No. 24 Tigers Host UAB Sunday in Stripe Out and Retro Game

Sunday, January 26

Memphis, Tenn.

12:00 PM

University of Memphis

UAB

No. 24 Tigers Host UAB Sunday in Stripe Out and Retro Game

Jan 25, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Live Stats ESPN2 Listen Buy Tickets Memphis Game Notes (PDF)UAB Game Notes (PDF)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – As we inch closer to the midway point of the conference season, the No. 24 Memphis Tigers gear up for one of the most anticipated games of the season when reigning American Athletic Conference champion and preseason favorite UAB comes to town on Sunday for a noon tip on ESPN2.

The contest will be a Stripe Out so fans can check social media to see which color to wear.

Sunday will also be the Memphis Basketball Retro Game, where we will recognize and honor the University's rich heritage and tradition. It will be the only time this season that fans will get to see the beloved 'Memphis State' white uniforms on the court.

There will also be 5,000 t-shirts given away with a throwback Memphis script font on the front, sponsored by Conway.
The Tigers (15-4, 5-1 American Athletic Conference) enter the matchup tied atop the league standings with UAB (12-7, 5-1) and North Texas (14-4, 5-1). It's the best start in conference play for Memphis since 2012-13.
After suffering a loss at Temple last week, Penny Hardaway and his Tigers have bounced back with a 77-68 road win at Charlotte and Thursday's 61-53 home victory over Wichita State. It was the fewest points they've allowed in a game since Feb. 21 vs. Charlotte (52).

PJ Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter led Memphis over the Shockers with 38 of the team's 61 points. The Tigers trailed for over 23 minutes of game action, but came from behind with a 12-0 run in the final minutes to secure their 8th-straight victory at home in league play.

The all-time series between Memphis and UAB dates back to 1983-84 with the Tigers holding a 40-12 advantage. UAB has beaten Memphis just twice since 2006 as the Tigers have claimed 19 of the last 21 meetings. Memphis has defeated UAB 17-straight times at home dating back to 1998.

UAB comes to town under sixth-year head coach Andy Kennedy having won at least 23 games in each of the past four seasons, including a 29-10 record and an NIT runner-up finish in Las Vegas to North Texas in 2022-23. Last season, Kennedy led the Blazers to a 23-12 mark and the AAC Tournament Championship, securing the program's second NCAA Tournament bid under Kennedy.

Kennedy's roster features a large amount of returning production from last season's NCAA Tournament squad, including five players that started a game. The Blazers return 62.3% of its scoring from last season and 60.7% of its rebounding.

The Blazers are the AAC's top scoring offense at 85.0 ppg, utilizing the top fast break transition in the country at 18.5 points per game. They are also at the top of the league and 10th in the nation in rebounding at 41.3 boards per game.

UAB paces the conference in field goal percentage (47.0%) and hold the opposition to 43.0 percent shooting.

Big man Yaxel Lendeborg was the preseason player of the year in the conference and has been playing up to that distinction, averaging a double-double and leading the Blazers in scoring (16.8), rebounding (10.1), assists (4.2), blocks (1.6) and steals (1.5). He is also tops on the team in field goal percentage (57.6%).

GAME DETAILS
Memphis Tigers (15-4, 5-1 AAC) vs. UAB Blazers (12-7, 5-1 AAC)
Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 | Noon
FedExForum (18,400); Memphis, Tenn.
Television: ESPN2 (Kevin Brown pxp; David Padgett, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)

BY THE NUMBERS

4: Times in the last six games Memphis has outscored its opponent in bench points. They only had done that once in their first 13 games of the season (San Francisco).
8: Consecutive American Athletic Conference home wins for the Tigers, dating back to a 74-71 loss to Rice on Jan. 31, 2024.
22: Turnovers forced for Memphis against Wichita State, a season high for the Tigers. It was the most in a game since forcing 23 against Jackson State in the 2023-24 season opener.
17th: The Tigers' national rank in free throw rate (.436), measuring a team's ability to get to the free throw line (FTA/FGA); the Tigers are 153rd in free throw percentage, however (.726). Their 24.6 FTA per game rank 15th nationally and their 17.8 makes are 20th.
25.9: Memphis' opponent 3-point percentage in AAC play (35-135), which is best in the league. The Tigers also own the top field goal percentage defense in conference play at 39.9 percent (140-351) and the 2nd-best scoring defense (67.5).
26: The number of games Memphis has forced at least 20 turnovers under Hardaway. The Tigers forced a season-high 22 turnovers from Wichita State on Thursday.
45-3: Memphis' record under Penny Hardaway when holding its opponent under 60 points scored. The Tigers did so for the first time this season on Thursday (Wichita State – 53). They have won 25-straight games when doing so. The last loss was Jan. 17, 2021 at Tulsa (58-57).
69.7: Points per game allowed by the Tigers in their 15 victories, compared to the 85.5 points allowed in their four losses. There are also big differences in the team's FG% (.477 to .417) and 3PT% (.402 to .342).
89-15: Record at home for the Tigers in seven seasons under Penny Hardaway. Seven of the 15 defeats have been a one-possession game.

SCOUTING UAB

The Blazers were tabbed first in the AAC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 141 total points and nine first-place votes, while the Tigers were voted second with 136 and four.
Along with those mentioned above, UAB also leads the league in a handful of other team categories: assists per game (16.8), assist/turnover ratio (1.53), rebound margin (+7.8) and offensive rebounds per game (14.84).
UAB started the season 5-6 overall, but have gone 6-1 since Dec. 18.
The only loss was a 78-75 decision at North Texas on a buzzer beater after the Blazers led by 17 at the break.
Yaxel Lendeborg is on pace to becoming the first player in Division I since Ron Harper (Miami (OH)) in 1985-86 to average at least 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
Lendeborg ranks fifth in the nation with 11 double-doubles and 14th in total rebounding.
Christian Coleman is second on the Blazers in scoring (12.6) and ranks fourth in the AAC at 7.7 rebounds per game.
Alejandro Vasquez (10.9) and Ja'Borri McGhee (10.2) are also averaging double figures for UAB, while Efrem "Butta" Johnson is back and pouring in 9.9 points per game.
UAB has three players in the top-10 of the conference in field goal percentage: Lendeborg -.576 (5th), Coleman – .549 (7th) and Ja'Borri McGhee - .534 (9th).

UP NEXT
Memphis wraps up the first half of its conference season next week with a pair of road trips. The Tigers will first trek to the Big Easy to face Tulane on Thursday at 8 p.m., before heading to Houston for their first visit to Rice as AAC members on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tip.

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.