Tigers start two-game league road swing

Thursday, February 13

Cincinnati, Ohio

6 PM

University of Memphis

Cincinnati

Tickets

Memphis Men’s Basketball vs. University of Georgia

Boogie Ellis is averaging 13 points and 3.2 rebounds in his past five games.

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Feb 12, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Notes (vs. Cincinnati)Cincinnati Notes (vs. Memphis)

UofM plays Cincinnati Thursday night and UConn on Sunday

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After winning two of three games on its recent home stand, the University of Memphis men's basketball team will play back-to-back American Athletic Conference road games beginning Thursday night at Cincinnati.

After Thursday's game in Ohio, the Tigers will travel to Hartford, Conn, for a Sunday game against UConn. Five of the team's final eight regular-season games are on the road.

"Being the competitor that I am, I'm glad we have two tough games," said Tigers coach Penny Hardaway. "You can't lay down. You can't go through the motions. You've got to go play and you've got to go win. These are games that can get you back to where you want to be."

Cincinnati, led by reigning league player of the year Jarron Cumberland, will be the first challenge in a game at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats (15-8, 8-3 American) are playing their best basketball of the season. They have won five of their last six, the only setback being a 72-71 overtime decision at UConn last weekend.

The Tigers (17-6, 6-4 American) are coming off a 75-73 loss to USF, which was preceded by home wins over UConn and Temple.

Memphis will be attempting a rare regular-season sweep of Cincinnati. The Tigers beat the Bearcats, 60-49, Jan. 16 at FedExForum. The Tigers haven't swept UC during the regular season since 1995.

In the Jan. 16 home win over the Bearcats, UofM forward D.J. Jeffries – now sidelined by a knee injury – opened the game with two 3-pointers en route to a team-high 18 points. In the second half, Jeffries fueled a 10-0 run to keep the Bearcats from rallying. His first 3-pointer during the run put the Tigers up, 42-38, and his last made it 47-38.

The Tigers sealed the win by scoring 10 of the game's final 13 points. During the closing four minutes, Lester Quinones made four free throws and Jeffries and Alex Lomax added layups.

Memphis also helped its cause in the first game against UC by limiting the Bearcats to 30 percent shooting (18 of 60).

Since the win over Cincinnati, Tigers freshman guard Boogie Ellis has recovered from a mid-season slump. He did not score against the Bearcats – his second-straight game held scoreless – but has rebounded. In the past five games, Ellis is averaging 13 points, three rebounds and two assists.

If he can rebound from a tough stretch, he's confident the team can follow his lead.

"We've got to work hard, listen to coach, play hard, box out, and take care of the ball," Ellis said. "If we do that, we'll be fine."

TIGERS NOTES

Tiger forwards Lance Thomas and Malcolm Dandridge have been practicing this week and are expected to play at Cincinnati. Thomas was helped off the court late in Saturday's game against USF. Dandridge did not play after tweaking his knee making a dunk in the team's Feb. 5 win over Temple.
After scoring 39 points against USF, the Memphis bench is averaging 28.3 points per game.

ESPN is featuring its seventh season crossing up its basketball coverage with the 2020 Reese's Crossover, where commentators from college basketball and the NBA swap assignments. For the Tigers' game at Cincinnati, Doris Burke will cross over from her NBA beat to be part of ESPN's coverage.
Two of the conference's top rebounders are on the Memphis and UC rosters. Precious Achiuwa of Memphis leads the AAC with a 9.8 average. Tre Scott of UC averages 9.5 rebounds, which ranks third.