University of Memphis Athletics
Saturday, December 14
Knoxville, Tenn.
2 PM
University of Memphis
at
Tennessee
Alex Lomax (2) will lead the 13th-ranked Tigers into Saturday's game at No 19 Tennessee.
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Tigers, Vols meet for state bragging rights
Dec 13, 2019 | Men's Basketball
Teams playing the second game of a three-game series in Knoxville
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – In the state's most highly anticipated college basketball game of the 2019-20 season, the 13th-ranked University of Memphis Tigers travel to Knoxville Saturday to play the 19th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.
Rankings alone would make the game attractive to a national television audience (ESPN and Dick Vitale will be courtside), but Saturday's game offers additional intrigue.
Consider:
--The 2 p.m. (CT) tipoff at 21,678-seat Thompson-Boling Arena on the UT campus has been sold out for two months.
--The Tigers (8-1) are entering the game on a six-game winning streak, which includes victories over Ole Miss and North Carolina State.
--Tennessee (7-1) has won 31 straight games at home, the longest active home win streak in Division 1.
--The Tigers and Vols are playing the second of a three-game series, which concludes next season at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, giving three major cities in the state an opportunity to host the contest.
The rivalry has created some memorable moments, from the clash at FedExForum during the 2007-08 season when the Tigers were ranked No. 1 and the Vols were No. 2 to the occasional on-court skirmishes that have erupted. Last year's game at FedExForum included a late-game flareup and multiple technical fouls were issued.
But Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said last year is last year. He is directing a different team – only three are back who saw playing time last season – to face a Rick Barnes-coached Vols' squad.
"Last year's game was last year's game," Hardaway said. "They had a great team, the No. 1 team in the nation, and we were fighting to get some respect. It's a rivalry game."
With a rivalry game as a backdrop, the Tigers will be playing before one of the largest non-postseason road crowds in their history. It is expected to be the first crowd of more than 20,000 to attend a Vols' home game this season.
"It's a rivalry game, it's an in-state game . . . they are going to be ready," Hardaway said of the Vols.
The Tigers have been led during the first month-and-a-half of the season by five-star freshman forward Precious Achiuwa. While the UofM awaits the mid-January return of 7-foot-1 All-American center James Wiseman, the 6-foot-9 Achiuwa has been a huge factor in the team's success.
Achiuwa has posted four double-doubles in his past five games and had five-straight games with double-figure rebound totals. He is averaging 13.9 points and 9.6 rebounds.
Reserve guard Alex Lomax has been as impactful. He was a key figure in last week's come-from-behind win at UAB and ranks among the American Athletic Conference leaders in assists. Lomax is also shooting 63 percent from the field to rank second in the league.
"Penny has done a terrific job," Barnes said. "He's got a lot of young players, obviously, that are very talented. He's done a great job coaching those guys. It's not easy when you have to start with as many young players as he has."
With the expected atmosphere in the arena, Lomax said he'll have to play another role.
"I'm going to have to step up a lot, keep the guys level-headed," Lomax said. "We are going to need all our players, 1 to 15. It's sold out. It's going to be a loud crowd. It's going to be hostile."
While Memphis is rated the nation's youngest of 353 Division 1 teams according to KenPom.com, the Volunteers boast experience. They start two seniors (Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden) and two juniors (John Fulkerson and Yves Pons).
Bowden (13.9 points per game) and Turner (13.8) lead the Vols in scoring, while Turner leads the Southeastern Conference with a 7.6 assists-per-game average. Pons and Fulkerson also average in double figures.
Last season, the Vols finished 31-6 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16, where they fell in overtime to Purdue.
Hardaway is expecting a battle from the Vols, who are 59-11 at home since Barnes was named coach before the 2015-16 season. But he's also proud of his team, which has put together a strong start despite losing two starters: Wiseman and Lester Quinones (broken right hand).
"They played a phenomenal game last season, you have to give them credit for that," Hardaway said. "This year (I have) a team that is kind of buying into what I'm saying – even though we are down a couple of bodies (Wiseman and Quinones) – everyone is still locked in what we need to do."
