Tigers back in action Tuesday night at UCF

Tuesday, January 5

Orlando, Fla.

8 p.m.

University of Memphis

UCF

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Jan 04, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Game Notes (PDF)UCF Game Notes (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Tigers return to action with a Tuesday night matchup at UCF at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

The Tigers were supposed to ring in the new year Saturday morning at Temple, but the game was postponed due to a positive COVID-19 case at Temple and the subsequent contact tracing.

Memphis is looking to build on a comeback win against USF in its last outing last Tuesday night, in which the Tigers trailed by 12 points with just over 10 minutes left in the game. The Knights enter the game with a 3-3 record and a 1-2 mark in conference play, and UCF has lost its last two games. Earlier this season, the Knights won at No. 15 Florida State, 86-74, and also defeated Auburn, a common opponent with Memphis, 63-55.

The contrast between offenses and defenses will be something to watch in this matchup. Memphis is holding opponents to an average of 64.1 points per game so far this season, which ranks fifth in the conference. UCF has the third-lowest scoring offense in the AAC this year at 66.2 points per game.

On the individual front, UCF boasts the AAC's third-highest scorer in Brandon Mahan (17.5 ppg), and he also ranks fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.576). Memphis' Moussa Cisse leads The American in blocked shots per game (1.9), and UCF's C.J. Walker is right behind him at 1.8 per outing. Everyone else in the AAC is at least a half a block per game behind the duo.

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.

Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway and UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins are two of 26 current Division I head coaches to have played in the NBA.

Game Details
Memphis (6-4, 2-1 AAC) at RV UCF (3-3, 1-2 AAC)
Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 | 8 p.m. CT
Addition Financial Arena; Orlando, Fla.
Television: ESPNU (Sam Gore, pxp; Jon Crispin, 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.
- 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.
- 1: Scheduled game in 16 days for the Tigers between Dec. 29 against USF and Jan. 14 against SMU, after the Jan. 2 game against Temple was postponed.

The Last Time Out
- The Tigers erased a 12-point deficit with 10:42 to play and earned a 58-57 win over USF last Tuesday night 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 Knights
- UCF was picked to finish eighth in The American's preseason coaches poll.
- The Knights return Darin Green, Jr., who shot 41.7 percent from behind the arc and averaged 10.1 points per game last season as a freshman.
- Alex Lomax has played four games against UCF in his career, and he is averaging 4.5 points and 2.0 assists per game in an average of 18.0 minutes per contest.
- Memphis' Lance Thomas and UCF's Darius Perry are close friends, and they played their freshman seasons of 2017-18 together at Louisville.
- Their friendship dates back to 2013, when the then-eighth graders were on opposing Atlanta-area AAU teams.
- Both were considered four-star prospects coming out of nearby Georgia high schools.

Last Game Against UCF
- Lance Thomas scored a career-high 20 points – including several huge 3-pointers late in the second half – to lift Memphis past UCF, 59-57, Jan. 29, 2020 in Orlando.
- Thomas dropped in two 3-pointers in the closing 2:34, each allowing the Tigers (15-5, 4-3 AAC) to maintain five-point leads.
- Thomas was making his first start since November.
- Precious Achiuwa contributed his staple – a double-double – by scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
- Boogie Ellis added 13 points to help the Tigers snap a two-game losing streak.
- UCF (11-9, 2-6) placed three in double figures, led by Collin Smith and Ceasar DeJesus, who scored 13 apiece.
- After Thomas' 3-pointer gave the Tigers a 57-52 lead with 1:10 left, the Tigers withstood a frantic comeback try by UCF.
- DeJesus scored the final points for the Knights with a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds to go.
- The Tigers then inbounded the ball to Ellis, who ran out the clock.
- Thomas connected on four of his six 3-point attempts.
- Thomas had made only two 3-pointers in the season entering the game and was 3-for-23 from distance in his career
- Overall, he went 8-of-11 from the field in the game.

Looking Ahead
Up next for Memphis is a return home to host SMU at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 14. The game can be seen on ESPNU. The Tigers are the only AAC school with just two home games in January. After the game against SMU, Memphis' only other home game in the month is Jan. 21 against Wichita State.

Consistent with recommendations from local public health officials, Memphis Grizzlies and University of Memphis men's basketball home games at FedExForum will be played without fans in attendance until further notice. For more information, please visit www.GoTigersGo.com.