Mar 8, 2007, 15:50 GMT
Memphis, TN - The top-seeded and fifth-ranked Memphis Tigers begin defense of their Conference USA Tournament title tonight, as they host the eighth-seeded Marshall Thundering Herd in the quarterfinal round from the FedExForum.
The Tigers swept through the league during the regular season, going a perfect 16-0 en route to their second straight conference title. Memphis, which is just the second team in C-USA history to go undefeated during the regular season, enters the tournament riding the nation's longest winning streak at 19 games. If that wasn't enough, the Tigers also own the second longest home winning streak in the country at 29 games, and that is significant since Memphis is hosting this tournament. Speaking of the C- USA Tournament, the Tigers are an even 10-10 all-time in this event, winning its lone title last season.
As for Marshall, it was forced to play a first round game due to its 7-9 finish during the regular season. In that game, Marshall pulled off a thrilling 53-52 victory over ninth-seeded UAB on Wednesday. The win is the team's first in just its second all-time appearance in this event.
As far as the all-time series goes, Memphis owns a 3-1 lead over Marshall, including a 78-59 victory in the schools lone encounter during the regular season. The winner of this game will meet either Tulsa or Tulane in the semifinals on Friday.
Markel Humphrey converted a layup with under 25 seconds to go and Paul Delaney III missed a shot in the closing moments for UAB, as Marshall pulled off a thrilling one-point win on Wednesday. The Herd shot 42.6 percent from the floor in the contest and held a 33-30 edge on the boards. Mark Dorris led the way with 15 points and five boards, while Markel Humphrey added 12 points and eight rebounds. On the season, Humphrey leads the club in both scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg), while Dorris ranks second to him with 13.4 ppg. As a team, Marshall is turning in just 65.8 ppg on a modest 40.0 percent shooting from the floor this season.
The Tigers have excelled in just about every aspect of the game this season, and they enter the tournament averaging a hardy 79.7 ppg. The team has also thrived on defense, as it is forcing 17.9 turnovers, in addition to holding its opponents to just 38.6 percent shooting from the field. Chris Douglas- Roberts, a first-team all-league selection, leads Memphis in scoring this season with 15.4 ppg and he is shooting 54.1 percent from the field. Despite starting just one game, Jeremy Hunt was a second-team all-league choice, averaging 14.0 ppg on the strength of 40.4 percent shooting from long range. Robert Dozier is also averaging in double digits, as he chips in with 10.1 ppg. Joey Dorsey isn't scoring in double figures (8.7 ppg), but his ability to rebound (9.5 rpg) and play defense (75 blocks, 49 steals) landed him a spot on the all-league first-team.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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