Tigers Continue Road Trip With Tilt at VCU

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis men's basketball team continues its nearly month-long road trip on Wednesday with a tilt against VCU. The Tigers and Rams will tip-off at 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

The Tigers (5-2) are coming off a disappointing defeat Saturday afternoon at Ole Miss, where the Tigers fell 80-77 despite leading for nearly 34 minutes. David Jones powered the offense with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Malcolm Dandridge had his best game of the season with 13 points, four rebounds and three blocks.

Memphis makes its first trip to VCU since Feb. 5, 1990, when the Tigers fell 70-69 in overtime.

VCU visited the Bluff City last season and Memphis put on a defensive clinic in a 62-47 victory. It marked the fewest points allowed by the Tigers since holding Tulane to 46 on Feb. 21, 2021.

The Rams shot just 29.1 percent from the floor, connecting on 16-of-55 shot attempts. Memphis forced 18 turnovers and scored 26 points off those miscues, while getting 26 points and seven assists from point guard Kendric Davis.

GAME DETAILS
RV/RV Memphis Tigers (5-2) vs. VCU (4-4)
Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023 | 6 p.m. CT
Siegel Center (7,500); Richmond, Virginia
Television: ESPNU (Mike Corey pxp; Mark Adams color)
Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis (Dave Woloshin pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)
Live Stats: www.Memphis.StatBroadcast.com

BY THE NUMBERS

13: David Jones recorded his 13^th-career game of 20-plus points Saturday at Ole Miss. He has reached the 20-point mark three times already this season, matching his season total from 2022-23 at St. John's. He leads the Tigers in scoring (18.4) and rebounding (6.3) this season.
14: Memphis ranks 14^th in adjusted tempo by KenPom, averaging 74.2 possessions per 40 minutes.
2022: Memphis is currently riding a two-game losing streak. The last time the Tigers suffered back-to-back defeats was January 2022 when they lost three straight to UCF, East Carolina and SMU.
5.6: Memphis leads the AAC and ranks 21^st in the country entering Wednesday averaging 5.6 blocks per game. It would be the highest total for the Tigers since 2019-20 when they swatted 5.9 per outing. Malcolm Dandridge is leading the charge, rejecting 2.0 per game. He has multiple blocks in five of the last six games.
4: Forward David Jones is one of only four players in Division I this season that is averaging at least 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while having made at least 18 three-pointers.
104-10: Memphis' record since 2010-11 when holding opponents to 36.0 percent shooting or less; the Tigers limited Missouri to 31.6 percent and then held Alabama State to 31.4 percent on Friday. They have won 18-straight games when holding opponents to 36.0 percent or less, with the last loss coming at Ole Miss on Dec. 4, 2021.
6: Jordan Brown is one of just six active players in Division I that has 1,400 points, 700 rebounds and 100 blocks for their career. Joining the big man on the list is Armando Bacot (UNC), Hunter Dickinson (Kansas), Zach Edey (Purdue), Johni Broome (Auburn) and Josh Oduro (Providence).

THE LAST TIME OUT

The Tigers fell to Ole Miss, 80-77, in Oxford in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday afternoon.
Memphis led for 33:27, but could not close out the win as the Rebels rallied late to hand the Tigers their second loss of the season.
David Jones tallied 22 points (9-of-17), seven rebounds and a pair of assists to lead Memphis in the loss.
Nicholas Jourdain added 10 points and pulled down seven boards while Malcolm Dandridge put up a season-high 13 points and collected four rebounds.
After falling behind 7-0 in the first two minutes, Memphis went on a 19-2 run to gain control en route to taking a 37-30 lead into the half.
Ole Miss went on to shoot 55.9 percent in the second half and after retaking the advantage midway through the period, neither team would lead by more than two possessions the rest of the way.
The Rebels got a tough bucket from Jaylen Murray to regain the lead for good with 18 seconds to play, before Jahvon Quinerly heaved a last-second game-tying three in the final seconds that missed the rim.
Memphis shot 42.5 percent for the game (31-73) and had just 12 assists on its 31 field goals. The Tigers were hampered by shooting 16.7 percent from three-point range (3-18).
Ole Miss was 11-for-22 from distance (.500), and the Rebels were led by Murray's 22 points and nine assists. Memphis native Matthew Murrell added 20 points, six rebounds and five dimes.

SCOUTING VCU

The Rams enter the matchup 4-4 on the season after dropping three of their last four games, including a 63-60 decision last Friday to Norfolk State.
VCU does have an 86-74 win over Penn State in the ESPN Events Invitational on Nov. 26.
Max Shulga (16.0) and Zeb Jackson (14.9) are the only two Rams averaging double figures this season.
Shulga is shooting 41.7 percent from the floor and has made a team-high 20 triples.
VCU ranks 24^th in the nation in effective field goal percentage and 57^th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Christian Fermin leads the team and ranks 31^st in the country with 2.1 blocks per game.

UP NEXT
Memphis will travel to Texas A&M for a Sunday showdown with the No. 21 Aggies on ESPN2. It will be the first trip to College Station for the Tigers since Dec. 13, 1965.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Jordan Brown

Malcolm Dandridge

Kendric Davis

David Jones

Nicholas Jourdain

Jahvon Quinerly

University of Memphis Athletics