The American Athletic Conference’s top team will be on the road when the No. 24 SMU Mustangs (22-4) head to the FedExForum to face the Memphis Tigers (15-12). Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 25 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Tigers are hoping to rebound after their 80-71 loss to South Florida in their last matchup. Avery Woodson had a good outing, putting up 17 points, three assists, and two steals for Memphis. The Mustangs, meanwhile, are coming off a 74-63 win against East Carolina in their last game. Markus Kennedy had a good game for SMU, accounting for 19 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.
Dedric Lawson has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Tigers. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 0.8 three-pointers. Nic Moore has been hot for the Mustangs. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 21.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 3.8 three-pointers.
It will be a showdown of conflicting tempos, as the up-and-down Tigers (ranked 16th in the nation in possessions per game) will look to push the slow-paced Mustangs (336th in possessions per game). Also, the Mustangs’s third-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 120.7) will face off against the 29th-ranked defense of the Tigers (defensive efficiency of 96.0).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Mustangs winning the first matchup 80-68. Moore was the game’s top overall scorer with 22 points.
Notes
The SMU Mustangs have a defensive rating of 98.2 (ranked 63rd), while the Memphis Tigers have an offensive rating of 104.2 (ranked 208th).
The Memphis Tigers average 74.0 possessions per game and 1.042 points per possession, while the SMU Mustangs earn fewer possessions (65.1) but more points per possession (1.207).
SMU has an average effective field goal percentage of 55.9% (ranked 13th in the nation). Memphis is a losing 1-2 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Memphis attempts 18.0 three pointers and SMU attempts 15.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Memphis Tigers have a 5-9 record while the SMU Mustangs have a superb 5-1 record.
The SMU Mustangs rank 19th with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.48, while the Memphis Tigers rank outside the top 100 at 105th with an A/TO of 1.18.
Memphis, the eighth-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 41.7 rebounds per game. SMU ranks 48th with 39.3.
Memphis and SMU are well matched when it comes to rebounding. Memphis ranks 30th in defensive rebounds, while SMU ranks 30th in offensive rebounds.
On average, Memphis forces a turnover rate of 19.3%. When SMU turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a dazzling 9-1 record.
