Men's basketball making return trip to Sunshine State

Saturday, February 16

Orlando, Fla.

5 PM

University of Memphis

UCF

Tickets

Freshman guard Alex Lomax had 7 points, 6 assists and only 1 turnover against ECU.

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Men's basketball making return trip to Sunshine State

Feb 15, 2019 | Men's Basketball

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

Tigers, UCF to meet in an American Athletic Conference rematch

By: Phil Stukenborg

ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Memphis will attempt to extend its two-game winning streak Saturday at UCF, an American Athletic Conference opponent the Tigers defeated earlier this season at FedExForum, but one that will be a challenge at home.

The Tigers (15-10, 7-5 The American) are coming off a 79-69 league victory at ECU, a game in which the UofM shot 56 percent. Memphis beat UConn at home to start the streak.

UCF (18-5, 8-3 The American) has, like most league teams, been difficult to defeat at home. The Knights are 12-2 in games this season at CFE Arena, including a 5-1 mark in conference games. UCF's only league loss at home came against No. 9 Houston.

The Knights have won four of the past five games against the Tigers, the lone loss in that stretch coming Jan. 27 at FedExForum, a 77-57 UofM victory.

Tigers coach Penny Hardaway saw his team outrebound UCF, 46-28, and limit 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall to seven points and six rebounds, in the win, but understands the atmosphere and intensity will be different Saturday.

"At home they are going to play different, they are going to shoot the ball better," Hardaway said. "You still have to make things uncomfortable, but you don't change the game plan (from Jan. 27) that much."

UCF is also on a two-game win streak, having won at SMU Feb. 10 and at home Wednesday over USF. In that game, the Knights got a season-high 21 points from Fall, who added nine rebounds and five blocked shots. He also set a school record with 21 free throw attempts.

Memphis has ridden the offensive resurgence of senior guard Jeremiah Martin since mid-January, when the preseason first-team all-conference pick returned to playing point guard. Martin has been particularly effective in league road games, where he is averaging 26.2 points in six games.

"I thought (to start the season) moving him off the ball would make him more valuable to the team," Hardaway said. "But it seems like he's more comfortable at the point. He's playing big basketball for us. We need that."

Martin had 31 points in the 10-point win at ECU, including 12 of the UofM's final 17 points after ECU had taken a one-point lead. He also made five of six free throws in the closing minute.

"He is really locked in," said Tigers forward Mike Parks said of Martin. "You can see the intensity in his eyes."

QUICK FACTS

The game will serve as a homecoming for freshman guard Antwann Jones, who missed the ECU game Wednesday with what Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said was plantar fasciitis. Hardaway and assistant Mike Miller also are returning to their former home. Both played in the NBA for the Orlando Magic, Hardaway from 1994 to '99 and Miller from 2001 to '03.
The Tigers are making their fourth trip to Florida this season. The UofM participated in the AdvoCare Invitational in November; played Texas Tech in December at the Hoophall Miami Invitational and lost to USF Feb. 2 in Tampa.
UCF leads the conference in shooting. The Knights are shooting 47.1 percent and have shot better than 50 percent nine times this season.
An interesting note about UCF and clutch time: the Knights are 18-0 this season when leading with two minutes remaining in a game.
UCF is off to its best start (18-5) since the 2003-04 season. Its 8-3 conference start is the best in program history since joining the American Athletic Conference.
Since moving to point guard Jan. 10, the UofM's Jeremiah Martin has seen a spike in his scoring average. He was averaging 14.7 points at small forward before the switch and is averaging 20.7 points in 10 games since the move.