Tigers start conference play during Winter Break

While the University of Memphis is out for the break, the Tigers’ basketball team will have 11 games. They have six remaining non-conference games. Then Memphis will begin American Athletic Conference play on Dec. 31. 

They will start off with home games against Bryant and Albany before playing Louisville at a neutral site in New York. They then start a three game home stand with Siena, Loyola (Maryland) and LSU. 

Conference play starts on the road with Cincinnati and UCF. They come back home to play Tulsa and Tulane, and they will end the break at Temple. 

The Tigers are 5-2 and have a chance to pad that record before the conference schedule starts. They have three games against teams with losing records and another against Albany, who plays in the America East conference. 

Memphis will have two tough matchups against Louisville and LSU. The Tigers have lost the only two games against teams of their caliber this season. They lost to Alabama 82-70 and UAB 71-56. 

The Tigers went 9-9 in the AAC last season after jumping out to a 4-1 start during last year’s break. This season, the Tigers have struggled to pull out close wins in the early season and will need to improve to win in conference. 

 

Areas for improvement

 

Three-point shooting has been a weak spot for the Tigers this season. They have made just 26.8 percent of deep balls this season and have shot better than 30 percent in two games. Only two Tigers, Jeremiah Martin and Kyvon Davenport, shot higher than 30 percent from three. 

The shooting struggles have also hurt the assist numbers for the Tigers. Opponents have collected 21 more assists than Memphis this season though six games. They have failed to reach at least 10 assists in half of their games. 

Martin leads the team with 22 total assists, and Kareem Brewton Jr. and Malik Rhodes are the only other two with double figure assist totals. 

The offense has been stagnant at times while the Tigers have struggled to create open shots. The Tigers have been able to create better shots in the second half of games this season, but as the schedule get tougher, they need to get off to better starts. 

Defensively, the Tigers have struggled to stop dribble penetration against quick guards and wings. That creates easy baskets in the paint as well as open shots from the perimeter. Better on-the-ball defense will help the Tigers slow down opposing offenses. 

 

Players to watch

 

Memphis forward, Kyvon Davenport

The transfer is second to Martin on the Tigers in scoring with 13 points per game. He is shooting well from the field at 45.8 percent and is one of two players shooting better than 30 percent from three. He has struggled from the free throw line at just under 55 percent.

His size has helped him lead the Tigers with six blocks and 40 rebounds total. He can guard multiple positions while playing on the perimeter and post on offense. 

Memphis guard, Jamal Johnson

The freshman has struggled shooting the ball from deep early. He is second on the team with eight made threes, but he is shooting 28.6 percent. Johnson has the ability to score in many ways and has shown it in spots this season. He tied the game against Mercer with a three at the end of regulation. He can help the Tiger offense take a step forward by knocking down open shots.