University of Memphis Athletics
Friday, March 10
Hartford, Conn.
1 PM
University of Memphis
vs
UCF
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Tigers Open Play in American Conference Tournament on Friday
Mar 09, 2017 | Men's Basketball
HARTFORD, Conn. - The Memphis Tigers open play in the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday, March 10, when the squad faces off against the UCF Knights at 1 p.m. CT.
GAME INFORMATION
Memphis (19-12, 9-9 American Athletic Conference) vs. UCF (20-10, 11-7 American Athletic Conference)
When: Friday, March 10, 2017
Tip-Off: 1:00 p.m. (CT)
Location: Hartford, Conn.
Arena: XL Center
TV: ESPN2
Adam Amin, play-by-play
Len Elmore, analyst
Radio: Memphis Radio Network / 600 WREC / Rock 103
Dave Woloshin, play-by-play
Matt Dillon, analyst
Forrest Goodman, pregame / postgame host
Live Stats: American Athletic Conference Tournament Statbroadcast
UCF comes into the game as the fourth seed into the tournament with a 20-10 overall record.
In the team's last game, a 59-56 rivalry win at USF, the Knights got a 20-point effort from Matt Williams, who hit 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-6 from long range. B.J. Taylor, who earlier this week was named to the American Athletic Conference Second Team, scored 17 points, as the pair scored 37 of the team's 59 points in the win.
A.J. Davis scored nine points while Tacko Fall grabbed eight, as the Knights were out-rebounded 44-to-36. Taylor and Davis each dished out four assists, while Fall blocked four shots.
For the season, it is Taylor who leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game, making 42 percent of his shots from the field and 33 percent from long range. Williams has set an American Athletic Conference record with 104 made three-point baskets, converting on 37 percent of his long-range tries. For Williams, 70 percent of his makes, and 72 percent of his attempts have come from beyond the arc.
Center Tacko Fall - a 7-6 player - averages 11.5 points per game, while pulling down 9.6 rebounds per game. Fall has made 73 percent of his shots from the field to go with 77 blocked shots and a 9.6 rebound per game average. Tank Efianayi is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 8.9 points per game, while adding four rebounds per game. Davis - the son of former NBA star Antonio Davis - averages 7.6 points while pulling down 7.4 rebounds per game.
No we're not talking about the 1990's movie where a plucky young boy became a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, leading them to a fictional World Series title. Instead this season K.J. Lawson became the 17th Tiger in program history to earn Rookie/Newcomer of the Year honors, from five different conferences. Below are the 17 student-athletes who have earned those honors, and the conferences the honors were awarded in, including his younger brother who earned the award last season.
Announced on Tuesday afternoon, Memphis sophomore Dedric Lawson was named to the American Athletic Conference First Team, and redshirt freshman K.J. Lawson was named to the All-Rookie Team. The two honors are the sixth and third such honors in program history.
This season, University of Memphis sophomore Dedric Lawson is putting together numbers that have rarely been duplicated within the NCAA. Since 1992-93, just eight players have had seasons of 600+ points, 300+ rebounds, and 100+ assists, with Dedric's coming in fewer games than anyone on that list. The members of that group are listed below with their totals. A big thanks on this as a good amount of research in these notes are courtesy of Sports Reference website.
With his 602 points, Dedric Lawson leads the American Athletic Conference in total points, just ahead of Rob Gray's 589 points. With his total, he currently has the fourth-most single-season points in Conference history. Below is the top-10 in single-season AAC scoring, with active players in italics. Lawson also ranks eighth in career scoring, recently passing former UConn standout Ryan Boatright, and that top-10 is listed in the second table.
With his season totals of 384 points, 256 rebounds, and 85 assists, University of Memphis redshirt freshman K.J. Lawson is one of 11 players in the country with similar or better numbers this season, and one of two in the American Athletic Conference (the other is his younger brother Dedric), as the American Athletic Conference is the only league to have two players represented on the list.
In the history of University of Memphis basketball, Dedric Lawson's 601 points this season are the fourth-most ever by a sophomore. Below are the top-six sophomore single-season scoring leaders in program history.
UCF, which has the tallest player in NCAA Division I on its team in 7-foot, 6-inch Tacko Fall, has the tallest average height of players in the NCAA this season. UCF's average height is 79.4 inches (6-feet, 7.4-inches). Below is a list of the top-10 in the country in average height, as compiled by the website KenPom.com, and has four teams from the American Athletic Conference in the top-10. In these instances from the website, overall average height is computed by taking the average listed height of every player on the team, weighted by minutes played. Players that have played less than 10% of their team's minutes are not included.
