Memphis prepares for ECU without Nichols

Nichols suffered a sprained ankle in the Tigers’ 61-60 home loss against Temple Saturday afternoon, and is expected to be out for Memphis’ next four games. Nichols has been the Tigers’ best player this season, averaging a team-high 13.3 points and 6.1 rebounds on 51 percent shooting from the field, and according to Memphis head coach Josh Pastner the loss of Nichols was the difference in the game against Temple.

“There’s no question if he’s in the game, we win the game,” Pastner said. “Guys know Austin is our best player and when he goes down with six minutes to go in the game, that’s a punch in the gut to this team. They love Austin.”

In addition to Nichols’ offensive efforts, he’s also been the anchor of the team’s defense, averaging 3.35 blocks per game — ranking third in all of Division I.

“The issue becomes we play Tuesday and obviously our entire offense is centered around Austin Nichols. Our defensive scheme is centered around Austin Nichols,” Pastner said. “He’s our best player. You want the ball in his hands as much as you can get it to him, so not that we have to play differently, but other guys are going to have to step up and produce.”

The obvious candidate to step his game up in Nichols’ absence is junior forward Shaq Goodwin. Goodwin has been inconsistent throughout the season, but came up huge against Temple with eight points and 23 rebounds. He was named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll for his performance over the last week.

The game against East Carolina provides an opportunity for the Tigers to get used to playing without Nichols and seeing which of those other players will step up. ECU ranks near the bottom of the conference both offensively and defensively, shooting just 42 percent from the field on offense and allowing opponents to shoot 44 percent — the second worst mark in the AAC.

The Pirates enter the contest against Memphis having lost four of their last six games, with the two wins coming over UCF and Cincinnati.

While ECU has been one of the worst teams in the AAC, they have managed to take care of business on their home floor. ECU has lost only three games at home this season, and only two against conference opponents. Memphis has had trouble on the road this season, going 1-3 in true road games.

The Tigers and Pirates are scheduled to tipoff at 6 p.m. at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, North Carolina Tuesday, and the game will be televised live by ESPNU.