24 of his team-high 34 steals since Dec. 9, including a season-best five steals on two occasions.
Memphis has won eight of its last 11 games starting a new calendar year. The Tigers, under then-first-year coach Tubby Smith, defeated UConn, 70-61, at FedExForum to open 2017.
UCF outrebounds its opponents by 6.2 boards per game. A.J. Davis leads the Knights with a 9.1 rebounding average.
Tiger swingman David Nickleberry, a freshman, is from Orlando. He played high school basketball at Windemere Prep and averaged 15.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists as a senior.