Memphis head coach Tubby Smith has the most wins of any of his colleagues in the American Athletic Conference, while current UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins has the ninth-most wins in the conference.
On Thursday, February 23, Memphis point guard Jeremiah Martin did something that only 18 other players in the country this season have done. Martin scored 23 points - two off of his career-high - and dished out a career-high 11 assists. All of that, and he committed just one turnover in the game makes him one of 18 players to score 20+ points with 10+ assists and one or fewer turnover in a game. Of that group, two players' games came in overtime contests, just four (including Martin's) came on the road, and another came against a NCAA Division II opponent. He is one of two players in the American Athletic Conference to have done it this season, as Jalen Adams had 25 points, 11 assists and 1 turnover against NCAA Division II opponent Chaminade.
In each of the two regular season games between Memphis and UCF, the Tigers found themselves in an early hole. In the first meeting, on January 22, the UCF Knights hit its first four shots of the game, jumping out to a 10-0 advantage. In the second meeting on February 4, UCF jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and never trailed in the game.
With his 602 points this season, Dedric Lawson is quickly moving his way up the single-season school scoring record book. With one guaranteed game remaining in the season, he is 29 points away from moving into the top-10 in single-season school history. Below are the top-10 scorers in University of Memphis history, and how many points Lawson needs to tie each.
Through 31 games during the season, and at least one more this season, sophomore Dedric Lawson has season totals of 602 points, 308 rebounds, 102 assists, and 66 blocked shots. Those four totals put Lawson with an elite group of former student-athletes - just seven others since 1992-93 - who have put up similar total numbers over the course of an entire season. Joining Lawson with similar numbers is Chris Webber (1992-93) and Tim Duncan (1995-96 and 1996-97).
There have been two occurrences in University of Memphis history where a player had 500+ points, 300+ rebounds, and 75+ assists. This season's Dedric Lawson total has him as one of the two, with his sophomore totals of 521 points, 307 points, and 84 assists as the only other occurrence in program history.
GAME INFORMATION
Memphis (19-12, 9-9 American Athletic Conference) vs. UCF (20-10, 11-7 American Athletic Conference)
When: Friday, March 10, 2017
Tip-Off: 1:00 p.m. (CT)
Location: Hartford, Conn.
Arena: XL Center
TV: ESPN2
Adam Amin, play-by-play
Len Elmore, analyst
Radio: Memphis Radio Network / 600 WREC / Rock 103
Dave Woloshin, play-by-play
Matt Dillon, analyst
Forrest Goodman, pregame / postgame host
Live Stats: American Athletic Conference Tournament Statbroadcast
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
UCF comes into the game as the fourth seed into the tournament with a 20-10 overall record.
In the team's last game, a 59-56 rivalry win at USF, the Knights got a 20-point effort from Matt Williams, who hit 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-6 from long range. B.J. Taylor, who earlier this week was named to the American Athletic Conference Second Team, scored 17 points, as the pair scored 37 of the team's 59 points in the win.
A.J. Davis scored nine points while Tacko Fall grabbed eight, as the Knights were out-rebounded 44-to-36. Taylor and Davis each dished out four assists, while Fall blocked four shots.
For the season, it is Taylor who leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game, making 42 percent of his shots from the field and 33 percent from long range. Williams has set an American Athletic Conference record with 104 made three-point baskets, converting on 37 percent of his long-range tries. For Williams, 70 percent of his makes, and 72 percent of his attempts have come from beyond the arc.
Center Tacko Fall - a 7-6 player - averages 11.5 points per game, while pulling down 9.6 rebounds per game. Fall has made 73 percent of his shots from the field to go with 77 blocked shots and a 9.6 rebound per game average. Tank Efianayi is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 8.9 points per game, while adding four rebounds per game. Davis - the son of former NBA star Antonio Davis - averages 7.6 points while pulling down 7.4 rebounds per game.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
No we're not talking about the 1990's movie where a plucky young boy became a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, leading them to a fictional World Series title. Instead this season K.J. Lawson became the 17th Tiger in program history to earn Rookie/Newcomer of the Year honors, from five different conferences. Below are the 17 student-athletes who have earned those honors, and the conferences the honors were awarded in, including his younger brother who earned the award last season.
