The Memphis Tigers take on the Connecticut Huskies in the fourth round of the AAC tournament at the Amway Center. The game starts at 3:15 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 13 and will air on ESP and ES3.
The Huskies beat Temple 77-62 in the 3. Shonn Miller played well, contributing 19 points, seven rebounds, and one steal for the Huskies. The Tigers, meanwhile, are coming off a 74-54 win over Tulane in the 3. Markel Crawford had a good game and claimed his first double-double of the season, recording 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Daniel Hamilton has really been playing well as of late for the Huskies, averaging 19.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers over the last five games. Dedric Lawson has also been on a tear in the same span, averaging 18.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 three-pointers while leading the Tigers.
Points could be at a premium in this matchup between two of the nation’s best defenses. Connecticut ranks sixth in the nation in defensive efficiency (95.0), while Memphis is ninth (95.5). It will also be a tale of two tempos, as the up-tempo Tigers are ranked 17th in possessions per game with the slow-paced Huskies at 286th.
The Huskies have won both matchups against the Tigers this season, but dropped their most recent game, a 77-62 blowout. Miller scored a game-high 19 points.
Notes
In its last game, Memphis won by a margin of 20 points. Connecticut is 12-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Memphis has a 9-1 record in blowouts.
The Connecticut Huskies have a defensive rating of 95.0 (ranked sixth), while the Memphis Tigers have an offensive rating of 104.8 (ranked 201st).
Connecticut has an average field goal percentage of 45.9%. Memphis is a subpar 1-6 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Connecticut Huskies and the Memphis Tigers both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Connecticut is 95th and 78th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Memphis ranks 313th and 293rd in these categories.
Memphis ranks 66th in assists, recording 15.2 per game. Connecticut performs worse at 144th with 13.8 assists per game.
Memphis, the eighth-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.6 blocks per game. Connecticut ranks 29th with 5.1.
Connecticut ranks 257th in offensive rebounds, while Memphis ranks 28th in defensive rebounds.
Connecticut records 5.8 steals per game. Memphis is 16-13 when giving up at least 5 steals.
