No. 21/22 Tigers Head to Virginia for Wednesday Night Tussle on ESPN2

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After picking up its third win of the season against a power conference opponent over the weekend, the No. 21/22 Memphis men's basketball team will get another opportunity on Wednesday when the Tigers travel to the University of Virginia for a 6 p.m. CT showdown on ESPN2.

It will serve as the first-ever trip to Charlottesville, Virginia for Memphis and the second-straight road trip to ACC country.

The contest will also be a homecoming for Memphis Senior Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Ed Scott after he served as a Deputy Athletics Director at UVA from 2022-24, managing the men's basketball program.

Memphis (8-2) jumped back into the polls this week after its 87-82 overtime win at No. 16 Clemson on Saturday. The win was the fourth of the season for the Tigers against a team ranked in the top 30 of the NET. It also matches last season for the best start to a campaign for Memphis since 2019-20.

The series has a short history with only two previous matchups between Memphis and Virginia, both winning once.

The two sides met in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina where the Cavaliers won 78-60 to earn their first Sweet 16 berth since 1995.

They also met last season in Memphis, when the then No. 22-ranked Tigers defeated the No. 21 Cavaliers, 77-54, on Dec. 19, 2023 inside FedExForum, marking the largest win for the Tigers over a ranked team in nearly 60 years.

Virginia (6-4) enters Wednesday ranked 13th in the nation in scoring defense (60.2 ppg) and 11^th in fouls per game (13.4). Their 39.6-percent mark in field goal defense stands 51st in the country.

Memphis brings into the matchup an offense that is averaging 81.1 points per game with a plus-4.0 scoring margin. The Tigers are one of the best teams in the nation in getting to the free throw line, averaging 26.2 attempts and 19.2 makes per game. Both totals are top-15 nationally.

Tyrese Hunter was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week after dropping 23 points with four rebounds and three assists in Saturday's road win at Clemson. The Racine, Wisconsin native went off for seven 3-pointers in the win, matching his career high. He ranks second on the Tigers with 16.0 points per game, but leads the team and ranks ninth in Division I with a 51.6-percent mark from long distance.

GAME DETAILS
No. 21/22 Memphis Tigers (8-2) vs. Virginia (6-4)
Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024 | 6 p.m. CT
John Paul Jones Arena (14,593); Charlottesville, Va.
Television: ESPN2 (Kevin Brown, pxp; Chris Spatola, analyst)
Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis (Jeff Brightwell, pxp; Matt Dillon, analyst)
Live Stats: www.Memphis.StatBroadcast.com

BY THE NUMBERS

1st: Memphis ranks No. 1 in the nation in Strength of Schedule (0.713), RPI (0.725) and KPI (0.447). The Tigers have four wins over top-30 teams in the NET and their opponents to this point have a combined 77-18 overall record.
2: Memphis is one of only two teams in the nation that have five Quad 1 wins this season. Auburn is the other as both teams own a 5-1 record in Q1 contests. No other team in the nation has more than three victories.
5-0: Memphis' record against ACC opponents under head coach Penny Hardaway in seven seasons. It marks his second-most wins versus a power conference behind only his 13-9 mark against the SEC.
17-3: The Tigers' record against Power Five opponents the last three seasons dating back to a Dec. 14, 2021 win over No. 6 Alabama. The only three defeats were at No. 4 Alabama (91-88), at Ole Miss (80-77) and versus No. 4 Auburn (90-76).
54.3: Points per game over the last six games for Memphis' backcourt trio of PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter, Colby Rogers. In that span, they have combined to make 47 three-pointers on 47.9% shooting.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA

Virginia enters the matchup 6-4 on the year, including a 5-0 mark at home.
The Cavaliers own a 103-10 record in non-conference action at John Paul Jones Arena since 2009-10.
Three of UVA's losses this season have come to ranked teams – No. 11 Tennessee (64-42), No. 22 St. John's (80-55) and No. 13 Florida (87-69). The other defeat was in its ACC opener against SMU last week, 63-51.
UVA ranks 38th nationally in 3-point accuracy at 38.1 percent.
Isaac McKneely leads the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game, shooting 46.9 percent from 3-point range and scoring in double figures in eight games.
UVA is shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range, up from 42.8 percent and 35.8 percent, respectively, last season.
Memphis guard Tyrese Hunter played high school basketball for Tony Bennett's cousin, Nick Bennett, at St. Catherine's High School in Racine, Wisconsin.

UP NEXT
The No. 21/22 Tigers return home for two huge games sandwiched around Christmas. Memphis will host RV/25 Mississippi State at 11:30 a.m. Saturday (Dec. 21) on CBS for the Holiday Game.

The Tigers will then welcome No. 17/16 Ole Miss at 1 p.m. on Dec. 28 in a matchup on ESPN2. Fans can purchase tickets to either game HERE.

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.

No. 21/22 Tigers Head to Virginia for Wednesday Night Tussle on ESPN2

Next Event

Players Mentioned

PJ Haggerty

Tyrese Hunter

Colby Rogers

University of Memphis Athletics

No. 21/22 Tigers Head to Virginia for Wednesday Night Tussle on ESPN2

Next Event

Players Mentioned

PJ Haggerty

Tyrese Hunter

Colby Rogers

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