| YEAR | PLAYER | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | K.J. Lawson | American Athletic Conference |
| 2016 | Dedric Lawson | American Athletic Conference. |
| 2014 | Austin Nichols | American Athletic Conference. |
| 2009 | Tyreke Evans | Conference USA |
| 2009 | Elliot Williams | Conference USA |
| 2008 | Derrick Rose | Conference USA |
| 2006 | Shawne Williams | Conference USA |
| 2005 | Darius Washington Jr. | Conference USA |
| 2004 | Sean Banks | Conference USA |
| 2002 | Dajuan Wagner | Conference USA |
| 1995 | Lorenzen Wright | Great Midwest Conference |
| 1992 | Anfernee Hardaway | Great Midwest Conference |
| 1988 | Elliot Perry | Metro Conference |
| 1987 | Sylvester Gray | Metro Conference |
| 1982 | Keith Lee | Metro Conference |
| 1971 | Larry Finch | Missouri Valley Conference |
| 1969 | Joe Proctor | Missouri Valley Conference |
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Announced on Tuesday afternoon, Memphis sophomore Dedric Lawson was named to the American Athletic Conference First Team, and redshirt freshman K.J. Lawson was named to the All-Rookie Team. The two honors are the sixth and third such honors in program history.
| YR. | PLAYER | POS. | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | Shaq Goodwin | F | 2nd |
| 2013-14 | Joe Jackson | G | 2nd |
| 2014-15 | Austin Nichols | F | 1st |
| 2015-16 | Shaq Goodwin | F | 1st |
| 2015-16 | Dedric Lawson | F | 2nd |
| 2016-17 | Dedric Lawson | F | 1st |
| YR. | PLAYER | POS. |
|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | Austin Nichols | F |
| 2015-16 | Dedric Lawson | F |
| 2016-17 | K.J. Lawson | G/F |
600-300-100
This season, University of Memphis sophomore Dedric Lawson is putting together numbers that have rarely been duplicated within the NCAA. Since 1992-93, just eight players have had seasons of 600+ points, 300+ rebounds, and 100+ assists, with Dedric's coming in fewer games than anyone on that list. The members of that group are listed below with their totals. A big thanks on this as a good amount of research in these notes are courtesy of Sports Reference website.
| Student-Athlete | Season | School | Pts | Rebs | Asts | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dedric Lawson | 2016-17 | Memphis | 602 | 308 | 102 | 31 |
| Ben Simmons | 2015-16 | LSU | 632 | 388 | 158 | 33 |
| Frank Kaminsky | 2014-15 | Wisconsin | 732 | 320 | 103 | 39 |
| Jerrelle Benimon | 2013-14 | Towson | 673 | 404 | 130 | 36 |
| Draymond Green | 2011-12 | Michigan St. | 601 | 394 | 141 | 37 |
| Marqus Blakely | 2009-10 | Vermont | 607 | 327 | 129 | 35 |
| Craig Smith | 2005-06 | Boston Col. | 633 | 339 | 109 | 36 |
| David West | 2002-03 | Xavier | 644 | 378 | 102 | 32 |
CONFERENCE SCORING RECORDS
With his 602 points, Dedric Lawson leads the American Athletic Conference in total points, just ahead of Rob Gray's 589 points. With his total, he currently has the fourth-most single-season points in Conference history. Below is the top-10 in single-season AAC scoring, with active players in italics. Lawson also ranks eighth in career scoring, recently passing former UConn standout Ryan Boatright, and that top-10 is listed in the second table.
| Rk. | Pts. | Student-Athlete | Date | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 720 | Shabazz Napier, UConn | 2013-14 | 40 |
| 2. | 701 | Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati | 2013-14 | 34 |
| 3. | 673 | Russ Smith, Louisville | 2013-14 | 37 |
| 4. | 602 | Dedric Lawson, Memphis | 2016-17 | 31 |
| 5. | 592 | Ryan Boatright, UConn | 2014-15 | 34 |
| 6. | 589 | Rob Gray, Houston | 2016-17 | 29 |
| 7. | 574 | Semi Ojeleye, SMU | 2016-17 | 31 |
| 8. | 541 | Dalton Pepper, Temple | 2013-14 | 31 |
| 9. | 531 | Will Cummings, Temple | 2014-15 | 36 |
| 10. | 526 | Quenton DeCosey, Temple | 2015-16 | 33 |
| Rk. | Pts. | Student-Athlete |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1,462 | Nic Moore, SMU |
| 2. | 1,460 | Quenton DeCosey, Temple |
| 3. | 1,244 | Troy Caupain, Cincinnati |
| 4. | 1,243 | Rodney Purvis, UConn |
| 5. | 1,177 | Ben Moore, SMU |
| 6. | 1,174 | Shaq Goodwin, Memphis |
| 7. | 1,128 | Caleb White, East Carolina |
| 8. | 1,123 | Dedric Lawson, Memphis |
| 9. | 1,119 | B.J. Tyson, East Carolina |
| 10. | 1,064 | Ryan Boatright, UConn |
QUALITY NUMBERS
With his season totals of 384 points, 256 rebounds, and 85 assists, University of Memphis redshirt freshman K.J. Lawson is one of 11 players in the country with similar or better numbers this season, and one of two in the American Athletic Conference (the other is his younger brother Dedric), as the American Athletic Conference is the only league to have two players represented on the list.
