Jan 20, 2007, 16:30 GMT
Greenville, NC - The 17th-ranked Memphis Tigers are clearly the most talented team in Conference USA, and lowly East Carolina will attempt to score a major upset in front of its home crowd.
With six consecutive victories, Memphis has moved to 14-3 overall and has taken its normal spot atop the league standings with a 4-0 record. Every win during the current streak has come by double figures, including a 79-54 decision over UAB on Tuesday. All three of the Tigers' losses this season have come away from home, but they are still heavy favorites tonight.
East Carolina got off to a promising 4-1 start this season against weak competition, but things have gone down hill in a hurry since that point. The Pirates have lost 10 of their last 11 outings, including three in a row. On Wednesday, they put forth yet another lackluster offensive effort in a 65-56 loss to Tulane.
Memphis has won all four previous meetings with East Carolina, including a 77-67 decision over the Pirates in the most recent matchup last season.
Memphis is racking up 81.6 ppg this season while limiting opponents to 64.9 ppg. Chris Douglas-Roberts is the top offensive performer for the Tigers, as he is scoring 14.8 ppg on 56.4 percent shooting from the floor. Jeremy Hunt checks in with 13.5 ppg as the club's sixth man, and Robert Dozier rounds out a trio of double-digit scorers with 11.5 ppg. Memphis scored 12 unanswered points against UAB midway through the first half of Tuesday's game and never looked back in what turned out to be a 25-point victory. Dozier came through with 15 points against the Blazers to lead the way, and Hunt pitched in 14 points. Willie Kemp tallied 12 points, and Antonio Anderson dished out nine assists against only one turnover for Memphis. The Tigers earned a commanding 42-22 rebounding advantage, including a 16-5 edge on the offensive glass, enabling them to finish with 13 more field goal attempts than the Blazers. Douglas- Roberts played only two minutes because of a sprained ankle he suffered last week, and it is unclear if he will attempt to play tonight.
East Carolina is only averaging 61.7 ppg this season on 40.5 percent shooting from the floor, including 30.1 percent efficiency from three-point range. The Pirates have been strong defensively, limiting opponents to 64.2 ppg on 39.9 percent shooting from the field, but the overall record is still quite poor. Darrell Jenkins leads ECU with 12.4 ppg and 89 assists, but his 36.5 percent shooting could certainly stand some improvement. Courtney Captain is the only other double-digit scorer on the roster, as he is netting an even 10.0 ppg. John Fields scored 17 points to pace the Pirates in the loss to Tulane earlier this week. Jenkins and Brandon Evans pitched in 10 points apiece for ECU, which shot just 35.6 percent from the floor and was outscored 20-11 from the foul line.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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