Memphis will look to bounce back from Thursday night’s loss against North Texas on Saturday against Utah State.
The matchup will be the final non-conference game for both teams and it will be a rare February break in conference play. The Aggies are 21-3 on the season, but they only lost one game in non-conference play.
On December 4, Jerrod Calhoun’s team travelled to Tampa and lost by 13 points against South Florida. Utah State won eight straight games following that loss before losing back-to-back conference games against Grand Canyon and UNLV.
The Aggies are now on a six-game win streak, and they won their most recent game by 13 points over Fresno State.
As a team, they average 84.1 points per game, shooting 51.2 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from deep and 70.8 percent from the free-throw line. Two players average more than 16 points per game, and MJ Collins Jr. leads the team with 18.3 points per game.
Defensively, Utah State holds opponents to 68.9 points per game, and opposing teams are shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from three-point range.
The Aggies only average 11.1 turnovers per game, and they score 19.7 points off 14.6 turnovers per game. They also grab 35.8 rebounds per contest and have a plus-4.5 rebounding margin.
Here’s a look at how to watch Memphis’ road game against the Aggies:
TV: CBSSN
Stream: Paramount+
Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis
Line: Utah State -13.5
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
What to expect from the Tigers on Saturday against Utah State:
Penny Hardaway’s team had built some momentum with back-to-back double-digit wins over UAB and Charlotte, but they lost most of that in Thursday night’s loss against the Mean Green. Memphis will now have the second-quickest turnaround of the season with just one day off between the two games.
Hardaway shortened his rotation over the last two games, and he only played eight players 10 or more minutes against Charlotte and North Texas. It feels like Hardaway has decided on the rotation, and it’ll be interesting to see if he sticks with the current eight against the Aggies.
The Tigers used the same starting lineup for the last two games, but Hardaway could choose to make a change ahead of Saturday’s game. There’s always the thought of moving Sincere Parker into the starting lineup, but most signs point to Hardaway sticking to playing him off the bench.
Parker has been on a tear over the last three games, and they’ll need another impressive performance in a tough environment. The guard can heat up at any time, and he has the ability to keep Memphis competitive on the road.
The Tigers have struggled with rebounds and turnover for most of the year, and Utah State has shown that it can take advantage of teams that struggle in those two categories. Hardaway’s team must be more aggressive on the boards and limit the turnovers if they want to have an opportunity to beat the Aggies in Logan.