Davis and the Tigers Host SMU Thursday for Black Out on ESPN2

Thursday, January 26

Memphis, Tenn.

6 p.m.

University of Memphis

SMU

Tickets

Davis and the Tigers Host SMU Thursday for Black Out on ESPN2

Jan 25, 2023 | Men's Basketball

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Tigers look to continue the momentum and extend their win streak Thursday night for a Black Out when SMU comes to FedExForum for an American Athletic Conference showdown on ESPN2 at 6 p.m.

Memphis (15-5, 5-2 AAC) earned a 75-68 win at Cincinnati Sunday afternoon for its third-straight victory and fourth in five games. The win helped move the Tigers to third in the league standings, trailing only Houston (6-1) and Temple (6-2).

They return to the building where they've won 15-straight. The last loss was over a year ago, a 70-62 defeat at the hands of SMU on Jan. 20, 2022.

Memphis leads the all-time series with the Mustangs 16-15, despite dropping two of the three matchups last season. The Tigers lost both regular season meetings, before getting the best of SMU in the AAC Tournament semifinals, 70-63.

Mustang fans will see a familiar face Thursday when they visit as fifth-year guard Kendric Davis is now roaming the court for the Tigers after spending the last three seasons in Dallas.

In his time with the Mustangs, Davis recorded 1,315 points (17.5 ppg), 300 rebounds (4.0 rpg) and 445 assists (5.9 apg) across 75 career games. He was the 2021-22 AAC Player of the Year, a two-time first team All-AAC selection and led the conference in scoring the past two seasons.

Another familiar face is Jahmar Young Jr., who also transferred to Memphis from SMU in the spring. He played in 37 games over the last two seasons for the Mustangs.

The Memphis coaching staff also has a tie to SMU. Assistant to the head coach Shawn Forrest was an assistant coach at SMU for three seasons from 2016-19, which included SMU's 30-5 2016-17 campaign.

After Thursday's game, the Tigers head to Tulsa Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. That game will conclude a stretch of three straight Sunday road games. Memphis then returns to FedExForum to host Tulane on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Thursday's game is presented by Regional One Health. The first 3,000 fans through the doors will get a black out Memphis t-shirt. The night will also continue the celebration of the 1972-73 team with 1,000 Billy Buford bobbleheads being handed out at the gates.

GAME DETAILS
RV/NR Memphis Tigers (15-5, 5-2 AAC) vs. SMU Mustangs (7-13, 2-5 AAC)
Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023 | 6 p.m. CT
FedExForum (18,400); Memphis, Tenn.
Television: ESPN2 (Kevin Brown, pxp; Robbie Hummel, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)

BY THE NUMBERS

9: Consecutive American Athletic Conference home wins for the Tigers, dating back to a 70-62 loss to SMU on Jan. 20, 2022.

10-0: Record for the Tigers this season when holding opponents to fewer than 70 points. They also are 15-1 when teams score 89 or fewer. Four of the five losses this season have come when the opposition scored at least 90 points in the game.

4.0: Memphis' average margin of defeat in its five losses this season, with three of them coming by three points or fewer including a one-point defeat to Seton Hall.

29: Points Kendric Davis needs from reaching 2,000 for his career. He would join a list of only 12 other active Division I players with 2,000 or more points.

THE LAST TIME OUT

The Tigers picked up their third-straight win with a 75-68 win at Cincinnati Sunday afternoon to move to 15-5 overall and into 3rd in the league standings with a 5-2 AAC mark. Houston sits at the top of the table at 6-1 and Temple is second at 6-2.
Memphis was led by DeAndre Williams' 26 points and eight rebounds.
Kendric Davis had 21 points, five rebounds and a team-high six assists, while Keonte Kennedy rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points.
Memphis led by as many as 13 points in the first half and held a 42-32 advantage at the break. The Tigers shot 51.6 percent in the first half (16-31) and held Cincinnati to 34.5 percent shooting (10-29).
Cincinnati pulled back even with just over 12 minutes to play, 50-50, but Davis scored six-straight points and Williams added a triple to put the Tigers back up by eight at 59-51.
The Bearcats cut it back to four, but Kennedy connected on his second long ball of the game and the home team got no closer than seven points in the final five minutes.
Memphis ended the game hitting 11 of its last 12 free throws to ice the win in snowy Cincinnati.

NOTING THE OPPONENT

SMU went 24-9 a season ago and finished second in the AAC with a 13-4 record.
The Mustangs advanced to the NIT, where they reached the second round after an 68-58 win over Nicholls in the first round. Washington State ended the Mustangs' season with a 75-63 decision in Dallas.
Kendric Davis was the AAC's leading scorer at 19.4 points and averaged 3.8 rebounds with 4.4 assists per game.
The Mustangs are 7-13 on the year and 2-5 in the conference under first-year head coach Rob Lanier.
SMU lost four of its primary starters from that squad and returns just Zach Nutall, who made 29 starts and averaged 6.8 points. This season he is the team's second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game and paces the squad with 39 makes from deep.
The Mustangs also return Zhuric Phelps, who averaged only 3.8 points a season ago. He has become the go-to scorer for SMU, averaging a team-high 16.9 points (6^th AAC).
Efe Odigie is also a double-digit scorer at 10.7 points per game, to go along with 7.0 rebounds each time out.
SMU was picked to finish seventh in this season's preseason coaches poll, behind UCF.
SMU has won four total AAC championships, winning the regular season and tournament titles in 2015 and 2017.
The Mustangs have had 19 All-AAC honorees, the highest in the conference, in the first nine seasons of the league.

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.