Tigers Set to Make Home Debut Sunday Against VCU

Sunday, November 20

Memphis, Tenn.

4 p.m.

University of Memphis

VCU

Tickets

Nov 19, 2022 | Men's Basketball

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After spending the first two weeks of the season on the road, the Memphis Tigers are finally set to play their home opener on Sunday when the VCU Rams invade FedExForum. Tip is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+.

The Tigers (1-1) are coming off their first defeat of the season Tuesday night at Saint Louis, 90-84 decision. DeAndre Williams powered the offense once again with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Kendric Davis poured in 18 points, four assists and three boards.

VCU makes its first trip to Memphis since Feb. 25, 1992. The Rams are 3-1 on the young season after splitting decisions with Arizona State (L 63-59) and Pitt (W 71-67) last week at the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Following Sunday's game, the Tigers head to Disney World for three games next week at the ESPN Events Invitational. They will take on Seton Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day to get the event started. Memphis will then play either Oklahoma or Nebraska on Friday and then the final game will be Sunday.

Tickets for 2022-23 are available online at www.GoTigersGoTix.com. Fans can also help the Tigers celebrate the 901 with $9.01 tickets to Sunday's game HERE.

GAME DETAILS
Memphis Tigers (1-1) vs. VCU Rams (3-1)
Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 | 4 p.m. CT
FedExForum (18,400); Memphis, Tenn.
Television: ESPN+ (Greg Gaston, pxp; Jon Albright, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Trey Draper, analysis)

BY THE NUMBERS

11: DeAndre Williams earned his 11^th-career double-double at Saint Louis with 21 points and 12 rebounds. He has led the team in scoring in both games this season, averaging 19.0 ppg.
6: The number of steals needed by Alex Lomax to enter Memphis' top-10 career steals list.
8: Kendric Davis is one of only eight active players in Division I with 1,500 points and 500 assists for a career. He joins Hunter Maldonado of Wyoming as the only two who aren't from a Power Five program and Jalen Pickett from Penn State is the only one who has played in fewer games (110) than Davis.
15: Memphis' national rank in field goal percentage (.800), as the Tigers have made 36-of-45 at the line this season.

THE LAST TIME OUT

DeAndre Williams recorded a double-double with a team-high 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Kendric Davis finished with 18 points, four assists and three boards.
Keonte Kennedy added 10 points and four rebounds in 20 minutes.
The Tigers trailed for nearly 37 minutes and even found themselves down by 15 with 4:36 to play, but stingy defense and gutsy buckets pulled Memphis to within 86-84 with 1:06 remaining on a tough layup from Davis.
Memphis (1-1) shot 40 percent from the floor as a team (28-70) and won the battle on the boards (39-38).
The Tigers made 9-of-31 from long range for a 29-percent clip. That was the second-most 3-pointers attempted by Penny Hardaway team, and the most since throwing up 34 against SMU on Jan. 19, 2019.
The Tigers shot 13-for-27 (48.15%) in the first half, including 6-for-14 from three (42.86%).
Memphis had 15 offensive boards to St. Louis' nine, and out-rebounded the Billikens 39-38 overall.
Williams recorded the 11th double-double and 12th-career double-digit rebound game of his career with a team-high 21 points and 12 rebounds, adding three assists, two blocks and a steal.
Tuesday marked the 76th game of Davis' career scoring in double figures, finishing with 18 points on the night.
Lomax is just six steals away from cracking into the program's all-time top 10. The fifth-year senior has 169 steals in his career.

NOTING THE RAMS

Graduate forward Brandon Johns Jr. supplied 18 points and nine rebounds, while junior guard Zeb Jackson added a career-high 16 points in a 71-67 win over Pitt at the Legends Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
VCU erased a 57-51 deficit, due in part to seven straight Johns points down the stretch that gave the Rams a 61-60 lead with 1:35 remaining.
Five VCU players - Ace Baldwin Jr., Josh Banks, Jamir Watkins, Jarren McAllister and Arnold Henderson VI remain from the 2020-21 squad that topped Memphis.
Johns, who is averaging a team-high 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds, has topped double figures in all four games this season -- the first Ram to do so in his first four VCU games since Wil Fameni in 2006-07.
Zeb Jackson, who scored a career-high 16 points against Pitt, has already scored more points in four games (35) than in two seasons over 20 games at Michigan. Jackson is also third on the team with six steals.
The Rams welcome seven newcomers in 2022-23, including transfers Brandon Johns Jr. (Michigan), Zeb Jackson (Michigan) and David Shriver (Hartford), who all expect to play a prominent role, as well as four freshmen.
The Rams were selected third in the 2022 A-10 Preseason Poll. VCU owns the A-10's highest winning percentage (.704) since joining the league prior to the 2012-13 season.
VCU hangs its hat on its defense. The Rams ranked seventh nationally last season in defensive efficiency (88.8). The Rams also ranked fourth in turnover percentage (24.7), ninth in effective field goal defense (.444) and third nationally in 3-point field goal percentage allowed (.278).