Tigers Aim for Fresh Start with Southern Illinois on Wednesday

Wednesday, November 26

Memphis, Tenn.

7:00 PM

University of Memphis

Southern Illinois

Tigers Aim for Fresh Start with Southern Illinois on Wednesday

Nov 25, 2025 | Men's Basketball

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After a grueling early-season stretch, Memphis returns to FedExForum on Wednesday night searching for a reset. The Tigers (1-4) enter the matchup against Southern Illinois having dropped four straight games, something the program hasn't experienced since January 2024, and beginning a season 1-4 for the first time since 1996-97.

But inside the locker room, belief hasn't wavered. And a big reason for that is the emergence of Dug McDaniel.

The senior point guard was electric in the Bahamas, averaging 21.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals across matchups with No. 1 Purdue and Wake Forest. His pace and shot-making set the tone in two of Memphis' most inspired performances of the young season when the Tigers went toe-to-toe with the top-ranked Boilermakers and fell to Wake Forest on a buzzer-beating three. McDaniel says those performances weren't moral victories, they were previews.

"If we get the win Wednesday, it'll come from what we built in the Bahamas," McDaniel said. "Those two games showed who we really are.

"At some point, we're going to win. And we're going to take off from there, I promise."

Memphis will also get a boost from its evolving frontcourt. Tariq Ingraham and William Whorton are now fully in the mix after working their way into the rotation in the Bahamas. Ingraham gives the Tigers another physical and tested interior presence, while Whorton adds length, energy and a developing offensive touch. Their arrival helps stabilize a unit that has been searching for depth and consistency around the rim.

Now, that opportunity arrives in the form of Southern Illinois (3-3), a team still searching for its identity. The Salukis' resume is a mix of highs and lows: their only Division I wins are against Delaware and Kansas City - both outside the KenPom top-200 - while their three losses came on the road to quality opponents in UAB, Nevada and North Dakota State.

Offensively, SIU has struggled to stretch the floor. The Salukis are shooting just 23.2% from three, one of the 10 lowest marks in the nation. Creating turnovers hasn't been a strength either, opponents are averaging only 12.3 giveaways per game.

For Memphis, Wednesday is about turning signs of progress into results. With McDaniel playing at an elite level, guys like Zach Davis (7.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and Julius Thedford (7.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg) stepping forward, and the frontcourt reinforcements settling in, the Tigers want to replicate the grit and rhythm they showed in the Bahamas and finally turn the corner.

GAME DETAILS
Memphis Tigers vs. Southern Illinois Salukis
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025 | 7 p.m. CT
FedExForum (18,400); Memphis, Tenn.
Television: ESPN+ (Greg Gaston, pxp; Trey Draper, color)
Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Ken Moody, analysis)
Live Stats: www.Memphis.StatBroadcast.com

BY THE NUMBERS

2: The number of teams with 14 transfers on its roster this season, which is the most of any team in D I. (Memphis, Southern Miss).
5.8: Dug McDaniel leads the American Conference and ranks 36th in Division I averaging 5.8 assists per game.
6: After not having played in the first three games of the season, William Whorton came off the bench to make an immediate impact in the Bahamas. Against Wake Forest, he led the team with 6 rebounds (5 offensive) and scored 4 points in 18 minutes.
11.5: Points per game average for Zach Davis since being inserted into the starting lineup in the Bahamas. He's also pulled down 3.5 rebounds and hit three triples in 26.3 minutes in that span. Davis was only averaging 4.0 points in the first three games of the season.
15: Consecutive free throws made by Dug McDaniel, who is 18-of-20 at the charity stripe this season (90.0). His last miss was his first of four attempts at Ole Miss (Nov. 11) at the 11:33 mark of the first half.
44.8: Memphis is getting an average of 44.8 points from its starting unit this season through five games, just 60.5 percent of the team's scoring production. Last season, Memphis' starting five accounted for 78.9 percent of its scoring, the third-highest share in the American.

SCOUTING THE SALUKIS

Head coach Scott Nagy is in his second season at the helm of Southern Illinois, and his squad comes to town with a 3-3 overall record after falling 81-73 to UAB Monday afternoon at the Jacksonville Classic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Nagy is in his 31st season as a head coach and brings a 594-353 career record with him, ranking him in the top-20 of total wins among active Division I head coaches.
Two Salukis average double figures on the year, led by Quel'Ron House, who is putting up 18.2 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 57.3 percent from the floor.
Davion Sykes is averaging 10.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game.
As a team, SIU ranks 37th in the country in field goal percentage (50.4) and 32nd in defensive rebounds per game (29.83).
The Salukis, however, are one of the worst teams in the nation when it comes to shooting the three ball. They are the fifth-worst program in Division I in three-point percentage (24.1) and three-pointers made per game (4.3). They also rank in the bottom 20 in three-point attempts as well (18.0).
SIU averaged 83.7 points per game and allows 73.0 from its opponents.
Their three wins have come against McKendree (83-42), UMKC (101-78) and Delaware (79-59), while falling to Nevada (86-81/OT), North Dakota State (92-85) and UAB.

UP NEXT
Memphis will have a few days off for Thanksgiving before returning to the floor next week to host New Orleans (Dec. 3) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Tigers will then welcome Baylor to town next Saturday (Dec. 6) at 3:30 p.m.

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.