NOTABLES
Rankings alone would make the game attractive to a national television audience (ESPN and Dick Vitale will be courtside), but Saturday's game offers additional intrigue.
Consider:
--The 2 p.m. (CT) tipoff at 21,678-seat Thompson-Boling Arena on the UT campus has been sold out for two months.
--The Tigers (8-1) are entering the game on a six-game winning streak, which includes victories over Ole Miss and North Carolina State.
--Tennessee (7-1) has won 31 straight games at home, the longest active home win streak in Division 1.
--The Tigers and Vols are playing the second of a three-game series, which concludes next season at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, giving three major cities in the state an opportunity to host the contest.
The rivalry has created some memorable moments, from the clash at FedExForum during the 2007-08 season when the Tigers were ranked No. 1 and the Vols were No. 2 to the occasional on-court skirmishes that have erupted. Last year's game at FedExForum included a late-game flareup and multiple technical fouls were issued.
But Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said last year is last year. He is directing a different team – only three are back who saw playing time last season – to face a Rick Barnes-coached Vols' squad.
"Last year's game was last year's game," Hardaway said. "They had a great team, the No. 1 team in the nation, and we were fighting to get some respect. It's a rivalry game."
With a rivalry game as a backdrop, the Tigers will be playing before one of the largest non-postseason road crowds in their history. It is expected to be the first crowd of more than 20,000 to attend a Vols' home game this season.
"It's a rivalry game, it's an in-state game . . . they are going to be ready," Hardaway said of the Vols.
The Tigers have been led during the first month-and-a-half of the season by five-star freshman forward Precious Achiuwa. While the UofM awaits the mid-January return of 7-foot-1 All-American center James Wiseman, the 6-foot-9 Achiuwa has been a huge factor in the team's success.
Achiuwa has posted four double-doubles in his past five games and had five-straight games with double-figure rebound totals. He is averaging 13.9 points and 9.6 rebounds.
Reserve guard Alex Lomax has been as impactful. He was a key figure in last week's come-from-behind win at UAB and ranks among the American Athletic Conference leaders in assists. Lomax is also shooting 63 percent from the field to rank second in the league.
"Penny has done a terrific job," Barnes said. "He's got a lot of young players, obviously, that are very talented. He's done a great job coaching those guys. It's not easy when you have to start with as many young players as he has."
With the expected atmosphere in the arena, Lomax said he'll have to play another role.
"I'm going to have to step up a lot, keep the guys level-headed," Lomax said. "We are going to need all our players, 1 to 15. It's sold out. It's going to be a loud crowd. It's going to be hostile."
While Memphis is rated the nation's youngest of 353 Division 1 teams according to KenPom.com, the Volunteers boast experience. They start two seniors (Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden) and two juniors (John Fulkerson and Yves Pons).
Bowden (13.9 points per game) and Turner (13.8) lead the Vols in scoring, while Turner leads the Southeastern Conference with a 7.6 assists-per-game average. Pons and Fulkerson also average in double figures.
Last season, the Vols finished 31-6 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16, where they fell in overtime to Purdue.
Hardaway is expecting a battle from the Vols, who are 59-11 at home since Barnes was named coach before the 2015-16 season. But he's also proud of his team, which has put together a strong start despite losing two starters: Wiseman and Lester Quinones (broken right hand).
"They played a phenomenal game last season, you have to give them credit for that," Hardaway said. "This year (I have) a team that is kind of buying into what I'm saying – even though we are down a couple of bodies (Wiseman and Quinones) – everyone is still locked in what we need to do."
NOTABLES
- The Tigers are averaging 82.1 points, which ranks 23rd nationally. The Vols are allowing only 55.9 points, which ranks eighth nationally.
- Tennessee coach Rick Barnes has 699 victories in his 33rd year of coaching. He has won 95 of those games in five seasons at UT.
- For only the second time in the series (Saturday is the 27th meeting), both teams are nationally ranked. Memphis is No. 13. UT is No. 19.
- Memphis forward Precious Achiuwa has had double-figure rebounding totals in five straight games, including a season-high 14 Dec. 3 against Bradley.
Players Mentioned
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