Memphis returns to FedExForum for its final home game of the season, and it’ll host South Florida. It’s the second meeting between the two teams, and the Bulls are looking for a series sweep over the Tigers for the first time ever.
Bryan Hodgson’s team enters Thursday’s game with a 21-8 record and 13-3 in conference play. USF wrapped up the American regular-season title on Sunday with a win over Tulane, and it will be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament next week.
The Bulls won the first matchup by 21 points, and they’re currently riding a seven-game win streak.
As a team, USF averages 88.3 points per game, shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from deep. Five players average 11 or more points, and Izaiyah Nelson, who followed Hodgson from Arkansas State, leads the team with 16.2 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Defensively, the Bulls allow 76.7 points per game, and opposing teams shoot 41.6 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from deep. USF grabs 42.9 rebounds per game, and it forces 14.4 turnovers per game and averages 19.5 points off those takeaways.
Here’s how to watch Memphis’ home game against the Bulls:
TV: ESPN2
Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis
Line: USF -6.5
Time: 8:00 p.m. CT
What to watch for tonight from the Tigers against USF:
Six losses in a row have weighed heavily on the Tigers, and they’d like to start turning things around in the final two regular-season games before the conference tournament starts next week. With two games left, Memphis hasn’t clinched a spot in the conference tournament, but a win tonight would certainly help its chances.
The biggest issue in the first game was rebounding, and Penny Hardaway’s team lost the rebounding battle 52-to-39. The Bulls grabbed 22 offensive rebounds, and three players recorded three or more offensive boards, including Nelson, who led the team with six offensive rebounds.
In the first meeting, Aaron Bradshaw suffered an elbow injury and only played nine minutes. Bradshaw returned to the lineup on Sunday against East Carolina, but he only played 17 minutes and clearly didn’t look 100 percent.
The Tigers played Sunday’s game without Ashton Hardaway and Tariq Ingraham, who both missed the game with injuries, and it’ll be interesting to see if either returns. If both miss, it will be another thin frontcourt for Memphis against a team that boasts a lot of physicality.
The Tigers only shot 33 percent from the field in the first game, and nobody could really get anything going against the stingy USF defense. Only three players finished with more than 10 points, and Julius Thedford led the team with 13 points on 4-for-9 from the field.
Memphis will need more production from other guys, including point guard Dug McDaniel. McDaniel went 3-for-10 from the field against the Bulls during his slump, but he has played much better over the last week.
The guard averaged 21 points and shot 53.2 percent from the field over the last three games, and the Tigers need a big game from him tonight.
Sincere Parker will likely come off the bench against USF, as he has for most of the year, and Hardaway will look for him to have a better performance than the first meeting. Parker has been one of Memphis’ best shooters this year, but he went 3-for-11 in Tampa.
The Tigers will also honor six seniors tonight before the game. McDaniel, Parker, Ingraham, Zach Davis, Thierno Sylla and Mason Matthews will all be honored pregame, and the festivities could give Memphis a spark in an important contest.