Tigers Return Home to Battle Bulls

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis Tigers return home on Saturday, January 14, when the squad hosts the USF Bulls at 5 p.m. The game is also Coach Tubby Smith's Academic Challenge game, where any Shelby County elementary school student who earned a 'B' average or higher for the last academic semester will have the opportunity to earn four complimentary tickets to the game.

GAME INFORMATION
Memphis (12-5, 2-2 American Athletic Conference) vs. USF (6-9, 0-4 American Athletic Conference)
When: Saturday, January 14
Tip-Off: 5 p.m. (CT)
Location: Memphis, Tenn.
Arena: FedExForum
TV: CBS Sports Network
John Sadek, play-by-play
Doug Gottlieb, analyst
Gary Parrish, sideline
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 BULLS

The USF Bulls come into the weekends' game looking to snap out of its current four-game losing skid, all games coming within the American Athletic Conference.
    In the team's last game, an 82-67 loss to Tulane in the Sun Dome, the Bulls trailed by two at halftime; however, a Green Wave push in the second half saw the visitors out-score the Bulls by 13 in the second stanza. Geno Thorpe, a transfer from Penn State, led the team with 16 points, while Luis Santos and Ruben Guerrero each scored 12. Santos pulled down a team-best six rebounds, with Thorpe dishing out four assists to lead the Bulls.
    This season it is Thorpe who leads the active Bulls players in scoring, pouring in 13.7 points per game, while Troy Holston and Tulio Da Silva average 10.9 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Jahmal McMurray has the highest scoring average for the Bulls (20.3 points per game); however, the 2015-16 American Conference All-Rookie Team honoree announced he would be transferring mid-season.
    Da Silva averages 7.8 rebounds per game to lead the team, while Guerrero averages 5.5 for the USF team that is out-rebounded by just .4 rebounds per game. Thorpe averages four assists per game and has 21 steals to lead the team, while Guerrero has a team-best 18 blocked shots.

FAMILIAR FATHERS

Current USF interim head cocah Murry Bartow is the son of former University of Memphis head coach Gene Bartow. Before being named to the Bulls' staff at the beginning of the season, he had previously been the head coach at East Tennessee State. He also was the second head coach in UAB basketball history, taking the top spot of the program that his father, a Hall of Famer, started. Additionally, a banner recognizing Gene in the Basketball Hall of Fame is in the rafters of FedExForum. Freshman guard Michael Bibby Jr.'s father is former Arizona and NBA star Mike Bibby.

FAMILIAR WITH THE TIGERS

USF assistant coach Rod Strickland has an extended history with the Memphis Tigers, as he was an assistant for the Tigers from 2006-09. During that span Memphis went 104-10, winning three straight Conference USA titles. Additionally, assistant coach Sergio Rouco had spent three seasons at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.

VERY SPORTSMANLIKE

USF junior center Ruben Guerrero, a native of Marbella Spain, was named the American Athletic Conference Sportsmanship Award winner, and also the NCAA Division I Male Sportsmanship Award Winner. Guerrero was the third Sportsmanship Winner in American Athletic Conference history, with the second of those winners being recent University of Memphis graduate Shaq Goodwin.

HIGH SCHOOL TEAMMATES

Memphis sophomore Craig Randall II and USF freshman Michael Bibby were high school teammates at Shadow Mountain High School...well, kind of. Both attended Shadow Mountain High School in the 2015-16 season, Randall II after moving into the area before the season, and Bibby from there and playing for his dad, Coach Mike Bibby. Randall II and Bibby played briefly during the season, before Bibby went down with an injury, setting the stage for a monster season for Randall II. As such, he was named the PrepHoopsArizona.com Division II Player of the Year.

LOW TURNOVERS

Last season when Memphis and USF met up in Memphis, the Tigers did not have a turnover in the first half, and ended the game with just three turnovers for the contest. Since the 1984-85 season, that total is tied for the lowest single-game mark, knotted with the three against Jacksonville State on February 4, 2015. The total ended the season as the 11th-lowest such total in Division I.

THREE HIGH-MAJOR WINS

Since the 1996-97 season - when the Big 12 came into existence - there have been five high-major conferences in college athletics - Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 10, Southeastern Conference (SEC), Big 12, and Pac 12. In those subsequent 21 seasons, the Tigers have beaten teams in the regular season from three different high major conferences twice - in the 2005-06 season (SEC, Pac 12, and Big 10), and this season (Big Ten, Big 12, SEC). The 2007-08 team, through its NCAA Tournament run beat schools from four different high major conferences; however, two of those came during the tournament.

