Memphis Drops Home Finale to League Champion South Florida

Thursday, March 5

Memphis, Tenn.

8:00 PM

University of Memphis

12-18,7-10American

South Florida

22-8,14-3American

South Fla.

Memphis

Memphis Drops Home Finale to League Champion South Florida

Mar 06, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis stayed within striking distance most of the night, but South Florida delivered the run that decided it.

The Bulls used a 10-0 run midway through the second half to pull away for a 96-89 win over Memphis in the Tigers' regular-season home finale Thursday night at FedExForum, clinching the outright American Conference regular-season championship while handing the Tigers their seventh straight loss.

For much of the night, the Tigers matched the league's best team possession for possession.

Memphis shot 47 percent from the field, moved the ball well with 19 assists and scored 46 points in the paint. Dug McDaniel led the charge with 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds in one of his most complete performances of the season. Zach Davis added 17 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting night while pulling down eight rebounds, and Sincere Parker chipped in 14 points.

Still, the margin between competitive and comfortable proved thin.

After Memphis trimmed the deficit to 64-60 on a pair of Thierno Sylla free throws with just over 13 minutes to play, South Florida delivered the decisive sequence. The Bulls rattled off 10 straight points in just over two minutes, stretching the lead to 74-60 and forcing Memphis to chase the rest of the night.

The Tigers kept pressing. A Curtis Givens III layup cut the deficit to four with 41 seconds remaining, but South Florida closed the door at the free-throw line to secure the win.

The game opened with an energy that mirrored the pregame ceremony. Memphis honored six seniors - Dug McDaniel, Sincere Parker, Zach Davis, Tariq Ingraham, Thierno Sylla and Mason Matthews - along with senior managers Jackson Grimes and Owen Petersen prior to tipoff. The Tigers responded with one of their more spirited offensive halves in weeks, trailing just 51-46 at the break.

But as has often been the case during the current skid, one extended run proved too much to overcome.

South Florida finished shooting 48.5 percent from the floor and controlled things down the stretch, while Memphis continued to fight from behind.

With one regular-season game remaining, Memphis sits at 12-18 overall and 7-10 in American Conference play. The Tigers remain in the race for the final spot in the American Conference Tournament, which begins March 11 in Birmingham, Alabama.

A win Sunday at Tulane will clinch a spot in the tournament for Memphis.

POSTGAME NOTES

Starting Five: Memphis opened with a starting lineup of Dug McDaniel, Quante Berry, Julius Thedford, Zach Davis and Aaron Bradshaw.
- It's the 17^th different starting lineup of the season for the Tigers.
Shooting: Memphis shot 47.1 percent from the field (33-of-70) and went just 4-of-16 from the three-point line (25.0%) while knocking down 19-of-24 at the free-throw line (79.2%).
Turnovers: Memphis committed only nine turnovers and scored 12 points off USF's miscues.
Defense: The Tigers allowed South Florida to shoot 48.5 percent overall (32-of-66), including a 53.6-percent mark in the second half.
- Memphis also recorded three steals and five blocks.
Bench Production: The Tigers' bench scored 31 points, while the Bulls got 30 from their reserves.
Rebounding: USF outrebound Memphis, 40-36, but the Tigers and Bulls each had 14 on the offensive end.
Ball Movement: Memphis recorded 19 assists in the loss, led by McDaniel's seven.
Dug McDaniel scored a team-high 25 points with seven assists and five rebounds in 38 minutes.
He was 11-of-20 from the floor and scored 13 of his points in the second half.
It's his 21st game of the season with double digits and fifth game with 20-plus points.
Zach Davis had his best game in nearly three months with 17 points, a team-high eight rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes.
He finished 8-of-10 shooting and scored nine of his points after the break.
Sincere Parker added 14 points, seven rebounds and three dimes in 25 minutes off the bench.
He led the Tigers with a 6-of-7 night at the stripe.
Curtis Givens III chipped in 11 points, four dimes and three rebounds.
Aaron Bradshaw pulled down seven rebounds, six of which were on the offensive end, and blocked a team-high two shots.
Quante Berry and Julius Thedford each recorded seven points, while Thierno Sylla added six.

UP NEXT
The Tigers close out the regular season with a Sunday road trip to Tulane for a 1 p.m. tip on ESPN+.

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.