Memphis Heads to Orlando for Clash With UCF

Wednesday, January 11

Orlando, Fla.

6 p.m.

University of Memphis

UCF

Jan 10, 2023 | Men's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Live Memphis Game Notes (PDF)UCF Game Notes (PDF)AAC Weekly Notes

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Following their 14^th-straight win inside FedExForum over the weekend, the Memphis Tigers look to take that momentum on the road Wednesday night at UCF. Tipoff in Orlando, Florida is set for 6 p.m. CT, and the game can be seen on ESPN+.

Memphis (12-4, 2-1 AAC) is coming off a 69-59 victory against East Carolina last week, and the Tigers head to UCF winners of four of their last five games overall. The Tigers have seen contributions from many players on the roster, but none more so than seniors Kendric Davis and DeAndre Williams. The duo is combining to average 35.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 3.7 steals per game.

With UCF's current NCAA NET ranking of 36, Wednesday's game is a Quad 1 opportunity for the Tigers as it is a road game against a top-75 NET team. Memphis is 1-1 in Quad 1 games this season, with Houston as the only team in the American Athletic Conference who currently has more Quad 1 wins. The Tigers were 4-5 in Quad 1 games last season.

UCF (12-4, 3-1 AAC) returns just two starters and four players overall from last season's team that went 18-12 overall and 9-9 in the AAC on its way to a sixth-place finish. The Knights enter the game with back-to-back victories at East Carolina (64-61) and against SMU (85-53) last week. They also have wins over Florida State, Oklahoma State, Santa Clara, Ole Miss and Wichita State, plus a two-point loss to Miami and a seven-point defeat at No. 3 Houston.

Following Wednesday's game, the Tigers remain on the road at Temple Sunday at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN2. It will be the program's first visit to Philadelphia since Penny Hardaway's first season in 2018-19.

Memphis' next home game is Thursday, Jan. 19 against Wichita State.

GAME DETAILS
Memphis Tigers (12-4, 2-1 AAC) at UCF Knights (12-4, 3-1 AAC)
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2022 | 6 p.m. CT
Addition Financial Arena (10,000); Orlando, Fla.
Television: ESPN+ (Roger Twibell, pxp; Rich Zvosec, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)

BY THE NUMBERS

12.2: The Tigers' average margin of victory during its last 10 games against UCF. The Tigers seven of their last eight in the series, with the only loss in that stretch coming last season on Jan. 12 (74-64).
2: Kendric Davis' rank nationally in free throws made. The senior has drained 103 at the charity stripe this season, nine more than third place. Drew Pember (UNC Asheville) is tops in the country with 112.
1st: Memphis' AAC rank in field goal percentage (.470), blocked shots (5.31), assists (16.13), and steals (10.0).
13th: Memphis' national rank in steals per game. They are averaging 10.0 thefts each time out and have double-digit steals in three straight outings, and in five of the last six.
7th: Alex Lomax moved into 7^th all-time in Memphis history with 208 career steals, passing Otis Jackson (1978-82) Saturday with seven steals against ECU. He is five away from tying Antonio Anderson (2005-09) for sixth at 213.

THE LAST TIME OUT

Memphis used a strong second half to rally and defeat the Pirates of East Carolina, 69-59, Saturday inside FedExForum.
The Tigers trailed 33-25 at the break but outscored the Pirates 44-26 in the second half, highlighted by a 22-0 run.
Fifth-year forward DeAndre Williams posted 19 points on 8-of-17 from the field to go with four rebounds.
Fifth-year guard Alex Lomax became the fourth Tiger since the 2010-11 season to register seven or more steals in a game and is the first to do so since Damion Baugh swiped seven against New Orleans in 2019. Lomax added seven points and six assists.
Despite having just two points at the break, fifth-year guard Kendric Davis accounted for 14 points, six assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds.
Nine Tigers played at least 13 minutes in the game.
Memphis used a stifling defense in the second half to grab control of the game. The Tigers forced East Carolina into a season-high 22 turnovers and scored 28 points off those miscues.
They held the Pirates to 33.3 percent shooting after halftime (9-27), and only allowed 14.3 percent from three-point range (2-14) after ECU hit 7-of-14 from long range in the first 20 minutes.
Memphis torched the nets in the second half, going 17-of-29 for a 58.6-percent clip overall. They finished the night 47.5 percent (28-59) and made 11-of-17 from the free throw line.
The Tigers won for the 17^th time in their last 18 AAC home games.
Memphis extended its winning streak at FedExForum to 14 games with the victory.
The 22-0 run was the largest for the Tigers in at least the last three seasons.
The Tigers swiped 15 steals as a team, their second-most of the year. They had 16 against Little Rock.Memphis now has double-digit steals in three-straight games, and in five of the last six.
Memphis dominated the paint, 44-24, and outscored the Pirated 17-10 off the bench.
Memphis forced a season high 22 turnovers in the win. It marked the third time they've forced an opponent into 20-turnovers and the second time in the last three games.
Alex Lomax passed Otis Jackson (1978-82) for seventh on the program's all-time steals list. He now has 208 for his career.

NOTING THE OPPONENT

UCF is led by four players in double figures, with Taylor Hendricks. leading the way at 14.5 points per game, Darius Johnson scoring at an 11.8-point-per-game clip, C.J. Kelly adding 11.5 points and Ithiel Horton contributing 11.1 points per outing.
The Knights were picked sixth in the AAC preseason coaches poll with 51 points. Temple was fifth with 66.
The Knights rank second in the AAC and 18^th in the country in scoring defense, only allowing opponents to score 60.0 points each time out. Earlier in the season, UCF held five straight opponents to under 60 points, marking the first time head coach Johnny Dawkins had ever accomplished the feat in his 15 years of head coaching.
The team's field goal percentage defense is also one of the best, coming in at 23^rd nationally at a 38.8 percent clip.
UCF leads the AAC in three-point percentage, converting at a 35.7 percent clip from deep (130-364).
They are also the second-best defensive rebounding squad in the conference at 32.06.

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.