University of Memphis Athletics
Saturday, March 13
Fort Worth, Texas / Dickies Arena
4:30 p.m.
University of Memphis
vs
Houston
Photo by: (Ben Solomon/American Athletic Conference)
Tigers, Cougars clash again Saturday in AAC Tournament semifinals
Mar 13, 2021 | Men's Basketball
FORT WORTH, Texas – A Saturday semifinal showdown is on tap between the third-seeded Memphis Tigers and the second-seeded Houston Cougars after both won their American Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchups Friday night.
Saturday's contest at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, is set for 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Tigers (16-7) topped sixth-seeded UCF in Friday's quarterfinal round, 70-62, and Houston (22-3) beat 10th-seeded Tulane, 77-52.
Memphis is getting another shot at Houston just six days after a heartbreaking, buzzer-beater defeat at the ninth-ranked Cougars in the regular-season finale, 67-64. In addition to being the second seed in the AAC Tournament, Houston is ranked seventh in the nation in Saturday's game.
Lately it is almost guaranteed to be a tight battle whenever Memphis and Houston square off. Eight of the last nine meetings between the two schools have been decided by single digits and five by one possession. The average margin of victory in the eight single-digit outcome games is 4.0 points.
Not only would a win Saturday avenge Sunday's loss at Houston, it would also erase the sting of a 61-58 defeat to the Cougars in the semifinals of the 2019 AAC Tournament. Until Saturday, that 2019 contest was the only matchup in AAC Tournament play between the two schools.
Memphis went 3-2 against the Cougars in Conference USA Tournament action, including a 71-59 win in the championship game in 2007. The Tigers also topped the Cougars in the 2006 and 2009 tournament semifinals en route to cutting down the nets.
Memphis remains one of the hottest teams in the AAC as postseason play moves along, having won seven of their last eight games and 10-of-12 overall. The only two defeats were at SMU by two points on Jan. 28 and at No. 9/7 Houston by three points on Sunday. Memphis' third-place finish in the AAC this year is its best since finishing third in the conference in 2013-14.
With a win over Houston on Saturday, the Tigers would advance to Sunday's tournament championship game at 2:15 p.m. on ESPN.
After that, NCAA Tournament bids are awarded during the Selection Show on Sunday at 5 p.m. on CBS.
Game Details
No. 3 Memphis (16-7) vs. No. 2 (#7) Houston (22-3)
2021 American Athletic Conference Championship Semifinals
Saturday, March 13, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. CT
Dickies Arena; Fort Worth, Texas
Television: ESPN2 (Kevin Brown, pxp; Dan Dakich, analysis; Kris Budden, reporter)
Radio: 102.7 FM/600 AM (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)
By The Numbers
- 2013: Memphis' last conference tournament championship, which came in its last season in Conference USA; the Tigers received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament the following season.
- 2011: The last time the Tigers played in a conference tournament in Texas, which was the Conference USA Tournament in El Paso; Memphis won the championship with wins over Southern Miss, East Carolina and UTEP.
- 62.3: Memphis' scoring defense is its best in a campaign since 2008-09 (58.8) and eighth best in a season since 1949-50.
- 9: AAC stat categories in which Memphis and Houston are the top-two teams (scoring defense, scoring margin, field goal pct. defense, 3-point pct. defense, rebounding offense, rebounding defense, rebounding margin, blocked shots, steals).
The Last Time Out
- After UCF took a 52-51 lead with 7:53 to play, the Tigers outscored the Knights 19-10 down the stretch en route to a 70-62 win in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Friday night in Fort Worth, Texas.
- D.J. Jeffries led the Tigers with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and DeAndre Williams added 16 points, four rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
- Twelve of Williams' points came in the second half.
- Lester Quinones grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, one shy of matching the AAC Tournament record.
- Boogie Ellis also had 12 points.
- Memphis jumped out to a hot start, using an 11-0 run to open a 13-2 advantage.
- A pair of 9-0 UCF runs made the score 25-19 and then 30-28, and Memphis took a 32-28 lead into the halftime locker room.
- Memphis led by as many as 15 points in the opening 20 minutes.
- UCF took its first lead of the game at 52-51 with 7:53 to go in the contest, but it was short lived as a Jeffries layup put Memphis back on top.
- UCF gained another one-point lead, and Landers Nolley II made a free throw to knot the game up at 54.
- After that, however, Memphis regained a bit of control with six-straight points.
- Quinones hit two free throws, Williams had a dunk and Nolley II made a layup after a Williams steal to give the Tigers a 60-54 advantage.
- UCF got back within four, but the Tigers pulled away at the end to secure the win.
- Memphis had a 43-34 advantage on the glass.
Noting the Cougars
- Houston finished second in the AAC this season with a 14-3 mark in league action.
- The Cougars won all seven of their non-conference matchups in the regular season.
- Houston rose as high as fifth in the polls this season after starting the year with a 15-1 record.
- The Cougars are led by co-AAC Player of the Year Quentin Grimes.
- Grimes was second in scoring in The American in the regular season at 17.9 points per game and eighth in the league with 6.2 rebounds per game.
- Houston had two more individual award winners in seniors DeJon Jarreau and Justin Gorham as Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player, respectively.
- Grimes was also a unanimous All-AAC First Team selection, and Jarreau, Gorham, and sophomore Marcus Sasser were on the second team.
