Tigers Kick Off Homestand Against Incarnate Word

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis Tigers kick off a four-game homestand on Wednesday evening, when the squad hosts the Incarnate Word Cardinals in a 7 p.m. tip-off at FedExForum.

GAME INFORMATION
Memphis (8-3) vs. Incarnate Word (5-5)
When: Wednesday, December 21
Tip-Off: 7 p.m. (CT)
Location: Memphis, Tenn.
Arena: FedExForum
TV: ESPN3
Greg Gaston, play-by-play
Jon Albright, analyst
Radio: Memphis Radio Network / 600 WREC / Rock 103
Dave Woloshin, play-by-play
Matt Dillon, analyst
Forrest Goodman, pregame / postgame host
Live Stats: Memphis Sidearm Live Stats

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

Incarnate Word comes into the game with a 5-5 overall record after an overtime loss at Loyola Marymount on December 17.

    In the game, the Cardinals were led by 6-6 forward Simi Socks who scored a game-high 28 points, while Jorden Kite and Shawn Johnson each scored 17. Kite and Johnson made four three-pointers each, while Socks was a perfect 2-for-2 from long range. Socks and Johnson pulled down five rebounds each for the team-high, while Jalin Hart dished out seven assists to go with his nine points.
    This season Johnson has led all scorers with 175 points over the team's 10 games, as Socks (14.4), Hart (12.9), and Tyler Singleton (11.4) each average in double-figures. Johnson, a 6-5 guard, pulls down an average of 8.3 rebounds per game to lead the team, as the Cardinals get out-rebounded by an average of 6.2 rebounds per game.
    Hart averages 4.9 assists per game, while also leading the team with 22 steals. Devin Wyatt - one of three players to start every game - leads the team with 26 blocked shots.

FIVE TIMES FOR 20

Memphis has had five players score at least 20 points in a game this season, highest current total in the American Athletic Conference. Dedric Lawson, K.J. Lawson, Craig Randall II, Markel Crawford, and Jeremiah Martin, have all eclipsed the 20-point plateau at least once this season, and in Dedric's case, six times.

LAST SEASON IN TRANSITION

Incarnate Word, which is based out of San Antonio, Texas, is in its final season of transition for full membership into NCAA Division I. Previously the school was a member of NCAA Division II.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE

The Southland Conference is in its 53rd year of existence features the schools Abilene Christian, Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, New Orleans, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

HISTORY WITH THE CARDINALS

Current Incarnate Word head coach Ken Burmeister is in his 11th season in leading the Cardinals, with 10 of his seasons coming with a winning record. His 188-106 all-time record gives him the second-most wins in program history, 31 away from the all-time record held by Danny Kaspar (1991-2000, 219-52).

TWO-TIME PLAYER OF THE WEEK

After setting an American Athletic Conference record last season by being named the Conference Rookie of the Week six times, two more than the previous high mark, Memphis sophomore Dedric Lawson has earned back-to-back Conference Player of the Week honors, the first two of his collegiate career.

POSITIVE RATIO

This season the Memphis Tigers are setting new standards for assists, while also cutting down on the turnovers. As such, the Tigers rank seventh in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. Mempis has dished out 12 assists this season against just 124 turnovers. Of the six teams immediately ahead of the Tigers, all are nationally ranked with five inside of the top-12. Below are the top seven in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio, with their national ranking noted as well.

Rk.	School	Ast.	TO	Ratio
1.	#24 Notre Dame	205	92	2.23
2.	#2 UCLA	285	146	1.95
3.	#19 St. Mary's	167	90	1.86
4.	#10 Virginia	169	92	1.84
5.	#12 West Virginia	195	107	1.82
6.	#5 Kentucky	219	125	1.75
7.	Memphis	212	124	1.71

TWO OF A KIND IN THE CONFERENCE

Dedric Lawson is currently the only player in the American Athletic Conference to rank inside of the top-10 in the individual standings in points, rebounds, and assists. There is just one other player in the league to rank inside of the top-15 in those same categories - and that is his brother, K.J. Lawson.

ONE OF THREE IN THE NCAA

Dedric Lawson ranks 12th in the country in rebounds per game, and 43rd in the country in points per game. With that, he is currently the one of two players in NCAA Division I to average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game, joining Lehigh's Tim Kempton (22.8 points / 10.4 rebounds) and Belmont's Evan Bradds (21.3 ppg / 10.0 rpg).

STRONG RUN

The University of Memphis is currently on an 11-game stretch in which 10 of the Tigers' opponents have an even record or better. Providence (8-2) started the streak which also includes Iowa, Ole Miss, UAB, Monmouth, Oklahoma, Incarnate Word, SMU, and South Carolina, while UConn (5-5) is the tail end of the stretch.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Markel Crawford

Dedric Lawson

K.J. Lawson

Jeremiah Martin

Craig Randall II

University of Memphis Athletics