The University of Memphis Tigers (7-12, 2-4 AAC) will face the No. 1 ranked University of Connecticut Huskies (18-0, 7-0 AAC) on Wednesday. The matinee game will allow over 1,000 local high school students to come watch the Tigers face the top-ranked opponent.
The Tigers are coming off a two-game losing streak — this will be the second matchup between the two teams after the Tigers fell to the Huskies on the road 97-49 last month.
Areas for improvement
Memphis currently has only seven healthy players on its roster. When they met UConn earlier this season, the Huskies scored 24 points off of the Tigers’ 18 turnovers. Memphis shot at 34.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
The Tigers also struggled defensively with one block and three steals. They had a total of 16 rebounds.
A look at the opponent
Since the 2013 season, the Huskies have only lost one game, which was against Mississippi State University in last year’s NCAA final four. The Huskies are averaging 94.1 points against conference opponents and are shooting at 54.2 percent.
The Huskies play defense well in conference play, too. They have 12.6 steals per game and 6.4 blocks. In the matchup earlier this season, they only allowed the Tigers three offensive rebounds. They had a total of 46 rebounds and 12 steals.
Players to watch
Memphis guard Brea Elmore
Elmore leads the Tigers in scoring in AAC play. She averages 21 points per game and is shooting at 46 percent. She played 40 minutes in the Tigers’ last matchup against the Huskies and had no fouls. The senior scored 20 of the Tigers’ 49 points. She also had one assist, one block and one steal.
Memphis guard Taylor Barnes
Barnes has scored in double figures in four conference games. The freshman struggles to control the ball, averaging five turnovers in conference play. She also played 40 minutes in the team’s last matchup. She scored the second most points for the Tigers with 13. She also had three assists, one steal and six turnovers.
Connecticut forward Gabby Williams
Williams shoots 63 percent in conference play. The senior has no points from beyond the arc this season. She averages 10 points per game. In the last matchup against Memphis, she led Connecticut with 20 points. She also had seven assists, three rebounds and four steals.
Brea Elmore beats her defender off the dribble while driving to the basket. She led the team in steals last season and was second in scoring.
The University of Memphis women's basketball team huddles during a timeout in its game against UT Martin.
