Memphis returns to action Thursday night with a road matchup against North Texas. It’s the first game of a three-game road trip, and it’s the second time the Tigers have played the Mean Green after beating them in the first conference game of the season on December 31.
Penny Hardaway’s team beat North Texas 57-48 to get out to a 1-0 start in conference play, but it was an ugly game on both sides. Both teams shot worse than 30 percent from three-point range, and the two teams combined for only 46 points in the first half.
The Tigers won the rebounding battle 38-to-30, including 13 offensive rebounds, and Zach Davis, who hasn’t played the last two games, led the team with 12 points and six rebounds. For North Texas, Je’Shawn Stevenson was the only player to finish in double-figures, ending the game with 20 points.
Since that game, the Mean Green have struggled in conference play, and they currently sit in 10th place with a 4-7 record in conference games. They’ve beaten Tulsa, Tulane and UTSA twice, but they’ll enter Thursday’s game 1-4 in their last five games.
Daniyal Robinson’s team has only lost three games this season at the Super Pit, and all three losses came in conference play. While they’ve suffered some home losses, North Texas hasn’t lost a home game by more than four points this season.
The Mean Green have three players averaging more than 10 points per game, but only two of the players will be on the court against the Tigers. Will McClendon, who is second on the team in scoring, suffered a season-ending injury after playing four games to start the season.
Stevenson leads the team, averaging 17 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. The sophomore has scored 10 or more points in 14 straight games, and he’s shooting 37.4 percent from deep inside his home gym.
Guard David Terrell Jr. has also played well, averaging 12.9 points per game, but he went 4-for-10 from the field against the Tigers.
As a team, the Mean Green average 70.6 points per game, and they shoot 42.9 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from deep and only 69.4 percent from the free-throw line. They average 12.2 turnovers per game, with a plus-3.5 turnover margin, and they average 16.5 points off turnovers.
Robinson’s team is one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country, and they rank No. 353 in three-point percentage in games against D1 opponents.
North Texas averages 34.6 rebounds per game, and it has a minus-0.4 rebounding margin this season. Big man Dylan Arnett leads the team with six rebounds per game, and three other players average more than four rebounds per game.
Defensively, the Mean Green allow 66.2 points per game, and opposing teams are shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from deep.