Tigers look to take control in Conference USA

In what could be the most important meeting between Memphis and Southern Miss in years, the Tigers will try to move ahead of the pack in Conference USA when they take on the Golden Eagles tonight in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Southern Miss and Memphis occupy first and second place in C-USA, respectively, with Southern Miss ahead thanks to a better overall record.

When the two teams faced off on Jan. 11, sophomore guard Chris Crawford calmly knocked down two free throws with just over 30 seconds remaining to put the Tigers up by two after being intentionally fouled by Southern Miss' Cedric Jenkins. The Golden Eagles then missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game, allowing Memphis to escape with a 60-58 victory.

Southern Miss has not lost since that game, which is the only blemish in their otherwise spotless league record. The Golden Eagles come into tonight's game with a 19-3 (6-1) record, and have won their last four games, as well as 15 of their last 16.

History may be against them, however. Memphis leads the all-time series against their conference rival 64-23. They have also won the last 18 matchups against Southern Miss, a streak dating back to Jan. 10, 2004. Southern Miss head coach Larry Eustachy is 0-17 against the Tigers, while Memphis coach Josh Pastner is 6-0.

"I'm not a big streak guy," Pastner said. "You've got to go play the games. Once the ball is tipped, all of that's out the window. You've got to get the job done."

Charles Carmouche hit a three-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining to beat Southern Miss on the road last year, capping off an 18-point comeback in the final minutes. Memphis led by five with under two minutes remaining, but Southern Miss fought back to retake the lead. R.J. Horton hit one of two free throws with six seconds remaining, leaving the door open for Carmouche's shot.

"Last year, we barely made it out of there with a buzzer-beater," Tarik Black said. "I don't expect it to be any easier this year."

Hattiesburg is traditionally a difficult place to play for Memphis. The Tigers are 11-11 in their last 22 trips there, with six of those wins coming by an average of 5.8 points. The series has been especially close lately, with the last six overall meetings being decided by seven points or less, and an average point difference of 3.5 points.

"They've been good all season," Will Barton said. "They play us tough all the time, so we've got to be ready for a dogfight. It's going to be really important, so we've got to be ready to play."

The Tigers' defense will have to deal with a Southern Miss offense that boasts five players who average double-digit points per game. LaShay Page (12.9 ppg), Darnell Dodson (12.5), Neil Watson (11.3), Maurice Bolden (10.7) and Angelo Johnson (10.1) are all major contributors to the team, and limiting their production will be crucial for Memphis to win its 19th straight against the Golden Eagles.

"It's another game in conference," Black said. "One versus two, obviously it's a must-win situation for us, because we're trying to come out number one. But at the end of the day, it's another game."