Memphis Opens Conference Play Wednesday at Tulane

Wednesday, December 29

New Orleans, La.

7 p.m.

University of Memphis

Tulane

Memphis Tigers v Alabama Crimson Tide Penny Hardaway

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Dec 28, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Game Notes (PDF)Tulane Game Notes (PDF)AAC Notes (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After missing two games due to COVID-19 protocols within the program, the Memphis Tigers return to action and begin American Athletic Conference play Wednesday night at Tulane. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

The Tigers (6-4, 0-0 AAC) made a statement in their last game, knocking off No. 6/8 Alabama on Dec. 14 at FedExForum, 92-78. The win over the Crimson Tide is the highest ranked victory by an AAC team this year.

After that, however, Memphis' Dec. 18 game against No. 18/18 Tennessee and its Dec. 21 contest against Alabama State were called off.

Tulane (3-6, 0-0 AAC) is also resuming action after a COVID-19 pause, with the Green Wave last playing Dec. 7 before three-straight cancelations.

Memphis has won eight of its last 11 conference openers, and in last season's conference opener, also at Tulane, the Tigers added a big piece to their 2020-21 stretch run. After sitting out the start of the season, DeAndre Williams became immediately eligible prior to that Dec. 16 game in New Orleans. In the 21 games after he started suiting up, the Tigers went 16-5, with the five losses by a combined 15 points including two against top-10 Houston each by one possession.

After Wednesday's game, the Tigers stay on the road to play Wichita State Saturday at 11 a.m. The showdown with the Shockers will be televised on CBS.

Memphis then returns to FedExForum to host Tulsa on Jan. 4 and Cincinnati on Jan. 9.

GAME DETAILS
RV/NR Memphis Tigers (6-4, 0-0 AAC) at Tulane (3-6, 0-0 AAC)
Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021 | 7 p.m. CT
Fogelman Arena (4,000); New Orleans, La.
Television: ESPN+ (Jack Benjamin, pxp; Jordy Hultberg, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)

BY THE NUMBERS

3-0: Memphis' record in American Athletic Conference openers under head coach Penny Hardaway, including defeating Tulane in both of the last two seasons and Wichita State in 2018-19.
35-2: The Tigers' record against Tulane since 2000-01, which includes its current 12-game winning streak versus the Green Wave.
3: Games this season shooting at least 80.0 percent from the free throw line with at least 15 attempts; Memphis accomplished the feat once last season.
3-0: Memphis' record when DeAndre Williams has at least 15 points, four assists and three steals in a game, as he did against Alabama.
0:00: Amount of time in nine games this season No. 6/8 Alabama had trailed by 10 points before Dec. 14, when Memphis led by double digits for 13:28 of game action and by as many as 19.

THE LAST TIME OUT

Memphis led by as many as 19 points and ran away with a 92-78 win over No. 6/8 Alabama in front of 15,266 raucous fans Dec. 14 in a "White Out" at FedExForum.
Memphis snapped a four-game losing streak in emphatic fashion and picked up its first win over a top-10 team since 2014 and first over a ranked squad in two seasons.
Five Tigers were in double figures, led by DeAndre Williams' 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Jalen Duren added 14 on 7-of-9 shooting, Landers Nolley II made three 3-pointers en route to 13 points and Lester Quinones added 12.
Tyler Harris made three triples and finished with 11 points in 16 minutes off the bench.
Nolley II and Williams also combined for 12 assists, seven steals and only two turnovers.
Memphis' well-rounded game as a whole included shooting 53.3 percent from the field (32-60), making 80.0 percent of its free throws (20-25), dishing out 20 assists on 32 baskets and swiping 12 steals.
The Tigers led by five at the break, 37-32, and a swift 12-0 run five-and-a-half minutes into the second half ballooned the lead to 19 at 61-42.
The Crimson Tide got no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
In the second half, the Tigers committed only six turnovers and six fouls.
Memphis drew 14 second-half fouls and went 18-for-22 from the stripe (.818) in the last 20 minutes.
Alabama (8-2) was led by Keon Ellis' 19 points.
Memphis held Crimson Tide stars Jahvon Quinerly and Jaden Shackelford to 22 combined points, 12 below their joint season average.

NOTING THE OPPONENT

Tulane returns three starters from last season's team that went 10-13 and finished 10th in the AAC with a 4-12 league mark.
The Green Wave were picked to finish in a tie for 9th place in the conference in the preseason coaches poll, equal to South Florida and ahead of East Carolina.
Sophomore guard Jaylen Forbes was voted to the preseason all-conference second team after finishing fourth in the AAC in scoring as a freshman at 16.4 points per game.
Forbes is currently second on the team and sixth in the AAC in scoring at 16.6 points per outing, with Jalen Cook leading the squad and ranking second in the conference at 19.0 points per game.
Kevin Cross is 10th in the AAC at 13.9 points per game, giving the Green Wave three players in the top-10 in scoring with only Tulsa also having more than one.
Five of Tulane's six losses have been by five points or fewer, including a 59-54 setback at Florida State on Nov. 17.
Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway won at Tulane as a sophomore on March 4, 1992, 68-67, when Tulane was ranked 21st in the country.
The 20th-ranked Green Wave bested Hardaway and the Tigers the following year at The Pyramid in Memphis, 86-85, on Dec. 9, 1992.

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Basketball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.