Tigers, Green Wave Open 2023 Sunday Afternoon on ESPN

Sunday, January 1

New Orleans, La.

4 p.m.

University of Memphis

Tulane

Tigers, Green Wave Open 2023 Sunday Afternoon on ESPN

Dec 31, 2022 | Men's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Live Listen Memphis Game Notes (PDF)Tulane Game Notes (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS, LA. – After opening American Athletic Conference play with a come-from-behind victory on Thursday, the Memphis Tigers return to action Sunday and will open up the new year at Tulane. The game is scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. on ESPN.

The Tigers (11-3, 1-0 AAC) needed to rally from a 10-point deficit with seven minutes to play to defeat South Florida, 93-86, Thursday in the AAC lid lifter. It was the largest deficit faced by the Tigers since Nov. 15 at Saint Louis.

Kendric Davis powered the troops with 24 points, nine assists and a season high five steals, including two big ones in the final minutes to complete the Tiger comeback. Over his last five games, Davis is averaging 23.6 points, 8.2 assists and 3.0 steals while shooting 43.6% and going 44-of-49 at the charity stripe.

Tulane (7-5, 0-1 AAC) brings a 7-5 record into the New Year after falling 88-77 at Cincinnati in the league opener. The Green Wave has four players averaging double figures, led by Jalen Cook's 19.4 points per game. He also is the team's top assist man with 5.0 helpers per outing.

After Sunday's game, the Tigers return home to host East Carolina at 1 p.m. on Jan. 7 before going on the road to UCF on Jan. 11.

GAME DETAILS
RV/RV Memphis Tigers (11-3, 1-0 AAC) at Tulane (7-5, 0-1 AAC)
Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 | 4 p.m. CT
Fogelman Arena (4,000); New Orleans, La.
Television: ESPN (John Schriffren, pxp; Jon Crispin, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)

BY THE NUMBERS

1: Kendric Davis is the only player in the country averaging at least 19.5 points and 6.0 assists per game. His 275 total points are 14th most in DI, while his 84 dimes are 7th.
46-15: Memphis is 46-15 over three years when DeAndre Williams is in the lineup (.754), compared to 7-7 when he is not (.500).
16.4: Points per game by DeAndre Williams during his current 11-game double-digit streak; the senior is also averaging 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 55.5%.
35-3: The Tigers' record against Tulane since 2000-01, which included a 12-game winning streak before last season's loss in the AAC opener.
6: Memphis has scored 80+ points in six-straight games for the first time since doing so in seven consecutive from Dec. 4, 2018 to Jan. 3, 2019.
1-of-1: Memphis ranks 23rd in the nation in blocks per game (5.2) and 24th in steals per game (9.6). They are the only team in the country that ranks top-25 in both categories.
3: Alex Lomax is one of just 3 players in the country averaging at least 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game on the year.

THE LAST TIME OUT

Memphis erased a second-half deficit and earned a win in the American Athletic Conference opener Thursday night against South Florida, 93-86.
The Tigers were paced by Kendric Davis' 24 points, and he also had nine assists and a season high five steals.
DeAndre Williams and Alex Lomax added 16 points apiece, while Chandler Lawson and Elijah McCadden also finished in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
After going into the halftime break tied at 46, Memphis found itself trailing by 10 with just under 12 minutes to play. Over the next few minutes, the two sides traded buckets as the Tigers still trailed by double digits, 76-66, with seven minutes on the clock. Then, Davis took over.
The fifth-year senior drilled a three-pointer then picked USF's pocket before finishing a pass from Lomax to pull Memphis to within four and get the Tiger fans roaring. A minute later, Davis buried another triple to give Memphis its first lead in nearly 12 minutes of game play. Davis stepped in front of another pass and dished his ninth assist to Williams on a fast-break alley oop to give the Tigers an 87-81 advantage before icing the game at the free throw line to get the 93-86 win.
The Tigers scored 27 points over South Florida's season average of 66.3 points per game by its opponents.
Memphis shot 48.5 percent as a team (32-66) and made 25-of-35 at the free throw line.
The Tigers blistered the nets in the first half, shooting 56.3 percent from the floor (18-32) in the opening 20 minutes, with six players scoring at least five points.

SCOUTING THE GREEN WAVE

Tulane returns four starters from last season's team that went 14-15 and finished sixth in the AAC with a 10-8 league mark.
The Green Wave were picked to finish 4th place in the conference in the preseason coaches poll with 74 points.
Jalen Cook was voted to the preseason all-conference first team, while Kevin Cross and Jaylen Forbes were each named to the second team.
Jaylen Forbes is producing 17.4 points each time out and leads the team with 27 made triples and 26 steals
Kevin Cross is averaging 14. points and paces Tulane with 6.1 rebounds.
Sion James is averaging 10.9 points and leads the Green Wave with 41 total assists while shooting 52.6 percent overall.
Tulane is the AAC's second-highest scoring squad at 79.7 points per game, while allowing its 71.4 by its opponents.
The Green Wave rank third in the nation in free throw percentage at 80.6% and are making 16.6 per game.
Tulane is one of the best teams in the country at protecting the ball, only coughing it up an average of 9.7 times per game. That is the 6th best mark in Division I.
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.