- Houston was picked to win the AAC in the preseason coaches poll, one spot ahead of Memphis.
- The Cougars received nine first-place votes, with Memphis getting two.
- Houston was just short of its third-consecutive regular season championship after finishing 23-8 overall and 13-5 in conference play in 2019-20.
Saturday's contest at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, is set for 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Tigers (16-7) topped sixth-seeded UCF in Friday's quarterfinal round, 70-62, and Houston (22-3) beat 10th-seeded Tulane, 77-52.
Memphis is getting another shot at Houston just six days after a heartbreaking, buzzer-beater defeat at the ninth-ranked Cougars in the regular-season finale, 67-64. In addition to being the second seed in the AAC Tournament, Houston is ranked seventh in the nation in Saturday's game.
Lately it is almost guaranteed to be a tight battle whenever Memphis and Houston square off. Eight of the last nine meetings between the two schools have been decided by single digits and five by one possession. The average margin of victory in the eight single-digit outcome games is 4.0 points.
Not only would a win Saturday avenge Sunday's loss at Houston, it would also erase the sting of a 61-58 defeat to the Cougars in the semifinals of the 2019 AAC Tournament. Until Saturday, that 2019 contest was the only matchup in AAC Tournament play between the two schools.
Memphis went 3-2 against the Cougars in Conference USA Tournament action, including a 71-59 win in the championship game in 2007. The Tigers also topped the Cougars in the 2006 and 2009 tournament semifinals en route to cutting down the nets.
Memphis remains one of the hottest teams in the AAC as postseason play moves along, having won seven of their last eight games and 10-of-12 overall. The only two defeats were at SMU by two points on Jan. 28 and at No. 9/7 Houston by three points on Sunday. Memphis' third-place finish in the AAC this year is its best since finishing third in the conference in 2013-14.
With a win over Houston on Saturday, the Tigers would advance to Sunday's tournament championship game at 2:15 p.m. on ESPN.
After that, NCAA Tournament bids are awarded during the Selection Show on Sunday at 5 p.m. on CBS.
Game Details
No. 3 Memphis (16-7) vs. No. 2 (#7) Houston (22-3)
2021 American Athletic Conference Championship Semifinals
Saturday, March 13, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. CT
Dickies Arena; Fort Worth, Texas
Television: ESPN2 (Kevin Brown, pxp; Dan Dakich, analysis; Kris Budden, reporter)
Radio: 102.7 FM/600 AM (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)
By The Numbers
- 2013: Memphis' last conference tournament championship, which came in its last season in Conference USA; the Tigers received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament the following season.
- 2011: The last time the Tigers played in a conference tournament in Texas, which was the Conference USA Tournament in El Paso; Memphis won the championship with wins over Southern Miss, East Carolina and UTEP.
- 62.3: Memphis' scoring defense is its best in a campaign since 2008-09 (58.8) and eighth best in a season since 1949-50.
- 9: AAC stat categories in which Memphis and Houston are the top-two teams (scoring defense, scoring margin, field goal pct. defense, 3-point pct. defense, rebounding offense, rebounding defense, rebounding margin, blocked shots, steals).
The Last Time Out
- After UCF took a 52-51 lead with 7:53 to play, the Tigers outscored the Knights 19-10 down the stretch en route to a 70-62 win in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Friday night in Fort Worth, Texas.
- D.J. Jeffries led the Tigers with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and DeAndre Williams added 16 points, four rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
- Twelve of Williams' points came in the second half.
- Lester Quinones grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, one shy of matching the AAC Tournament record.
- Boogie Ellis also had 12 points.
- Memphis jumped out to a hot start, using an 11-0 run to open a 13-2 advantage.
- A pair of 9-0 UCF runs made the score 25-19 and then 30-28, and Memphis took a 32-28 lead into the halftime locker room.
- Memphis led by as many as 15 points in the opening 20 minutes.
- UCF took its first lead of the game at 52-51 with 7:53 to go in the contest, but it was short lived as a Jeffries layup put Memphis back on top.
- UCF gained another one-point lead, and Landers Nolley II made a free throw to knot the game up at 54.
- After that, however, Memphis regained a bit of control with six-straight points.
- Quinones hit two free throws, Williams had a dunk and Nolley II made a layup after a Williams steal to give the Tigers a 60-54 advantage.
- UCF got back within four, but the Tigers pulled away at the end to secure the win.
- Memphis had a 43-34 advantage on the glass.
Noting the Cougars
- Houston finished second in the AAC this season with a 14-3 mark in league action.
- The Cougars won all seven of their non-conference matchups in the regular season.
- Houston rose as high as fifth in the polls this season after starting the year with a 15-1 record.
- The Cougars are led by co-AAC Player of the Year Quentin Grimes.
- Grimes was second in scoring in The American in the regular season at 17.9 points per game and eighth in the league with 6.2 rebounds per game.
- Houston had two more individual award winners in seniors DeJon Jarreau and Justin Gorham as Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player, respectively.
- Grimes was also a unanimous All-AAC First Team selection, and Jarreau, Gorham, and sophomore Marcus Sasser were on the second team.
- Houston was picked to win the AAC in the preseason coaches poll, one spot ahead of Memphis.
- The Cougars received nine first-place votes, with Memphis getting two.
- Houston was just short of its third-consecutive regular season championship after finishing 23-8 overall and 13-5 in conference play in 2019-20.
Players Mentioned
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