Tigers Look to Get Back on Track Sunday at UAB

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 19/22 Memphis men's basketball team is set to close out a two-game road trip Sunday when the Tigers visit UAB to renew an old rivalry at Bartow Arena. The game is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) on the call.

After battling year-in and year-out for nearly 20 years as Conference USA rivals, Sunday will be the first meeting between the Tigers and Blazers as American Athletic Conference foes. The two programs last met on Dec. 7, 2019 in Birmingham.

Memphis (15-4, 4-2 AAC) will look to get back on track after dropping back-to-back contests against South Florida (74-73) and Tulane (81-79) last week. It marks the first time since Jan. 2022 that Memphis had lost back-to-back conference games.

David Jones and Malcolm Dandridge did everything they could to help Memphis win on the road against the Green Wave, combining for 45 points and 19 rebounds. Jones recorded his fourth double-double of the season (32 points, 11 rebounds), while Dandridge flirted with triple-double territory behind 13 points, eight rebounds and eight rebounds.

Dandridge's eight blocks were one shy of tying the University of Memphis program record (9) and marked the third-highest single-game output in program history. Only Keith Lee (Dec. 22, 1981) and David Vaughn (Dec. 11, 1993) had more with each totaling nine.

UAB enters Sunday 12-7 overall and sits tied with Memphis for sixth in the league at 4-2. The Blazers have won eight of their last 10 games but are coming off a 76-70 loss at Charlotte on Tuesday. UAB is 8-3 on the year at home, including three AAC wins against South Florida, Tulane and East Carolina.

The all-time series between the two schools date back to 1983-84 with Memphis holding a 39-11 advantage. UAB has beaten Memphis just once since 2006 as the Tigers have claimed 18 of the last 19 meetings. The only Blazers win in that span came Nov. 30, 2017 (71-56) in Birmingham.

UP NEXT
Memphis returns to FedExForum Wednesday night to close out the month of January as the Tigers host Rice at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

It will be the Memphis State Throwback Game and until Sunday at 11:59 p.m. CT, fans can purchase tickets at a Coliseum throwback price of $13 at THIS LINK.

GAME DETAILS
19/22 Memphis Tigers (15-4, 4-2 AAC) at UAB (12-7, 4-2 AAC)
Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024 | 4 p.m. CT
Bartow Arena (8,500); Birmingham, Ala.
Television: ESPN (Tom Hart, pxp; Jimmy Dykes, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)

BY THE NUMBERS

25.5: Points per game average by David Jones over the last four games to go along with a team-high 7.5 rebounds. He's scored 25+ in three of the four and has 11 three-pointers in the stretch. He enters the weekend as the nation's No. 6 scorer (21.7).
10.4: Block percentage by big man Malcolm Dandridge, which ranks 16^th in the nation; 8.1 block% in 2022 is his career high mark. After a career-high 8-block performance at Tulane, he ranks third in the AAC in blocks (32) and blocks per game (1.7).
58.3: Jaykwon Walton's 3-point percentage over the last five games (14-24), which is the 2^nd-highest mark in the AAC over that stretch. The 14 makes are also his most in any five-game stretch of his career. He's averaging 11.8 points and shooting 56.4 percent overall in the five games.
8-0: Record for the Tigers this season when reaching 80 points in a game and 7-4 when failing to do so.
85.2: Points per game for Memphis in AAC play, which is the top mark in the league. The Tigers are also tops in field goal percentage (50.4) and blocks per game (7.0). They are 2^nd-best in 3-point percentage (39.3) and rebounding defense (33.5).

SCOUTING UAB

The Blazers were tabbed fourth in the AAC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 128 total points, trailing Tulane (142) for third.
Eric Gaines was a preseason first team All-AAC selection and leads the team in scoring (12.2), assists (4.9) and steals (2.4).
Big man Yaxel Lendeborg is averaging a near double-double with 11.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He leads the AAC with seven double-doubles and ranks second in blocks (2.1).
Lendeborg is the only player in the nation this season that has three games with at least 23 points and 15 rebounds, and accomplished the feat in three consecutive contests.
Alejandro Vasquez (10.8) and Javian Davis (10.2) are also averaging double figures for the Blazers.
UAB is sixth in the conference scoring offense (76.6) and 11^th in scoring defense (75.1).

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.

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Players Mentioned

Malcolm Dandridge

David Jones

Jaykwon Walton

University of Memphis Athletics