BROTHERLY MARK TO HIT

The table above also reveals another mark that the Lawson brothers are aiming to hit. The Memphis brother duo has the second-highest mark among teammates who are brothers, trailing just Oklahoma's Blake (14.4 rebounds per game) and Taylor (5.8) Griffin for the highest combined rebounding total for brothers.

TWO PLAYERS OF THE WEEK IN ONE WEEK

After the team's performances against UConn and Tulane, junior guard Markel Crawford was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week, while Dedric Lawson was named to the Honor Roll. Later on Monday, it was announced that the website College Sports Madness had named Lawson its National Player of the Week.

ONE OF THREE IN THE NCAA

Dedric Lawson ranks seventh in the country in rebounds per game, and 36th 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 (21.7 points / 10.4 rebounds) and Valparaiso's Alec Peters (24.2 points / 10.4 rebounds). Additionally, since 1993-94, there have been just 33 players in NCAA Division I to average 20+ points and 11+ rebounds per game, with the last time coming last season with Pascal Siakam.

NEARLY ONE OF A KIND

This season, Dedric Lawson is averaging 20.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Lawson is chasing the 1985-86 season from Miami (Ohio)'s Ron Harper to become just the second player since assists have been an official NCAA stat (1983-84 season) to average 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 4+ assists per game in a season. In 1985-86, Harper averaged 24.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game before becoming the eighth pick in the NBA draft.

HIGH UP IN THE CONFERENCE

University of Memphis sophomore Dedric Lawson is one of 11 players in NCAA Division I, and the only one in the American Athletic Conference, to rank inside of the top-10 in their league standings in points, rebounds, and assists. Lawson is joined by UMass-Lowell's Jahad Thomas, New Hampshire's Jaleen Smith, Richmond's T.J. Cline, Villanova's Josh Hart, Brown's Steven Spieth, North Carolina Central's Patrick Cole, Northern Iowa's Jeremy Morgan, Stephen F. Austin's Thomas Walkup, Fort Wayne's John Konchar, and Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss. Additionally, Lawson, Smith, and Morgan are part of an even more prestigious list, as those three rank in the top-10 in the aforementioned stats, and also blocked shots.

LOW STARTING JERSEY TOTAL

Over the last five games, the University of Memphis' starting lineup has nearly the lowest jersey total allowed. The Tigers have started #0 (K.J. Lawson), #1 (Dedric Lawson), #2 (Jimario Rivers), #3 (Jeremiah Martin), and #5 (Markel Crawford). The jersey total for that group is 11, one higher than the lowest allowed in a college game of 10. The NBA allows a team to have a low of six, as teams can have both a #0 and a #00.

HIGH ESPN PLAYER RANKING

On January 5, ESPN came out with its updated college basketball player ranking, and No. 23 on that list is Memphis' own Dedric Lawson. He is the only member of an American Athletic Conference squad on the list. The list is led by Villanova's Josh Hart.

TWO NEAR DOUBLE-DOUBLE TOP

This season, Memphis sophomore forward Dedric Lawson has 13 double-doubles, which is tied for second-most in the NCAA. Additionally, with K.J. Lawson's six double-doubles, the Tigers are one of three teams (along with LIU Brooklyn and UCLA) with two players on the team squad where each has 6+ double-doubles on the year.

OH, BROTHER

University of Memphis' Dedric Lawson and K.J. Lawson are one of 17 sets of brothers currently playing together in the NCAA. Of those 17 pairs, the Lawsons have the highest combined scoring average, rebounding average (the highest tandem rebounding average in the country), and assist average. Below is the complete list of brothers playing in NCAA Division I basketball, and their three primary stat totals.

