Memphis, Little Rock set for 7 p.m. tip

Wednesday, November 20

Memphis, Tenn.

7 PM

University of Memphis

Little Rock

Tickets

Memphis and Oregon at the PK Invitational in Portland, OR.

Precious Achiuwa had 20 points and eight rebounds against Alcorn State.

Photo by: Timothy D. Sofranko/University of Memphis

Nov 19, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Notes (vs. Little Rock)Little Rock Notes (vs. Memphis)

Tigers, Trojans bring 3-1 records into Barclays Center Classic game

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis will attempt to remain unbeaten at FedExForum Wednesday when the 16^th-ranked Tigers play host to Little Rock. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

The Tigers are 3-0 at home with wins over South Carolina State, UIC and Alcorn State. They also won two exhibition games (against CBU and LeMoyne-Owen). Their lone loss was to 11^th-ranked Oregon in last week's Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Ore.

Wednesday's game will be the second in a three-game homestand for the UofM, which plays Ole Miss Saturday to end the stretch of contests at FedExForum.

Memphis is coming off a dominating victory over Alcorn State, a 46-point win in which freshman guard Lester Quinones posted his first double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) and freshman forward Precious Achiuwa scored 20 points.

UofM coach Penny Hardaway said back-to-back strong games by Quinones have been welcome, but not surprising.

"When we recruited him, we saw that (aggressive, gritty) side of him, more than the shooting side," Hardaway said. "The grittiness, the toughness and being able to get a tough basket or rebound, taking charges, all the little things that help teams win."

The Tigers are expected to be without 7-foot-1 All-American center James Wiseman for the second-straight game. Wiseman is not playing while the school and the NCAA move to resolve his eligibility status. Wiseman is averaging 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in three games.

Sophomore Lance Thomas, a Louisville transfer, started in Wiseman's absence against Alcorn State and finished with 11 points and three rebounds in 11 minutes. Isaiah Maurice also stepped in at the position and grabbed nine rebounds to go with six points.

Little Rock (3-1) has been led by 5-foot-7 point guard Markquis Nowell, who is averaging a team-high 21.3 points. Nowell leads the Sun Belt Conference in points per game, minutes (39.8), free throw percentage (94.1), assists (5.8) and steals (3.5).

NOTABLE

First-year Little Rock assistant Preston Laird played for the University of Memphis from 2008 to '11. A Memphis native, Laird appeared in 38 games for the Tigers during that time frame and was on the 2008-09 team that reached the Sweet 16.
Memphis coach Penny Hardaway and Little Rock coach Darrell Walker are former NBA players in their second seasons as college head coaches.
Wednesday's game is the third in the Barclays Center Classic for the Tigers and the first for the Trojans. Memphis plays its final game in the Classic on Thanksgiving Day in Brooklyn, N.Y.