When it comes to big games, they don't get much more significant then Sunday night's match-up between The University of Memphis and South Florida men's basketball teams.
Both teams will be vying for the top spot in the Conference USA National division along with the leading record in the entire C-USA.
In their last meeting, the Tigers defeated the Bulls with a score of 100-89.
The Bulls were without their second-leading scorer, B. B. Waldon.
That will not be the case this Sunday.
South Florida and The U of M will both be entering the contest coming off of wins. Coincidentally enough, both were contests against The University of Alabama-Birmingham.
The Tigers beat the Blazers on Monday night by the score of 86-69, while the Bulls won 75-47 on Wednesday.
Prior to tip-off, there will be a ceremony honoring the senior players on the Tiger team.
The contest will be the last regular season home game for Shyrone Chatman, Shannon Foreman, Shamel Jones and Marcus Moody.
The four seniors will be recognized for their leadership and contributions they have brought to the Tiger team.
Chatman has been with the Tiger basketball team for four years.
This year he has averaged 9.7 point per game and 2.8 rebounds per game. He leads the team in assists averaging 4.7 per game.
Moody has also spent his entire college career with the U of M.
With a 10.3 ppg, Moody is second in scoring on the Tiger team this year.
He also holds an average of 2.4 rpg and 1.6 apg. Moody almost didn't make it through this season after quitting the team in December because of conflicts with head coach John Calipari. Calipari eventually allowed Moody to rejoin the team.
After spending two years at Northwest Mississippi Community College, Foreman signed on with The U of M as a junior.
So far, Foreman holds an average of 10 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 2.3 apg for the 2000-2001 season.
As a freshman at Georgetown, Jones decided to bring his talent to The U of M.
He then was a red-shirt sophomore for the Tigers.
This season Jones has averaged 4.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 0.8 apg.
With the lead standing for the C-USA on the line along with it being the last home game of the regular season, the game is sure to be an emotional one for all of the seniors.
With so many factors coming into play, including the game being broadcast on 8:30 p.m., ESPN 2, this Sunday's game looks to be what NCAA dreams are made of.