SOPHOMORE SCORING
In the history of University of Memphis basketball, Dedric Lawson's 601 points this season are the fourth-most ever by a sophomore. Below are the top-six sophomore single-season scoring leaders in program history.
| Rk. | Pts. | Student-Athlete | Date | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 631 | Will Barton | 2011-12 | 29 |
| 2. | 620 | Elliot Perry | 1988-89 | 18 |
| 3. | 610 | Elliot Williams | 2009-10 | 8 |
| 4. | 602 | Dedric Lawson | 2016-17 | - |
| 5. | 590 | Anfernee Hardaway | 1991-92 | |
| 6. | 581 | Keith Lee | 1982-83 |
TALL TEAM
UCF, which has the tallest player in NCAA Division I on its team in 7-foot, 6-inch Tacko Fall, has the tallest average height of players in the NCAA this season. UCF's average height is 79.4 inches (6-feet, 7.4-inches). Below is a list of the top-10 in the country in average height, as compiled by the website KenPom.com, and has four teams from the American Athletic Conference in the top-10. In these instances from the website, overall average height is computed by taking the average listed height of every player on the team, weighted by minutes played. Players that have played less than 10% of their team's minutes are not included.
| Rk. | School | Avg. Ht. (inches) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | UCF | 79.4 |
| 2. | Florida State | 79.1 |
| 3. | Pittsburgh | 79.0 |
| 4. | Texas A&M | 79.0 |
| 5. | Arizona | 78.9 |
| 6. | East Carolina | 78.7 |
| 7. | UConn | 78.7 |
| 8. | Xavier | 78.5 |
| 9. | Gonzaga | 78.5 |
| 10. | SMU | 78.5 |
HIGH UP IN THE CONFERENCE
Memphis head coach Tubby Smith has the most wins of any of his colleagues in the American Athletic Conference, while current UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins has the ninth-most wins in the conference.
| Rk. | Coach | Yr. | School | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tubby Smith | 26 | Memphis | 576-288 (.667) |
| 2. | Kelvin Sampton | 28 | Houston | 556-308 (.644) |
| 3. | Fran Dunphy | 28 | Temple | 540-298 (.644) |
| 4. | Jeff Lebo | 19 | East Carolina | 324-273 (.543) |
| 5. | Murry Bartow | 19 | USF | 318-253 (.557) |
| 6. | Mick Cronin | 14 | Cincinnati | 303-157 (.659) |
| 7. | Frank Haith | 13 | Tulsa | 244-168 (.592) |
| 8. | Tim Jankovich | 10 | SMU | 193-125 (.607) |
| 9. | Johnny Dawkins | 9 | UCF | 176-125 (.585) |
| 10. | Kevin Ollie | 5 | UConn | 111-60 (.649) |
| 11. | Mike Dunleavy | 1 | Tulane | 6-24 (.200) |
SPECIAL GAME AGAINST THE BEARCATS
On Thursday, February 23, Memphis point guard Jeremiah Martin did something that only 18 other players in the country this season have done. Martin scored 23 points - two off of his career-high - and dished out a career-high 11 assists. All of that, and he committed just one turnover in the game makes him one of 18 players to score 20+ points with 10+ assists and one or fewer turnover in a game. Of that group, two players' games came in overtime contests, just four (including Martin's) came on the road, and another came against a NCAA Division II opponent. He is one of two players in the American Athletic Conference to have done it this season, as Jalen Adams had 25 points, 11 assists and 1 turnover against NCAA Division II opponent Chaminade.
TWO STRAIGHT SLOW STARTS
In each of the two regular season games between Memphis and UCF, the Tigers found themselves in an early hole. In the first meeting, on January 22, the UCF Knights hit its first four shots of the game, jumping out to a 10-0 advantage. In the second meeting on February 4, UCF jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and never trailed in the game.
