Tigers travel to Tulsa for Sunday afternoon contest

Sunday, January 17

Tulsa, Okla.

2 p.m.

University of Memphis

Tulsa

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Tigers travel to Tulsa for Sunday afternoon contest

Jan 16, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Game Notes (PDF)Tulsa Game Notes (PDF)AAC Notes (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After three-straight COVID-19-related postponements involving Memphis' scheduled opponent, the Tigers are back in action Sunday afternoon at Tulsa at 2 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN+.

The game against the Golden Hurricane should have been Memphis' fourth in the month of January, but the Tigers haven't played since Dec. 29. Memphis' games at Temple (Jan. 2), at UCF (Jan. 5), and against SMU (Jan. 14) were called off.

Tulsa is Memphis' first repeat conference opponent of the season, after the Golden Hurricane topped Memphis at FedExForum on Dec. 29. Facing Tulsa a second time comes nearly a month after the first matchup, but it was only two games ago for the Tigers after the slew of postponements.

Memphis is looking to build on a comeback win against USF in its last outing way back on Dec. 29, in which the Tigers trailed by 12 points with just over 10 minutes left in the game.

The Golden Hurricane enter the game at 7-4 overall and 4-2 in The American, and Tulsa is receiving votes in the latest AP Top 25 poll. After defeating Memphis earlier this year, Tulsa went on to log wins against No. 5 Houston, at Cincinnati, and at USF to notch a six-game winning streak before losing at Wichita State in its last outing.

Sunday's game is a battle of two of the top defenses in the conference. Tulsa boasts the second-best scoring defense in the AAC at 61.3 points allowed per game, and Memphis' is fifth at 64.1 points per outing. The Tigers will also have to contend with a Tulsa offense that ranks second in The American in field goal percentage (.451).

Additionally, Tulsa's Brandon Rachal ranks in the top-10 in the conference in both scoring (9th, 14.6 ppg) and rebounding (8th, 7.5 rpg) this year. The Tigers limited Rachal to four points on 1-of-7 shooting in the game earlier this season.

January has proven to be a pivotal month for the Tigers in years past. Memphis went 3-4 in January last season, which came after winning 10-straight games entering the month and being ranked ninth in the nation. The Tigers have not lost fewer than three games in January since the 2016-17 season, when they went 6-2 in the month.

Game Details
Memphis (6-4, 2-1 AAC) at RV Tulsa (7-4, 4-2 AAC)
Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021 | 2 p.m. CT
Reynolds Center; Tulsa, Okla.
Broadcast: ESPN+ (Chad McKee, pxp; Bryndon Manzer, analysis)
Radio: 102.7 FM/600 AM (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)

By The Numbers
- 2014: The last time the Tigers held three-straight conference foes to fewer than 60 points (Jan. 23, Houston, 59; Jan. 26, USF, 58; Jan. 29, UCF, 59).
- 17: Consecutive games allowing 75 points or fewer for the Tigers, dating back to a 92-86 overtime loss at Cincinnati on Feb. 13, 2020.
- 14: Double-digit scoring games for Lester Quinones in 21 career American Athletic Conference games.
- 8: Times in 10 games this season Memphis has led at halftime; the Tigers have lost three of those (vs. WKU, vs. Auburn, vs. Tulsa).
- 4: Conference opponents in the last eight the Tigers have held to fewer than 60 points.

The Last Time Out
- The Tigers erased a 12-point deficit with 10:42 to play and earned a 58-57 win over USF on Dec. 29 at FedExForum.
- Lester Quinones hit a 3-pointer with 1:08 to go to give the Tigers a 58-55 lead, and after a USF layup Memphis locked down on the final possession and sealed the victory on a D.J. Jeffries blocked shot.
- Quinones finished with a team-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
- DeAndre Williams had 12 points and a career-high five steals, and Landers Nolley II added 10 points, three assists, and two steals.
- Alex Lomax was a spark plug on the defensive end and facilitated the offense for much of the game.
- He finished with five points, three assists, three steals, a blocked shot, and two rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.
- Right out of the gate, Memphis' first nine field goals of the game were scored by nine different players.
- USF extended its lead to 12 points, 46-34, with 10:42 to go, but from there, the Tigers began to chip away.
- A quick 6-0 burst, including a Lomax steal, a fastbreak layup, and an assist on a Nolley II 3-pointer, made it 46-40.
- The Tigers rattled off 11-straight points to turn a 48-40 deficit into a 51-48 lead.
- During the 11-0 stretch, Lomax had two steals and assisted on two Williams buckets, and Williams added three steals and a block.
- The run was capped by a Quinones triple.

Noting the Golden Hurricane
- Tulsa was picked to finish sixth in the conference's preseason poll.
- Last season, the Golden Hurricane shared the regular-season conference title after being picked 10th in the preseason poll.
- Last year's Coach of the Year, Frank Haith, returns third-team all-conference member Brandon Rachal.
- Rachel was on the preseason first team this year.
- On the historic side, Memphis played its first game in the 2007-08 season as the nation's No. 1 team at Tulsa on Jan. 23, 2008.
- The Tigers moved to the top of both polls on Jan. 21.

Last Game Against Tulsa
- A late 18-2 run by Tulsa helped secure a 56-49 win over Memphis at FedExForum earlier this season on Dec. 21.
- Memphis (5-4, 1-1 AAC) was led by DeAndre Williams' 13 points and nine rebounds in his first start of the season.
- He also had three assists, three steals, and a blocked shot.
- Boogie Ellis and Jayden Hardaway combined for 10 points off the bench.
- Memphis limited Tulsa (3-3, 1-1 AAC) to 28.0 percent shooting in the first half (7-25) and 2-of-11 from 3-point distance (.182).
- The Tigers held a 44-38 lead with 4:32 left in the game, but the Golden Hurricane went on an 18-2 run after that to turn the tide of the game and pick up the win.
- Landers Nolley II had all eight of his points in the second 20 minutes.
- Moussa Cisse grabbed five of his six rebounds in the game in the second half.
- Memphis' defense limited Tulsa to 34.7 percent shooting (17-49) in the game, and the Tigers had a 46-33 lead on the boards.

Looking Ahead
Up next for Memphis is a home game against Wichita State at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The game can be seen on ESPN2. The Shockers are 8-3 overall and 4-1 in conference play this season and don't play again before the game in Downtown Memphis next week. The Tigers finish next week Sunday afternoon at East Carolina at 3 p.m. CT.

Consistent with recommendations from local public health officials, men's basketball home games at FedExForum are being played without fans in attendance until further notice. For more information, please visit www.GoTigersGo.com.