Over the last five games of a 10-game winning streak that put them in the Associated Press Top 10, Memphis proved themselves as a skilled winner of close games.
The Tigers’ gift vanished overnight when they lost two straight games to rivals in the American Athletic Conference, South Florida and Tulane, dropping them from 10th to 19th in this week’s poll.
Memphis takes a week off to work out some kinks before hosting UAB on Sunday.
The Tigers (15-4, 4-2 AAC) injured themselves with crucial mistakes and erratic defense, blowing leads of up to seven points against Tulane and twenty points against South Florida in the first half. Memphis made 14 mistakes, gave up straight-line drives, and too frequently assisted in setting up other players for easy looks. As a result, the Green Wave were able to make 51% of their shots in the second half.
Tulane was able to make 10 3-pointers and more free throws (23), than they were able to shoot (22).
Tigers coach Penny Hardaway stated, “We’re not in a crisis right now,” according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. We’ve lost a significant amount of leverage. However, we still have a squad capable of competing against any team in the nation and reaching the Final Four. We can transform our defense from terrible to excellent with the adjustments we make this week.”
Malcolm Dandridge, a fifth-year senior, was one bright light for Memphis. He finished with 13 points, matching a season high, and added a career-high eight blocked shots. Even though Dandridge thought the statisticians had overlooked a few blocks, he was able to focus on the overall picture.
“I tend to get caught up in winning and the game as well,” he stated. “Being outside is truly a gift. I shouldn’t even be able to perform the way I do on the court after going through these things.”
With 21.7 points per game, David Jones leads the Tigers, followed by Jahvon Quinerly’s 14.0. Quinerly, who made six mistakes against Tulane, will try to recover.
at the meanwhile, UAB (12-7, 4-2) will try to recover from a 76-70 loss on Tuesday at Charlotte. The 49ers scored 48 points in the second half after the Blazers blew a 10-point advantage at the break.
One of the reasons UAB’s record isn’t better is defense. With each loss, it has given up at least 73 points.
The Blazers, especially Yaxel Lendeborg (11.5 ppg, 9.0 rebounds per game), are good at grabbing rebounds. On January 17, he had eighteen boards in UAB’s 83-69 victory over Tulane.
“When he’s playing like-size guys and that ball goes up on that rim and into traffic, nine times out of 10, Yaxel is going to come out of there with it,” Andy Kennedy, the Blazers coach, said.
At 12.3 points per game, Eric Gaines leads UAB’s balanced scoring assault.
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