Plenty on the line for Memphis at No. 9/7 Houston Sunday on CBS

Sunday, March 7

Houston, Texas

11 a.m.

University of Memphis

Houston

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Plenty on the line for Memphis at No. 9/7 Houston Sunday on CBS

Mar 06, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Game Notes (PDF)Houston Game Notes (PDF)AAC Notes (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The 2020-21 regular season closes with a bang, as the red-hot Memphis Tigers are in Houston to take on the No. 9/7 Houston Cougars Sunday at 11 a.m. on CBS. The Tigers have won six-straight games and nine of their last 10 overall.

Memphis (15-6, 11-3 ACC) has a chance to end the regular season with their first win over a top-10 opponent since 2014 and first in a true road game against a top-10 foe since 2005. A win would also be Memphis' 12th in conference play, which would be its most in a season since 2013-14 despite playing three fewer games this year.

Should the Tigers knock off Houston, it would snap the Cougars' 24-game home winning streak, which is the fourth-longest active streak in the nation.

Houston (20-3, 13-3) currently sits in second place in the American Athletic Conference standings with a 13-3 record and a .813 winning percentage. Memphis is right behind in third at 11-3 (.786). The two would flip places with a Memphis win, as the Tigers would finish the regular season with an .800 winning percentage at 12-3 with Houston at .765 and 13-4.

Since finishing third in the AAC in 2013-14, Memphis has not finished a season higher than fifth.

Sunday's matchup is also a showdown between two of the nation's elite defenses. Houston leads the nation in field goal percentage defense (.366), and the Tigers rank fourth (.385). In terms of defending the 3-pointer, Memphis is second in the nation (.267) with Houston right behind at third (.269). In overall scoring defense, the Cougars are second (57.3 ppg) in the country, and Memphis is 15th (62.1 ppg).

Switching to rate statistics, the Tigers are second in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, with Houston checking in at fifth.

Following Sunday's game, the 2021 Air Force Reserve AAC Men's Basketball Championship begins Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas. The seeding and the full tournament bracket will be released later Sunday after the Cincinnati-East Carolina game, which concludes the AAC's regular-season slate.

The Tigers' first game will be in the quarterfinals on Friday, as they secured a first-round bye with their top-3 seed.

Sunday's game is sponsored by Memphis Toyota Dealers.

Game Details
Memphis (15-6, 11-3 AAC) at #9/7 Houston (20-3, 13-3 AAC)
Sunday, March 7, 2021 | 11 a.m. CT
Fertitta Center; Houston, Texas
Television: CBS (Andrew Catalon, pxp; Steve Lappas, analysis)
Radio: 102.7 FM/600 AM (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)

By The Numbers
- 2005: Memphis' last win on the road against a top-10 team (at #9 Louisville, Feb. 9, 2005, 85-68); the Tigers have lost their last five tries.
- 62.1: Scoring defense for Memphis is its best since the 2008-09 team allowed 58.8 points per game; it is also improved from allowing 74.4 points per game just two seasons ago.
- 10: 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, offensive rebound percentage).
- 5: Defensive categories in which Memphis ranks in the top-13 in the nation (3-point pct. defense, 2nd; field goal pct. defense, 4th; steals per game, 10th; blocked shots per game, 12th; turnovers forced, 13th).

The Last Time Out
- The Tigers earned their sixth-straight win and ninth in the last 10 games with a 73-52 win at USF Tuesday night in Tampa, Fla.
- With the victory, Memphis matched the 2018-19 team for its most conference wins in a season (11) since winning 12 in 2013-14.
- Boogie Ellis led the Tigers with 18 points, including five 3-pointers.
- He has now led the Tigers in scoring in three-straight games.
- DeAndre Williams had his second-straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Lester Quinones added 12 points and seven rebounds.
- D.J. Jeffries contributed nine points, four rebounds, and four assists for Memphis.
- USF (8-11, 4-9 AAC) was paced by Xavier Castaneda's 17 points.
- The Tigers led by as many as 27 points in the second half, 65-38, and limited USF to 32.0 percent shooting (16-50) overall.
- The Bulls went just 6-for-20 from the floor in the second half (.300).
- The Memphis defense was solid once again Tuesday night.
- Along with Ellis' 12 first-half points, including three 3-pointers, Memphis held the Bulls without a field goal for over seven minutes midway through the first half, during which time the Tigers grew their lead from 21-15 to 34-16.
- The Tigers forced 11-straight misses during that span.
- That 34-16 lead was Memphis' largest of the opening 20 minutes, and the Tigers had a 36-23 advantage at the intermission.
- The Tigers outrebounded USF in the game, 46-28. Memphis had 14 assists on its 23 field goals.

Noting the Cougars
- 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 is looking for its third-consecutive regular season championship after finishing 23-8 overall and 13-5 in conference play in 2019-20.
- Three Cougars are averaging double-figure scoring this season, led by Quentin Grimes' 17.9 per game.
- That figure puts him second in the AAC, behind East Carolina's Jayden Gardner.
- The Cougars' Justin Gorham tops the AAC's rebounding leaderboard at 9.3 per outing.
- Houston rose as high as fifth in the polls after starting the season with a 15-1 record.

Looking Ahead
Tickets for the 2021 Air Force Reserve AAC Men's Basketball Championship can be purchased through the Memphis Ticket Office at (901) 678-2331 or at THIS LINK.