Memphis (11-6) at Tulsa (12-5)
GAME NOTES: The Tulsa Golden Hurricane will look to extend a seven-game win streak, but they'll have to go through the Memphis Tigers in an American Athletic Conference clash at Reynolds Center Wednesday to do it.
Tulsa made it seven wins in a row on Saturday when the team took down South Florida on the road, 75-58. The Golden Hurricane improved their record to 5-0 in AAC play with the win, and currently own a 7-2 mark at home.
Memphis has a bit of a win streak going itself. The Tigers have won three games in a row, and used a dominant effort on Saturday to take a 99-79 victory over UCF at home. The Tigers are 4-2 in conference action.
This will be the first matchup between Memphis and Tulsa as conference foes, but the Tigers have dominated the all-time series against the Golden Hurricane, 23-13. The last time these programs met on the court was during the 2012-13 season - a 94-64 Memphis victory.
The Tigers will be looking to replicate that same result. And after the team's huge victory over UCF, it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility. Memphis shot 51.4 percent from the floor in the lopsided win, as Shaq Goodwin and Nick King each reached 16 points to pace the Tigers in scoring. Goodwin also added 10 rebounds for the double-double, while Trahson Burrell chipped in a double-double of his own with 11 points and 12 boards. Markel Crawford contributed 13 points, and Calvin Godfrey scored 12 with seven rebounds. As a team, the Tigers pulled down 53 boards in all, and won the battle on the glass over UCF, 53-24.
Austin Nichols hardly needed to contribute to the eruption against UCF, as the big man netted just four points in the win. Still, he leads Memphis in scoring with 12.7 ppg - the only Tigers player to average a double-digit scoring total. But the Tigers have been sound offensively, averaging 69.1 ppg this season on 45.1 percent shooting from the floor. Defensively, Memphis has been strong as well, allowing just 61.4 ppg to opponents on 38.3 percent shooting. Nichols has swatted 57 shots this season which is a team best, and is third in rebounding at 5.9 boards per outing, behind Goodwin (6.2 rpg) and Burrell (6.1 rpg). The Tigers as a unit are pulling down 38.6 rpg, and have blocked 121 shots in 17 games.
Tulsa kept up its hot offensive streak against South Florida on Saturday, as the Golden Hurricane netted 50 percent of their shots from the floor, which included 60 percent in the second half to bury the Bulls. James Woodard scored 21 points to lead the team, while Shaquille Harrison chipped in with 14 points, connecting on 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. Marquel Curtis contributed 13 points in the winning effort, and D'Andre Wright scored 12 points with five rebounds to round out a group of double-digit scorers for the Hurricane.
It's been Woodard and Harrison that have taken over Tulsa's offense this season. Woodard leads the team with 15.5 ppg, but that could change in a heartbeat as Harrison chips in 15.4 ppg. Tulsa is scoring 66.7 ppg this season on 42.8 percent shooting, and has been strong on the defensive end by surrendering just 61.3 ppg. Rashad Smith leads the Golden Hurricane in rebounding at 6.6 boards per outing, while Harrison has averages a team-best 3.3 apg.
This clash is a clash between a strong defensive team in Memphis and a hot offensive squad in Tulsa. Woodard and Harrison will look to take over offensively at home, but Nichols and Goodwin will try to dictate play down low for the Tigers. Ultimately, the decision could come down to the home advantage, which favors the streaking Golden Hurricane.
Tulsa 76, Memphis 72