School	Student-Athletes	PPG	RPG	APG
Memphis	Dedric Lawson	20.8	10.8	3.8
	K.J. Lawson	12.6	8.0	3.1
Miami (Ohio)	Michael Weathers	18.2	4.4	5.2
	Marcus Weathers	9.2	5.3	0.6
Northern Colo.	Jordan Davis	20.3	4.9	5.7
	Gerad Davis	4.7	2.8	0.8
Marshall	Jon Elmore	21.1	4.1	6.5
	Ot Elmore	0.0	0.0	0.0
Old Dominion	Brandan Stith	10.5	8.2	1.3
	B.J. Stith	9.1	3.4	0.9
McNeese	Kalob Ledoux	9.7	3.0	0.8
	Jacob Ledoux	4.3	1.8	0.6
Winthrop	Anders Broman	7.3	1.6	1.1
	Bjorn Broman	6.1	1.6	2.3
Idaho	Nate Sherwood	5.6	4.4	1.1
	Chad Sherwood	5.6	1.7	1.1
Incarnate Word	Jorden Kite	6.8	1.1	0.7
	Jerred Kite	1.1	1.2	0.3
TCU	Brandon Parrish	6.6	3.5	0.8
	Josh Parrish	1.6	1.0	0.4
Denver	Thomas Neff	7.9	2.3	1.3
	Luke Neff	0.7	0.3	0.0
Milwaukee	Brett Prahl	4.9	3.0	0.3
	Alex Prahl	0.0	0.6	00
Alabama State	Steve Rogers	5.4	2.0	1.4
	Austin Rogers	1.1	1.1	0.7
Army	Scott Mammel	3.3	0.6	0.6
	Ben Mammel	2.0	1.0	1.0
Stanford	Marcus Allen	4.4	2.4	1.4
	Malcolm Allen	0.8	0.3	0.1
Liberty	Ezra Talbert	2.2	1.1	0.1
	Josiah Talbert	1.6	1.2	0.0
UCLA	Isaac Wulff	1.3	0.5	0.0
	Alec Wulff	1.0	0.2	0.2

PUSHING TOWARDS A RECORD

Memphis head basketball coach Tubby Smith is tied for the NCAA all-time record, having taken five schools (Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Texas Tech) to the NCAA Tournament. He is tied with Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger.

NOVEMBER WINS

Memphis ended the month of November with a 6-1 record, which ties the program record for the most wins in the month. The six victories ties the mark set by the 2007-08 season for wins in the 11th month of the calendar year.

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 14th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. Memphis has dished out 294 assists this season against just 198 turnovers. Of the 13 teams immediately ahead of the Tigers, there are eight nationally ranked including four inside of the top-10. Below are the top 14 in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio, with their national ranking noted as well.

Rk.	School	Ast.	TO	Ratio
1.	#20 Notre Dame	285	151	1.89
2.	#4 UCLA	387	210	1.84
3.	#10 West Virginia	304	172	1.77
4.	#6 Kentucky	290	170	1.71
5.	RV Iowa State	244	147	1.66
6.	#19 Virginia	230	141	1.63
7.	Northwestern	297	184	1.61
8.	Michigan	243	154	1.58
9.	Portland State	252	160	1.58
10.	#8 Creighton	308	196	1.57
11.	#21 St. Mary's (Calif.)	263	168	1.57
12.	#22 Cincinnati	251	164	1.53
13.	Middle Tennessee	244	160	1.53
14.	Memphis	294	198	1.48

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST USF

Memphis and USF have met 26 times on the basketball court, with the Tigers holding a strong 22-4 advantage. Memphis never trailed in the series, winning the first five meetings, including an 87-73 win from the 1972-73 season.

Series Statistics

Overall Series: Memphis leads 22-4
Games in Memphis: Memphis leads 11-1
Games at Tampa: Memphis leads 10-1
Games at Neutral Site: Series tied 1-1
Current Series Win Streak: USF 1 win
Longest Memphis Win Streak: 9 games
Longest USF Win Streak: 1 game
Largest Memphis Victory: 27; February 14, 2015
Largest USF Victory: 10; January 7, 1999
Most Memphis Points: 100; February 7, 2001
Fewest Memphis Points: 60; Two Times
Most USF Points: 89; February 7, 2001
Fewest USF Points: 48; February 14, 2015

