No. 24 Tigers Host Shockers Thursday Night on ESPN2

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The No. 24 Memphis Tigers get ready to host Wichita State Thursday on student welcome back night at FedExForum. The American Athletic Conference clash is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

There will be student giveaways from the SAC and the athletic department is partnering with residential life for a halfcourt shot for free housing for one lucky student.

The Tigers (14-4, 4-1 AAC) enter the week winners in five of their last six games after a 77-68 bounce back win over the Charlotte 49ers Sunday afternoon. That one loss, on the road at Temple last Thursday, dropped Memphis six spots in the Associated Press poll this week to No. 24.

Memphis, however, has a chance to get their wits about them during a two-game homestand this week that will see the Tigers wrap up the first third of the league slate. They will be only one of three AAC teams with one loss. UAB leads the league at 5-1, and the winner of Wednesday's meeting between North Texas and Temple will join the Blazers at the top.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Tiger sharpshooter Colby Rogers on Thursday after spending the last two seasons with Wichita State before transferring to Memphis in the summer. He led the Shockers in scoring (16.4) in 2023-24, while also breaking the single-season school record with 99 made three-pointers.

Wichita State (11-7, 1-4 AAC) is a team that has struggled as of late, dropping six of its last nine games after opening the year 8-1. The Shockers fell 75-72 at the buzzer against East Carolina Saturday night on a RJ Felton three-pointer as time expired. The loss came on the heels of their 68-59 win against Charlotte earlier in the week. The Shockers are 1-3 in road games this season.

Wichita State will be looking for its first road win over a ranked opponent since Feb. 18, 2018 after having lost nine straight games against ranked foes.

Memphis leads the all-time series with Wichita State, 20-13, after taking 10 of the last 12 matchups, including both regular-season meetings last year.

Four Shockers are putting up double digits this season, led by Xavier Bell's 14.8 points per game on 47.2 percent shooting overall and a 41.3 percent clip from 3-point range.

UP NEXT
Memphis will stay at home this weekend for a noon showdown on Sunday with UAB.

GAME DETAILS
Memphis Tigers (14-4, 4-1 AAC) vs. Wichita State (11-7, 1-4 AAC)
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025 | 6 p.m.
FedExForum (18,400); Memphis, Tenn.
Television: ESPN2 (Kevin Brown, pxp; Jon Crispin, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)

BY THE NUMBERS

2^nd: PJ Haggerty enters Thursday as the 2^nd-leading scorer in the country at 22.1 points per game. He has reached double figures in all 18 games and has recorded 20+ in 12.
5.5: Assists from Tyrese Hunter over the last two games. He leads the Tigers with a 3.4 assists per game average this season and has five games with at least five dimes.
12-0: Record this season when Memphis leads with five minutes remaining in the game. They are 1-3, however, when trailing at that mark. In the last five seasons, the Tigers are 89-12 when ahead at the 5-minute mark and 9-27 when trailing.
15.9: Offensive rebounding percentage, per KenPom.com, for Moussa Cisse this season. That total ranks 20^th in the country
30-19: 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.
45.5: Three-point percentage from PJ Carter in conference play, which leads the Tigers. In only 13.2 minutes, he has converted 5-of-11 from deep.
58-3: Memphis' record under head coach Penny Hardaway when shooting 50% overall in a game, including a perfect 37-0 at home. The Tigers have shot over 50% in two AAC games (FAU, North Texas)
63.5: Field goal percentage from Dain Dainja over his six-game double-digit scoring streak, which leads the team. Over that span, he is second on the team in scoring (14.0) and in rebounding (5.0) despite playing just 22.2 minutes per game.

SCOUTING THE SHOCKERS

Wichita State is in year two under head coach Paul Mills, where the Shockers are 26-26 overall.
The Shockers allowed 88+ points in each of the first three conference games – the first time they've done that since 1978-79.
Wichita State will present a challenge for the Tigers on the boards, as the Shockers are third in the American and 56^th nationally at 38.72 rebounds per game. They lead the conference (23^rd NCAA) with 27.9 defensive boards each time out.
Xavier Bell, the 10^th-leading scorer in the AAC (14.8), is putting up 18.9 points per game over his last 10 outings and has scored 20+ in four of the last eight.
Justin Hill is the team's second-leading scorer at 13.6 points. He also brings in 3.3 rebounds and dishes a team-high 3.4 assists per game.
Big man Quincy Ballard scored a career-high 22 points on a career-best 11-of-12 shooting at UTSA on Jan. 11. He has four double-doubles in the last seven games and is averaging 13.0 points and 10.7 rebounds during that stretch.
On the season, Ballard is putting up 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 77.9 percent from the field. That total would lead the nation if he qualified with the NCAA minimums.
Ballard leads the AAC in blocks per game (1.82) and ranks 41st nationally. His 31 total blocks rank second in the league, while ranking 47th in the NCAA.
Wichita State is seventh in the league in scoring (77.2) and 11^th in scoring defense (75.3).

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. 24 Tigers Host Shockers Thursday Night on ESPN2

Next Event

Players Mentioned

PJ Carter

Moussa Cisse

Dain Dainja

PJ Haggerty

Tyrese Hunter

Colby Rogers

No. 24 Tigers Host Shockers Thursday Night on ESPN2

Next Event

Players Mentioned

PJ Carter

Moussa Cisse

Dain Dainja

PJ Haggerty

Tyrese Hunter

Colby Rogers

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