Tigers Ready for National Stage at ESPN Events Invitational

Thursday, November 24

Orlando, Fla. / State Farm Field House

6:30 p.m.

University of Memphis

Seton Hall

Tickets

Center Malcolm Dandridge (23) during the Memphis vs. VCU Menâ??s Basketball game on 11202022.

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Tigers Ready for National Stage at ESPN Events Invitational

Nov 23, 2022 | Men's Basketball

Buy Tickets Live Stats Listen Live Watch Live Memphis Game Notes Seton Hall Game Notes AAC Weekly Notes (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Tigers hit the road once again, this time for sunny Orlando, Florida where they will play three games over Thanksgiving break in the ESPN Events Invitational.

The Tigers will face Seton Hall Thursday in the first game at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNews.

Memphis enters the event 2-1 on the year after defeating VCU 62-47 in Sunday's hope opener at FedExForum. Seton Hall brings a 3-1 overall mark into the matchup and is led by senior guard Al-Amir Dawes who is averaging 12.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

This will be Memphis' third time playing in the ESPN Events Invtational, formerly known as the Old Spice Classic and the AdvoCare Invitational. The Tigers brought home the tournament crown in 2013 after defeating Siena (87-60) and LSU (76-69) the first two days and No. 5 Oklahoma State (73-68) in the championship game. Shaq Goodwin led the way that day with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Memphis and Seton Hall have not played since the 2008-09 season, but the Tigers lead the series 3-1. The only defeat came in the 1952-53 season, 103-85.

The Tigers will play Nebraska at 4:30 p.m. CT on Friday before closing out the event on Sunday against either Florida State or Stanford.

GAME DETAILS
Memphis Tigers (2-1) vs. Seton Hall (3-1)
ESPN Events Invitational
Nov. 24, 2022 | 6:30 p.m. CT
State Farm Field House (5,000); Kissimmee, Fla.
Television: ESPNews (Mark Neely pxp; Randolph Childress, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Jeff Brightwell, pxp; Trey Draper, analysis)
Satellite: SiriusXM 383 / SXM App 973

BY THE NUMBERS

4-2: Memphis' all-time record in the ESPN Events Invitational with its most recent participation coming in 2018 during head coach's Penny Hardaway's first season at the helm.
2: Kendric Davis leads the Tigers and ranks second in the American Athletic Conference in scoring at 20.0 points per outing.
6: The number of steals needed by Alex Lomax to enter Memphis' top-10 career steals list.
31: Memphis ranks 31^st nationally averaging 16.8 fast break points per game.
4: KenPom top-50 games in the next eight for Memphis (Seton Hall, 35; Oklahoma, 47; Alabama, 12; Auburn, 16); Ole Miss (51) and Texas A&M (58) are just outside.

THE LAST TIME OUT

Senior Kendric Davis scored 26 points and dished seven assists in a 62-47 win over VCU Sunday evening. Both were a season high for the first-year Tiger.
The Tigers held the Rams to just 16 points in the first half. It's 47 points allowed were the fewest points allowed by the Tigers since holding Tulane to 46 on Feb. 21, 2021.
Memphis shot 42.1 percent from the floor (24-57), connected on 5-of-15 from long distance and drained 9-of-13 from the free throw line.
Memphis held VCU to a 23.1-percent clip on 6-of-26 shooting and forced 13 turnovers.
The Tigers won the battle on the boards 40-35 after pulling down 12 on the offensive end. It was the most rebounds of the season for the squad.
Keonte Kennedy shot 4-of-5 from the floor and added a season high nine points.
DeAndre Williams swiped four of the Tigers' season-high nine steals.
Davis collected his 31^st-career game with 20 or more points and his 77^th of double-digit production.
Davis dished seven of the team's 15 assists, while Lomax added three.
The 47 points scored were the fewest by a VCU team since Nov. 13, 2021 when they scored 44 versus Wagner.
Memphis earned its 288th win inside FedExForum.

NOTING THE PIRATES

For the first time in 11 years, Seton Hall is under the direction of a new head coach: Shaheen Holloway.
Holloway ('00) is the first Seton Hall graduate to lead the men's basketball program since Richie Regan ('53) guided the Pirates from 1960-70.
The Pirates have reached the NCAA Tournament five times in the last six tournaments played.
They return five Pirates from last season's squad and added five transfers that combine for 13 years of Division I experience.
In total, this veteran Seton Hall team has appeared in 775 career collegiate games and combined for 6,019 points, 2,971 rebounds and 1,072 assists.
The Pirates have four players averaging double figures and are one of the best defensive teams in the country.
They rank No. 4 in field goal defense (32.8%), No. 6 in three-point defense (21.2%) and rank eighth with 27.8 free throw attempts per game.

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.