Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - The No. 21 Memphis Tigers look to keep their
streak against league rivals intact as they host the Houston Cougars at
FedExForum for a Conference USA affair.
The Tigers' last loss to a league rival came on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 to
Texas-El Paso. Memphis defeated seven C-USA opponents before heading to the
Big Dance last season and have knocked off its first 11 league foes this
season on its way to a 22-3 overall record. Josh Pastner's unit picked up its
third straight win by a double-digit margin on Saturday as it downed Marshall,
71-59, at the Cam Henderson Center behind a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double
by Adonis Thomas.
Houston continues its three-game road trip after suffering a 101-92 loss in
triple overtime to Tulsa in the first chapter of the journey. The loss to the
Golden Hurricane left the Cougars with a 15-9 overall record, including their
4-7 mark against league opponents. Coach James Dickey has used a three-headed
attack consisting of Joseph Young (17.3 ppg), TaShawn Thomas (16.9 ppg, 9.9
rpg, 1.9 bpg) and Danuel House (12.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg) to produce the C-USA's top
scoring offense at 77.9 ppg.
This will be the 39th meeting in history between these schools on the
hardwood. Memphis owns a sizeable 26-12 all-time series edge after its 89-55
rout of the Cougars a season ago in the Lone Star State.
Thomas, a heralded sophomore forward, submitted his career night against the
Thundering Herd as Memphis hit on 45.3 percent of its field goal tries, while
limiting MU to 38.2 percent field goal efficiency. Joe Jackson, who paces the
group with 13.8 points, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game, chipped in 12
points against the Herd. Thomas and Geron Johnson add just over 11 ppg apiece
for the Tigers, who also receive steady production from its next five players
down the line. The very deep and athletic Tigers are outscoring their
opposition by an average of 11.2 ppg this season and their only losses came to
respectable programs in Virginia Commonwealth, Minnesota and Louisville.
Houston's Thomas also posted a double-double his last time out with 31 points
and 15 rebounds. Young added 25 points and Jherrod Stiggers produced 15
points, but the reserves did not do enough damage as Tulsa held a 57-22
advantage in bench points. The high-scoring Cougars shot just 36.6 percent
from the field and allowed the Golden Hurricane to knock down 45.5 percent of
their field goal tries. Houston's lack of discipline on the defensive end
turned out to be the difference, as it committed 36 fouls which sent Tulsa to
the free-throw line for 50 unguarded attempts.
The Sports Network