No. 18 Memphis Looks to Bounce Back at Charlotte Sunday on ESPN2

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 18 University of Memphis Tigers are coming off their first loss of the American Athletic Conference season, but with a quick turnaround this weekend, they are looking to get back in the winner's column.

The Tigers make the trek to North Carolina to face off with the Charlotte 49ers on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT from Dale F. Halton Arena. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2.

Memphis (13-4, 3-1 AAC) goes into the matchup fresh off a disappointing 88-81 road loss at Temple on Thursday after getting outrebounded by 24. Entering the matchup, the Tigers were one of only 11 teams in the nation entering the matchup that had not lost a true road game.

PJ Haggerty led the team with 21 points - 19 of which came after halftime – while Tyrese Hunter added 16 points and six assists.

Things won't get any easier for the Tigers as they enter an arena where they've never won, dropping all five games at Halton Arena dating back to 1997.

Charlotte brings a 7-11 overall record into the weekend and sits at the bottom of the league standings at 0-5. The 49ers have dropped six straight games, including a 68-59 loss on the road at Wichita State on Tuesday. Their last win came against Murray State on Dec. 24. He is also the team's top free throw maker (101), assist man (3.0) and theft leader (1.0).

GAME DETAILS
No. 18/17 Memphis Tigers (13-4, 3-1 AAC) at Charlotte (7-11, 0-5 AAC)
Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025 | 2 p.m. CT
Dale F. Halton Arena (9,000); Charlotte, N.C.
Television: ESPN2 (Derek Jones, pxp; John Williams, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)

BY THE NUMBERS

1: Player in the nation averaging at least 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game this season: PJ Haggerty. He would be the first Division I player to average those numbers in a season since Lester Hudson (UT Martin) in 2008-09.
14.0: Points per game from big man Dain Dainja over the last five games to go along with 4.2 rebounds. He's scored double figures in all five contests – and in eight of his last nine – while shooting a team-best 61.4% over the stretch (27-44) in only 21.9 minutes per game.
47.9: Memphis' field goal percentage in its 13 wins, compared to 41.7% in the four losses. The Tigers point differential in that span also goes from 80.5 ppg in wins to 73.8 in losses.
29-19: Memphis' record in the month of January under head coach Penny Hardaway. That means 29 percent of his career defeats (19-of-66) have come in the month. His teams typically rebound in February, where he is 32-12 (72.7%) in his first six seasons.
51.0: Combined points per game from PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter and Dain Dainja over the last three games.
8-0: Record for the Tigers this season when making more 3-pointer than their opponent, and 5-4 when they don't. Memphis is also 8-3 when attempting more free throws.

SCOUTING THE 49ERS

Led by second year head coach Aaron Fearne, Charlotte enters the matchup at 7-11 and 0-5 in league play.
Fearne had the interim tag removed on Feb. 13, 2024 officially making him the 14th head coach in Charlotte history.
Nik Graves is seventh in the AAC with 16.6 points per game. He has scored in double figures in every game but one this season, with six 20-point performances, including a career-high 31 in late December.
With 101 free throws made and 135 attempts, Graves is ninth nationally in attempts and 14 in free throws made. He is second in the league in both, only trailing Haggerty.
Giancarlo Rosado, a Florida Atlantic transfer, is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game, while his 6.0 rebounds lead the team. He also tops the 49ers with a 50.0 field goal percentage (55-110).
Robert Braswell IV puts in 11.6 points per game to go with a team-high 14 blocks.
Charlotte ranks 17th nationally in free throws made per game (18.2) and 18th in free throw attempts per game (24.7).
The Niners are only turning the ball over 9.1 times a game, which is fourth-fewest in the country.

UP NEXT
The Tigers return home next week for a pair of AAC contests. They will host Wichita State at 6 p.m. on Thursday (Jan. 23) and UAB at noon on Sunday (Jan. 26).

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. 18 Memphis Looks to Bounce Back at Charlotte Sunday on ESPN2

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dain Dainja

PJ Haggerty

Tyrese Hunter

University of Memphis Athletics

No. 18 Memphis Looks to Bounce Back at Charlotte Sunday on ESPN2

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dain Dainja

PJ Haggerty

Tyrese Hunter

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