How to watch Memphis vs. Southern Illinois

After four straight losses, Memphis returns to FedExForum on Wednesday looking to bounce back with a win over Southern Illinois. The Salukis enter the game with a 3-3 record, but they lost their last game by eight points against UAB.

This will be the third game Southern Illinois has played in the last four games after they played Delaware and the Blazers in the Jacksonville Classic on Sunday and Monday. 

Scott Nagy’s team averages 83.7 points per game and shoots 50.4 percent from the field, but the Salukis have struggled to knock down shots from deep. Southern Illinois is only shooting 24.1 percent from three, and Nagy’s team only makes 4.3 three-pointers per game.

Sophomore Quel’Ron House leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.2 points per game, but he has only attempted 13 three-pointers per game. The 6-foot guard finds a lot of success in the mid-range and on floaters, and he’s shooting 61.2 percent inside the three-point line this season.

Defensively, Southern Illinois allows 73 points per game, but they’re holding opponents to 39.2 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three. The Salukis have out rebounded four of their first six opponents this year, but they were out-rebounded by both teams they’ve played this year that are inside the top 110 on KenPom.

Here’s a look at how to watch Memphis’ game against the Salukis:

TV: N/A

Stream: ESPN+

Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis

Time: 7 p.m. CT

Line: Memphis -10.5

What to expect from the Tigers:

Memphis got out to fast starts in both games against Purdue and Wake Forest, but Penny Hardaway’s team failed to get the job done down the stretch in both contests. It’ll be interesting to see if the Tigers can start fast again and keep the intensity for a full 40 minutes.

Memphis suffered a pair of injuries in its final game in the Bahamas, and it’s unclear if either Curtis Givens III or Sincere Parker will play against the Salukis. Givens left the game in the second half with a thigh bruise, according to Hardaway, while Parker sat for most of the game with a hand injury.

Both Givens and Parker have played big roles for the Tigers early this season, and the question will be who can step up if one or both miss Wednesday’s game. Julius Thedford and Quante Berry are both guys who have shown flashes through the first couple of games of the season, and Hardaway will likely look to those two guys if his rotation takes a hit due to injuries. 

Memphis also showed a new starting lineup in the Bahamas that brought all four of those guards off the bench, and it’ll be interesting to see if Hardaway sticks with that starting five. There is likely to be at least one change to the starting lineup with Thierno Sylla, who started every game prior to the Baha Mar Championship, likely rejoining the team, but Hardaway will have a decision to make on who to move to the bench between Aaron Bradshaw and Simon Majok.

Bradshaw has really struggled through the first five games of the season, and Hardaway has already moved him to the bench once this season. The junior is only averaging 4.4 points and 1.2 rebounds, and he’s only playing about 11 minutes per game due to a mix of production and foul trouble.

On the other side, Majok made his first two starts at the Baha Mar Championship and has shown a lot of promise. The freshman is still very raw, but he has given the team more in the rebounding department, which could solidify his spot in the starting five.