Memphis basketball enters the winter break with a 4-4 record. While it’s at the .500 mark, there’s potential for the Tigers to increase their win total facing three out of their next five opponents with a record under .500.
They will finish their final five non-conference opponents at FedEx Forum before American Athletic Conference play starts at the beginning of the new year.
Key matchups will be the next two games against University of Alabama at Birmingham (5-2) and No. 7 University of Tennessee (6-1).
UAB looks to continue its slight improvement from last year when they were 4-3 at this point in the season, and they look to avenge a 71-56 defeat from the Tigers from last year. Zack Bryant, 6-foot-2 guard, leads the team with 12.9 points per game, 3.3 assists and 2 steals. While they do hold a winning record, they come against smaller schools, and the only Power Five school they have faced was No. 11 Florida State, when they lost 63-81.
Maybe even better than the start of conference play will be the Dec. 15 matchup against Tennessee. The Volunteers are a top-10 team, and their only defeat this year so far came against No. 2 Kansas with a narrow 81-87 loss.
The two teams have not met since the 2012-13 season when the Tigers won 85-80 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Vols lead the all-time series 14-11 dating back to their first meeting in 1969. They will meet consecutively for the next three years (including this year), which has not occurred since 2006-2013.
The game is predicted to be a sell-out. The team posted on social media that 394 tickets remained early Tuesday morning, so expect an atmosphere that will be a highlight of the season.
Grant Williams, 6-foot-7 forward, is leading the Vols with 20.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, even though he deals with multiple defenders on him every game. The Tennessee defense is elite, as they rank ninth in team defensive efficiency allowing 63.6 points per game and holding opponents to a .335 field goal percentage.
The Tigers allow more points per game than they score with 78.7 points per game allowed, compared to 76.9 points scored per game.
The start of conference play begins Jan. 3 with the Wichita State Shockers in Memphis. Wichita State looks to keep an 11-10 all-time advantage against the Tigers after blowing out Memphis 85-65 last season. The newer addition to the AAC will play their second game against Memphis since 1983.
Memphis will play their first away game since Dec. 1 against Houston on Jan. 6. They beat the Cougars last year at FedEx Forum 91-85. Houston will be the true test for the Tigers to start conference play, as they are on a dominant 7-0 start this season, including a 65-61 win against Oregon, a former top-25 team. They are led by Corey Davis Jr., 6-foot-1 guard, who leads the team with 16.9 points and 4.6 assists per game.
The Tigers then move onto their final home game of the break Jan. 10, facing East Carolina after going 1-1 last year against the Pirates. The Pirates will look to right the ship in conference play as they went 4-14 in AAC play last year.
The final game before the start of spring semester will be in New Orleans on Jan. 13 when Memphis plays Tulane, who will look to continue their winning ways after earning a 96-89 win last year against the Green Wave.
The long home stretch before the calendar year ends will either motivate the Tigers or be a bump in the road before they start conference play.
They will have a chance to earn a win against a top-10 team and force the nation to mention the Tigers without head coach Penny Hardaway being the main headline. Memphis will either look forward to next year with top-rated recruit James Wiseman on the horizon or continue the hype of a new era in men’s basketball when classes commence on Jan. 14, 2019.
Jeremiah Martin leaps past a South Dakota State defender for a shot. Martin tied for a team high in points, with Tyler Harris, with 22 points.
