Kyvon Davenport goes under the defender to get off the shot in the paint. Davenport leads the team, along with teammate Jeremiah Martin, averaging 15.5 points per game.
The Tigers are 11-6 (3-1 American Athletic Conference) and will head back home to FedEx Forum to go head-to-head against the SMU Mustangs who are also 11-6 (3-2 AAC). Memphis looks to improve to 10-1 at home this season, and SMU looks to bounce back after a 69-58 loss by Houston at home.Â
The Tigers will be facing a tough situation against SMU because they are having a promising season, and the Tigers had two ugly wins in a row. They were a 78-72 comeback win over ECU and an 83-79 win at Tulane where they almost lost an 18-point lead.
Memphis is currently the No. 1 scoring offense in the AAC with 84.1 points per game. This is 5.8 points more than UConn, the No. 2 team.
The Mustangs are led by Jahmal McMurray, the fourth leading scorer in the AAC averaging 18.4 points per game.
Kyvon Davenport pulls up mid-range jump shot early in the first half against South Dakota State. Davenport ended the game with five points and five rebounds
 The Tigers are led by Kyvon Davenport and Jeremiah Martin, both who rank 12th and 13th offensively in the AAC, respectively.
Davenport continues to excel in his return to the starting lineup as he averages 15.4 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game. In his last two games as a starter, he boasts similar numbers, with 15.5 points per game and 6.5 rebounds.
Davenport along with Memphis’ other big men will have to bring a strong effort on the boards as SMU is +6.4 on the glass, third in the conference, and Memphis is only +1.8 in rebounding margin. Despite SMU’s loss against No. 17 Houston, they still won the rebounding game 35-31. Both Jimmy Whitt Jr. and Ethan Chargois lead the team in rebounds almost identically with 6.8 and 6.7 rebounds per game, respectively.
Martin, who is the only player who has started in all games so far this season, currently averages 15.1 points per game, 3.8 assists per game and 2.2 steals per game. He was vital in the 83-79 win over Tulane as he earned a season-high 27 points and led the team to escape a Tulane-comeback with two free throws made with 13 seconds left in the game.
Kyvon Davenport contests a layup by a Jordan Bowden. Davenport led the team with 31 points and 11 rebounds in the 102-92 loss.
Martin will go head-to-head against SMU’s McMurray who had his third-worst shooting performance of the year with 11 points on 3-14 shooting and 1-8 from the arc. While he had an unusual performance, McMurray continued his scoring streak of at least 10 points for the 13th game in a row and his 15th overall this season.
Memphis will also look forward to the return of Alex Lomax after he missed time due to a concussion. Hardaway said in the weekly TV show that the team rested Lomax against Tulane for precautionary reasons.
The game is set for tip-off at 3 p.m. Jan. 19 at FedEx Forum. It will also be the annual Memphis State University throwback game so fans are encouraged to wear throwback apparel.