WORKING FOR A SINGLE-SEASON RECORD
With his 602 points this season, Dedric Lawson is quickly moving his way up the single-season school scoring record book. With one guaranteed game remaining in the season, he is 29 points away from moving into the top-10 in single-season school history. Below are the top-10 scorers in University of Memphis history, and how many points Lawson needs to tie each.
| Rk. | Pts. | Student-Athlete | Date | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 762 | Dajuan Wagner | 2001-02 | 160 |
| 2. | 729 | Anfernee Hardaway | 1992-93 | 127 |
| 3. | 724 | Chris Douglas-Roberts | 2007-08 | 122 |
| 4. | 721 | Larry Finch | 1972-73 | 119 |
| 5. | 688 | Keith Lee | 1984-85 | 86 |
| 6. | 669 | Larry Finch | 1971-72 | 67 |
| 7. | 665 | Elliot Perry | 1990-91 | 63 |
| 8. | 636 | Rodney Carney | 2005-06 | 34 |
| 9. | 632 | Tyreke Evans | 2008-09 | 30 |
| 10. | 631 | Will Barton | 2011-12 | 29 |
| - | 602 | Dedric Lawson | 2016-17 |
HIGH-QUALITY COMPANY
Through 31 games during the season, and at least one more this season, sophomore Dedric Lawson has season totals of 602 points, 308 rebounds, 102 assists, and 66 blocked shots. Those four totals put Lawson with an elite group of former student-athletes - just seven others since 1992-93 - who have put up similar total numbers over the course of an entire season. Joining Lawson with similar numbers is Chris Webber (1992-93) and Tim Duncan (1995-96 and 1996-97).
LONG-RANGE DANGER
This season, UCF guard Matt Williams has made 104 three-point baskets this season. Williams' total is not just one of 21 players this season with at least 100 made three-point baskets - and ranks 12th in the country - but is a new American Athletic Conference record. Below are the top seven three-point totals in conference history.
This season, UCF guard Matt Williams has made 104 three-point baskets this season. Williams' total is not just one of 21 players this season with at least 100 made three-point baskets - and ranks 12th in the country - but is a new American Athletic Conference record. Below are the top seven three-point totals in conference history.
| Stl. | Student-Athlete | Opponent | Season | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 104 | Matt Williams | UCF | 2016-17 |
| 2. | 101 | Damyean Dotson | Houston | 2016-17 |
| 3. | 96 | Jherrod Stiggers | Houston | 2014-15 |
| 4. | 93 | Sean Kilpatrick | Cincinnati | 2013-14 |
| 5. | 88 | James Woodard | Tulsa | 2014-15 |
| 6. | 87 | Shabazz Napier | UConn | 2013-14 |
| 7. | 86 | Ryan Boatright | UConn | 2014-15 |
TWO OF A KIND
There have been two occurrences in University of Memphis history where a player had 500+ points, 300+ rebounds, and 75+ assists. This season's Dedric Lawson total has him as one of the two, with his sophomore totals of 521 points, 307 points, and 84 assists as the only other occurrence in program history.
HE'S A BIG MAN
UCF sophomore Tacko Fall is 7-foot, 6-inches tall, and as such is one of the 40 largest human beings on the planet. The Dakar, Senegal native would rank second in the country in field goal percentage, making 72.8 percent of his shots (147-of-202); however, is three makes shy of qualifying for the minimum amount to be ranked (five makes per game).
UCF sophomore Tacko Fall is 7-foot, 6-inches tall, and as such is one of the 40 largest human beings on the planet. The Dakar, Senegal native would rank second in the country in field goal percentage, making 72.8 percent of his shots (147-of-202); however, is three makes shy of qualifying for the minimum amount to be ranked (five makes per game).
CLIMBING THE SCORING LIST
On Tuesday, February 7, Memphis forward Dedric Lawson became the 51st member of Memphis' 1,000-point club. His two-year career total now stands at 1,123, which is the 37th-most in a career in school history. Below is where Lawson stands in the career record books, and the six players immediately ahead of the sophomore, and the amount needed to catch each.
On Tuesday, February 7, Memphis forward Dedric Lawson became the 51st member of Memphis' 1,000-point club. His two-year career total now stands at 1,123, which is the 37th-most in a career in school history. Below is where Lawson stands in the career record books, and the six players immediately ahead of the sophomore, and the amount needed to catch each.
| Rk. | Pts. | Student-Athlete | Date | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31. | 1,171 | Vincent Askew | 1984-87 | 48 |
| 32. | 1,154 | Otis Jackson | 1978-82 | 31 |
| 33. | 1,150 | Ronnie Robinson | 1970-73 | 27 |
| 34. | 1,147 | Phil Hodson | 1948-52 | 24 |
| 35. | 1,145 | Jeremy Hunt | 2002-07 | 22 |
| 36. | 1,143 | James Douglas | 1968-71 | 20 |
| 37. | 1,123 | Dedric Lawson | 2015-pres. | - |
Players Mentioned
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