University of Memphis Athletics
Thursday, March 8
Orlando, Fla.
1 PM
University of Memphis
vs
USF
Kareem Brewton (right) has stepped into the starting point guard role in place of the injured Jeremiah Martin.
Photo by: Matthew Smith
Tigers open American Athletic Conference Championship play against USF
Mar 07, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Winner earns quarterfinal pairing against No. 4 seed Tulsa
ORLANDO – Will the third time be a charm, or at least better than the second time?
The University of Memphis opens play in the Aaron's American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Thursday at the Amway Center against USF, a team the Tigers defeated Jan. 31 in Tampa, but one they lost to last week at home.
In the third meeting this season, the fifth-seeded Tigers (19-12) will play the 12th-seeded Bulls (10-21) in a game that tips off at 1 p.m. (CT) at the Amway Center. The winner advances to the quarterfinals for a Friday matchup with No. 4 seed Tulsa.
Cincinnati (27-4) is the event's top seed and Wichita State (24-6) is seeded second. The tournament runs through Sunday.
Memphis has won five of its past six games, including an upset of then-No. 23 Houston Feb. 22 at FedExForum. The Tigers have prospered at season's end despite the absence of, for the most part, Jeremiah Martin, the conference's scoring champion. Martin averaged 18.9 points per game, but missed four of the team's final six games.
A hip injury sidelined Martin during the team's 70-67 win at SMU on Valentine's Day and a broken left foot suffered during the Houston victory forced him to miss the season's final three games. Martin will not be available during the conference tournament.
Without Martin, a second-team all-conference pick, the Tigers will rely on junior Kareem Brewton to run the point. Brewton is 3-1 as a replacement for Martin and scored a career-high 22 points in a regular-season ending victory over ECU Sunday at FedExForum.
USF snapped an eight-game losing streak when it beat the Tigers and followed with a win at home against SMU. In their 75-51 victory over the Tigers, the Bulls won for the first time in Memphis since 2003.
A win Thursday over USF would give the Tigers' their first 20-win season since 2013-14 when Memphis finished 24-10.
NOTABLES
+ Tiger forward Mike Parks Jr., finished the regular season ranked second in field goal percentage (58.6) in conference games. He made 82 of 140 shots and trailed only Wichita State's Shaquille Morris (59.1).
+ Memphis went 12-0 during the regular season when it handed out 15 or more assists. Four of those wins came during the final six games.
+ USF picked up its 10th win in the regular-season finale at home against SMU. It marked the first time since the 2013-14 season the Bulls reached double-digit wins.
+ USF's Malik Martin has made 15 of his past 19 shot attempts, all of which have come in wins over Memphis and SMU.
+ Tiger guard Kareem Brewton is averaging 12.8 points and 5.6 assists since taking over as point guard for Jeremiah Martin, who suffered a broken foot Feb. 22 against Houston.
The University of Memphis opens play in the Aaron's American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Thursday at the Amway Center against USF, a team the Tigers defeated Jan. 31 in Tampa, but one they lost to last week at home.
In the third meeting this season, the fifth-seeded Tigers (19-12) will play the 12th-seeded Bulls (10-21) in a game that tips off at 1 p.m. (CT) at the Amway Center. The winner advances to the quarterfinals for a Friday matchup with No. 4 seed Tulsa.
Cincinnati (27-4) is the event's top seed and Wichita State (24-6) is seeded second. The tournament runs through Sunday.
Memphis has won five of its past six games, including an upset of then-No. 23 Houston Feb. 22 at FedExForum. The Tigers have prospered at season's end despite the absence of, for the most part, Jeremiah Martin, the conference's scoring champion. Martin averaged 18.9 points per game, but missed four of the team's final six games.
A hip injury sidelined Martin during the team's 70-67 win at SMU on Valentine's Day and a broken left foot suffered during the Houston victory forced him to miss the season's final three games. Martin will not be available during the conference tournament.
Without Martin, a second-team all-conference pick, the Tigers will rely on junior Kareem Brewton to run the point. Brewton is 3-1 as a replacement for Martin and scored a career-high 22 points in a regular-season ending victory over ECU Sunday at FedExForum.
USF snapped an eight-game losing streak when it beat the Tigers and followed with a win at home against SMU. In their 75-51 victory over the Tigers, the Bulls won for the first time in Memphis since 2003.
A win Thursday over USF would give the Tigers' their first 20-win season since 2013-14 when Memphis finished 24-10.
NOTABLES
+ Tiger forward Mike Parks Jr., finished the regular season ranked second in field goal percentage (58.6) in conference games. He made 82 of 140 shots and trailed only Wichita State's Shaquille Morris (59.1).
+ Memphis went 12-0 during the regular season when it handed out 15 or more assists. Four of those wins came during the final six games.
+ USF picked up its 10th win in the regular-season finale at home against SMU. It marked the first time since the 2013-14 season the Bulls reached double-digit wins.
+ USF's Malik Martin has made 15 of his past 19 shot attempts, all of which have come in wins over Memphis and SMU.
+ Tiger guard Kareem Brewton is averaging 12.8 points and 5.6 assists since taking over as point guard for Jeremiah Martin, who suffered a broken foot Feb. 22 against Houston.
Players Mentioned
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