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Tigers travel to face South Florida

<p>Kyvon Davenport goes up for a dunk against Cincinnati. The JUCO transfer finished the game with a team high ten rebounds</p>
Kyvon Davenport goes up for a dunk against Cincinnati. The JUCO transfer finished the game with a team high ten rebounds
Kyvon Davenport Dunk

Kyvon Davenport goes up for a dunk against Cincinnati. The JUCO transfer finished the game with a team high ten rebounds

After a 14-point home loss to Cincinnati on Saturday, the Memphis Tigers (13-8, 4-4 American Athletic Conference) will begin their brief two-game road trip when they travel to Tampa on Wednesday to take on South Florida (8-14, 1-8 AAC). This will be the first of two regular season games between these two teams. The Tigers swept last season’s series.

Jeremiah Martin Jumper

Jeremiah Martin shoots as he went on to finish with a game-high 26 points, including an 8-of-14 outing from three. The Tigers are now on a three game losing streak.

 

A look at the opponent

 

USF has struggled this year, with only one conference win of the season. The Bulls have won two of their last 10 games. As a team, they average 62 points per game, placing them last in the conference. Opponents outscore them by an average of 8.5 points per game. USF has also been inefficient on the offensive end of the floor, only shooting 41 percent from the field on the year.

They have not had much success defensively either. Opponents shot 44.7 percent against them from the floor, putting them last in the conference. They also struggle guarding the three-point line, allowing teams to shoot 34 percent. This has placed them 10th in the conference.

 

What to watch for  

 

A big key coming into this matchup will be if the Tigers will continue to struggle guarding teams from beyond the arc. They are currently last in the conference in three-point defense, with opponents shooting 37 percent. In their last matchup against Cincinnati, the Bearcats drained eight three-pointers.

Another key for the Tigers will be if they can keep teams from getting second chance points. Memphis has struggled grabbing defensive rebounds all season. They are 11th in defensive rebounding in the AAC, only grabbing 23 per contest. The Tigers are also last in the conference in defensive rebounding percentage.

 

Players to watch

 

USF guard Stephan Jiggetts

 

The Bulls do not have many go-to scorers, but their biggest offensive weapon this season has been Jiggetts. He averages 12 points per game, tying him for first on the team. The Maryland native also leads the team in minutes played, free throw percentage and assists. If the Tigers want to get back in the win column, keeping Jiggetts in check will be key.

 

Memphis forward Kyvon Davenport

 

The junior college transfer and former Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year had a strong first season in Tiger blue. The junior currently leads the team in rebounds and is second on the team in scoring. In their matchup against Cincinnati, Davenport struggled offensively, only making three of his 11 shot attempts. He did have a strong performance on the glass, as he grabbed a team-high of 10 rebounds.

 

Memphis guard Kareem Brewton Jr.

 

Brewton’s offense will be key to a Tiger road win. The junior college transfer had a productive outing off the bench in their last matchup. He scored 10 points, which was good for second on the team. He will likely have to keep being aggressive offensively, as the Tigers have struggled with shot creators this season. A big night for Brewton could cause trouble for USF.


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