Feb 14, 2007, 17:30 GMT
Tulsa, OK - The eighth-ranked Memphis Tigers continue their run through the Conference USA competition, as they make the trip to Tulsa this evening for a conference clash with the Golden Hurricane from the Reynolds Center.
The Tigers have won an impressive 13 straight games and haven't lost since a 79-71 decision at Arizona back on December 20th. Since then, the team has made light work of most of the competition, including running a perfect 11-0 in league play to this point. This past weekend, Memphis routed Tulane 95-51 at home.
The Golden Hurricane are much farther down the league ladder, sitting at 5-5 in Conference USA play. The team has struggled of late, with five losses in the last eight games, including a 75-60 setback at Southern Miss on Saturday.
This is the 24th all-time meeting between these two teams, with Tulsa clinging to a 12-11 advantage. However, Memphis has closed the gap with three straight wins and is looking for the regular season sweep after posting a 72-59 decision on January 24th at home.
It was a complete team-effort over the weekend, as Memphis placed five players in double figures in a 44-point romp over Tulane. Robert Dozier and Willie Kemp led the way with 13 points each, followed by Chris Douglas-Roberts and Tre'Von Willis, who notched 12 points apiece. Jeremy Hunt finished things off with 11 points for Memphis, which shot .508 from the floor, including a sizzling .529 from behind the arc (9-of-17). The offensive eruption over the weekend was nothing new for John Calipari's squad, as the Tigers are averaging a robust 80.3 ppg this year. In addition to the solid play offensively, the team has gotten the job done at the defensive end as well, enjoying a +18.1 scoring margin by allowing just 62.2 ppg. Douglas-Roberts leads the team with 14.8 ppg, thanks to .549 shooting from the field. Hunt has been a huge asset off the bench, netting 14.1 ppg. Hunt is one of the conference's premier snipers, draining over 42 percent of his three-point attempts (62-of-147). Dozier round out the double-digit threats with 10.8 ppg. Joey Dorsey is netting just 8.4 ppg, but has made a huge impact on the boards, grabbing 10.2 caroms per game.
The Golden Hurricane lack the offensive firepower to win a shootout with Memphis, as the team is averaging a pedestrian 70.3 ppg, on just .423 shooting. The team relies heavily on the play of Rod Earls and Ben Uzoh, who represent the only two players currently averaging double figures at 12.6 and 10.3 ppg, respectively. Defensively, Tulsa is limiting foes to just 63.2 ppg on .402 shooting, while forcing nearly 16 turnovers per outing (15.9). The Golden Hurricane blew a 14-point second half lead, as they simply had no answer for Southern Miss' Jeremy Wise and Sai'Quon Stone, who combined for 42 points. Tulsa was led offensively by Earls, who netted 16 points in the heart- breaking loss. Uzoh chipped in with 12 points, while Brett McDade added 10 off the bench. The Golden Hurricane committed an unforgiving 21 turnovers in the game, in which Southern Miss was able to generate 20 points from.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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