Dec. 7, 1972	Memphis 87, USF 73	Memphis, Tenn.
Jan. 14, 1996	Memphis 60, USF 59 (ot)	Tampa, Fla. ~
Jan. 7, 1997	Memphis 60, USF 59	Memphis, Tenn. ~
Jan. 17, 1998	Memphis 74, USF 62	Memphis, Tenn. ~
Jan. 29, 1998	Memphis 70, USF 61	Tampa, Fla. ~
Jan. 7, 1999	USF 80, Memphis 70	Tampa, Fla. ~
Jan. 23, 1999	Memphis 83, USF 70	Memphis, Tenn. ~
Mar. 3, 1999	USF 88, Memphis 81 (ot)	Birmingham, Ala. %
Jan. 12, 2000	Memphis 78, USF 74	Memphis, Tenn. ~
Mar. 4, 2000	Memphis 91, USF 72	Tampa, Fla. ~
Mar. 8, 2000	Memphis 60, USF 58	Memphis, Tenn. %
Feb. 7, 2001	Memphis 100, USF 89	Tampa, Fla. ~
Feb. 25, 2001	Memphis 79, USF 61	Memphis, Tenn. ~
Jan. 15, 2002	Memphis 81, USF 62	Memphis, Tenn. ~
Feb. 20, 2002	Memphis 71, USF 59	Tampa, Fla. ~
Jan. 18, 2003	USF 75, Memphis 74	Memphis, Tenn. ~
Feb. 22, 2003	Memphis 73, USF 66	Tampa, Fla. ~
Mar. 13, 2003	Memphis 62, USF 66	Louisville, Ky %
Jan. 27, 2004	Memphis 66, USF 53	Tampa, Fla. ~
Jan. 19, 2005	Memphis 73, USF 67	Tampa, Fla. ~
Mar. 11, 2005	Memphis 81, USF 68	Memphis, Tenn. %
Dec. 31, 2013	Memphis 88, USF 73	Tampa, Fla. v
Jan. 26, 2014	Memphis 80, USF 58	Memphis, Tenn. v
Feb. 14, 2015	Memphis 75, USF 48	Tampa, Fla. v
Jan. 16, 2016	Memphis 71, USF 56	Memphis, Tenn. v
Feb. 20, 2016	USF 80, Memphis 71	Tampa, Fla. v
~ Conference USA Game
% Conference USA Tournament
v American Athletic Conference Game

TEAMING UP ON THE BOARDS

This season Memphis' Lawson duo of Dedric and K.J. combine to average 18.8 rebounds per game, which is the second-highest teammate average in the country. Dedric Lawson ranks 11th, while K.J. Lawson ranks 97th. Below are the top ten teammate rebounding totals in the NCAA this season.

Rk.	School	Student-Athletes	Rebs.
1.	Seton Hall	Angel Delgado (12.1)	19.5
		Ismael Sanogo (7.4)
2.	Memphis	Dedric Lawson (10.8)	18.8
		K.J. Lawson (8.0)
3.	Purdue	Caleb Swanigan (12.9)	18.4
		Isaac Haas (5.5)
4.	UCF	Tacko Fall (10.7)	18.2
		A.J. Davis (7.5)
	Hofstra	Rokas Gustys (12.8)	18.2
		Ty Greer (5.4)
6.	UCLA	Thomas Welsh (9.1)	17.9
		TJ Leaf (8.8)
7.	Toledo	Steve Taylor Jr. (11.7)	17.8
		Jordan Lauf (6.1)
8.	LIU Brooklyn	Jerome Frink (9.1)	17.7
		Nura Zanna (8.6)
9.	Georgia Tech	Ben Lammers (9.9)	17.6
		Quinton Stephens (7.7)
	California	Ivan Rabb (10.8)	17.4
		Kingsley Okoroh (6.8)

TIGERS VS. THE STATE OF FLORIDA

Of the 13 NCAA Division I schools within the state of Florida, Memphis has a strong 89-34 overall record against teams from the Sunshine State, while Memphis head coach Tubby Smith is 26-12 all-time in such games.

SCHOOL	Memphis	Smith
Bethune-Cookman	0-0	0-0
FIU	1-0	0-0
Florida	0-2	17-10
Florida A&M	2-0	1-0
Florida Atlantic	0-0	0-0
Florida Gulf Coast	0-0	0-0
Florida State	31-22	1-1
Jacksonville	4-1	1-0
Miami	8-5	3-1
North Florida	1-0	1-0
Stetson	1-0	0-0
UCF	19-1 *	2-0
USF	22-4	0-0
Totals	89-35 *	26-12

* Does not include a win from 2008-09 that was vacated by the NCAA.

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Players Mentioned

Markel Crawford

Shaq Goodwin

Dedric Lawson

K.J. Lawson

Jeremiah Martin

Craig Randall II

Jimario Rivers

University of Memphis Athletics