Men's basketball prepared for tough battle against improving ECU

Thursday, January 10

Memphis, Tenn.

8 PM

University of Memphis

ECU

Tickets

Senior guard Kareem Brewton is coming off a career-high 25-point effort against Houston.

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Men's basketball prepared for tough battle against improving ECU

Jan 09, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Notes (vs. ECU)ECU Notes (vs. Memphis)

Pirates boast one of the American Athletic Conference's top newcomers.

By: Phil Stukenborg

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis returns home to FedExForum Thursday night to play an ECU team that may soon be longing for familiar surroundings.

The Tigers (9-6, 1-1 American Athletic Conference) will attempt to rebound from a 90-77 loss at Houston Sunday to the 15^th-ranked and undefeated Cougars. ECU (8-6, 1-1) is coming off an impressive home win over Cincinnati, but the Pirates find themselves playing three of their next four on the road starting with Thursday's 8 p.m. tipoff on ESPNU.

Tiger coach Penny Hardaway said his team learned from the loss to the Cougars, who won for the 28^th straight time at home. He said they got an understanding of how to play with toughness and energy.

"(Houston) is playing almost close-to-perfect basketball," Hardaway said.

If not close-to-perfect basketball, ECU is playing at a much higher level under first-year coach Joe Dooley. The Pirates shocked Cincinnati (12-3) Saturday, winning 73-71.

"The league is really good," Hardaway said. "Look at ECU. They probably didn't have a chance to beat Cincinnati last year. For that to happen (Saturday) let's you know (the league) is pretty good. There are no easy wins in the league, especially on the road."

ECU is led by 6-foot-6 freshman Jayden Gardner, who is averaging 18.4 points and 8.9 rebounds. He ranks fourth in the conference in scoring and second in rebounding.

Gardner has six double-doubles this season, including a 13-point, 12-rebound effort in the upset win over Cincinnati. He has led the Pirates in scoring in 11 of the past 12 games and leads the team in 11 statistical categories.

"(ECU) has a really good freshman big man, who is playing really well averaging 18 and 9," Hardaway said. "But it really runs (through) the guards. They have some really good guards and Joe Dooley has done a great job of getting the energy (needed)."

The Tigers had won four straight – including their league opener at home against Wichita State – before encountering one of the nation's top teams in Houston.

Senior guard Jeremiah Martin said being somewhat humbled in Houston could motivate the team to play at a higher level Thursday night.

"We can't let teams outwork us," Martin said. "We've been playing hard, but we've got play smart as well."

QUICK FACTS

ECU's freshman forward forward Jayden Gardner posted double-doubles in 70 of his 114 games at Heritage High School in North Carolina.
In his past six games, Tiger guard Kareem Brewton is averaging 11.7 points and shooting 65 percent from the field. Brewton is coming off a career-best 25-point effort at Houston.
ECU assistant Steve Roccaforte should be familiar to longtime Tiger fans. Roccaforte was a Tigers assistant from 2000 to '03 under then-coach John Calipari.
The Tigers remain the highest scoring team in The American. The UofM is averaging 84.5 points per game. The Tigers are shooting 46.8 percent, which ranks second in the league.
Kyvon Davenport, the UofM's super sub, leads the Tigers with a 15.4 scoring average. He also leads the team in 3-point shooting (18-of-40, 45 percent) among those who have taken at least two per game.