No. 9/10 Tigers Set for Virginia Tech in NIT Season Tip-Off

Wednesday, November 24

Brooklyn, N.Y. / Barclays Center

8:30 p.m.

University of Memphis

RV/RV Virginia Tech

Tickets

Memphis Tigers v Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Photo by: Joe Murphy

No. 9/10 Tigers Set for Virginia Tech in NIT Season Tip-Off

Nov 23, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Game Notes (PDF)Virginia Tech Game Notes (PDF)AAC Notes (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 9/10 Memphis Tigers leave home for the first time this season, heading to Brooklyn, N.Y., to face RV/RV Virginia Tech Wednesday in the first of two games in the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center. Tip-off Wednesday is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

The Tigers enter Wednesday's game with a 4-0 record and have defeated their opponents by an average of 22.8 points per game so far this year. Virginia Tech enters the game with a 5-0 record and is led by Preseason All-ACC First Team selection Keve Aluma.

Tiger redshirt-junior guard Landers Nolley II began his career at Virginia Tech in 2019-20, where he appeared in 32 games with 29 starts. He averaged 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game with the Hokies, and he was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman Team. Nolley II led the Hokies in scoring in 2019-20, becoming the first freshman to do so since Virginia Tech joined the ACC during the 2004-05 season.

Memphis and Virginia Tech have not played since the 2004-05 season, but the two were Metro Conference rivals from when Virginia Tech joined in 1978-79 until Memphis left after the 1990-91 campaign. Memphis won 17 of the 27 Metro matchups.

The Tigers have played at Barclays Center once previously, defeating North Carolina State, 83-78, on Nov. 28, 2019 as part of the Barclays Center Classic. In that game, Tyler Harris had 14 points, going 3-of-3 from 3-point range.

Memphis junior guard Lester Quinones is enjoying a homecoming this week, as his hometown of Brentwood on Long Island is approximately 40 miles from Brooklyn.

Memphis will wrap up its time in New York on Friday night against either Iowa State or No. 25/RV Xavier.

GAME DETAILS
#9/10 Memphis Tigers (4-0) vs. RV/RV Virginia Tech Hokies (5-0)
NIT Season Tip-Off
Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021 | 8:30 p.m. CT
Barclays Center (19,000); Brooklyn, N.Y.
Television: ESPN2 (Rich Hollenberg, pxp; Fran Fraschilla, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)
Satellite: Sirius 84 / XM 84 / SXM App 84

BY THE NUMBERS

7-7: Memphis' all-time record in the Preseason NIT/NIT Season Tip-Off, with its most recent participation coming in 2005.
1: Player in the nation, Jalen Duren, averaging 15.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots per game so far this season.
2nd: Jalen Duren's national rank in both blocked shots per game (4.8) and total blocks (19).
15.5: Points per game averaged by Memphis redshirt-junior guard Landers Nolley II as a freshman at Virginia Tech in 2019-20.
3: KenPom top-25 games in the next six for Memphis (Virginia Tech, 25; Alabama, 14; Tennessee, 18); Xavier (31) and Ole Miss (57) are just outside.

THE LAST TIME OUT

Freshman Jalen Duren, who turned 18 years old Thursday, scored 22 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked five shots in a 74-62 win over Western Kentucky Friday night.
Duren's outing is the second 20, 19 and five game by a Tiger since 2010-11, joining Precious Achiuwa's Feb. 29, 2020 game at Tulane where he scored 22 points, had 22 rebounds and swatted five shots.
No. 11/16 Memphis overcame a 10-point WKU (1-3) lead in the first half, and the Hilltoppers were within six points with 5:55 to play in the game before Memphis pulled away.
In addition to Duren's outing, the Tigers got 13 points, eight rebounds and three steals from DeAndre Williams, and Earl Timberlake scored 10 points off the bench.
Alex Lomax added five points, four assists and four steals.
The Tigers ended the game shooting 46.7 percent (28-60) but went 2-of-16 from 3-point range (.125).
Memphis made 16 of its 22 free throws (.727).
The Tigers outrebounded WKU, 44-30.
The Hilltoppers were led by Camron Justice's 18 points, and WKU made 9 of its 26 3-pointers (.346).

NOTING THE HOKIES

Virginia Tech advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago and finished the year with a 15-7 record.
The Hokies, seeded 10th in the tournament, bowed out to seventh-seed Florida in the first round, 75-70 in overtime.
In that game, Nahiem Alleyne scored the second-most points in an NCAA Tournament game in school history with a career-high 28 points.
He also hit the game-tying 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
Virginia Tech was picked to finish fifth in the ACC's preseason coaches poll and received five first-place votes.
Redshirt-senior forward Keve Aluma was voted to the Preseason All-ACC First Team and earned 16 votes for Preseason Player of the Year, behind only Duke's Paolo Banchero.
Virginia Tech has one of the nation's most efficient adjusted offenses so far this season, ranking 21st with an estimated 110.4 points scored per possession against the average Division I defense.
For reference, Memphis is currently 48th with an AdjO of 107.8 points.

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Basketball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.