Intrastate rivals clash in Knoxville

Since suffering a 92-85 loss to Georgia Tech in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational, the Tigers have ripped off four straight victories, including a 78-59 triumph over Marshall in their Conference USA opener on Monday. With the recent string of victories, Memphis now stands at 6-1 overall, although this will be its first true road game of the season. The Tigers own an all-time record of just 36-49 in road openers, but they have won their last three.

As for Tennessee, it also enters the game on a winning note following an 89-64 thumping of Murray State on Friday. It was the second straight victory for the Vols, who improved to 6-2 overall and 3-0 at home.

Tonight’s game marks the 18th all-time meeting between these two schools, with Tennessee holding a 10-7 edge in the series. Memphis however, has won the past two meetings, including an 88-79 triumph last season at the FedEx Forum.

The Tigers have enjoyed success with their up-tempo style of play that has them averaging a healthy 84.9 ppg on 46.0 percent shooting from the floor this season. Chris Douglas-Roberts currently leads this potent attack with 14.7 ppg, and he is also grabbing 4.9 rpg. Robert Dozier ranks second on the squad in both scoring (12.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg), while Jeremy Hunt chips in with 12.6 ppg off the bench. In the team’s last game, Douglas-Roberts and Dozier combined for 30 points and nine rebounds in leading Memphis to an easy win over Marshall. The Tigers shot 41.9 percent from the floor in the game and scored 26 points off 17 Marshall turnovers. Memphis has done a tremendous job in forcing its opponents into mistakes this season, as it is generating 20.9 turnovers per game.

The Vols are similar to Memphis in that they also like to push the tempo, and that is a big reason why the team is averaging a solid 80.5 ppg off 44.0 percent shooting from the field. Chris Lofton is the team’s top scorer at the moment with 18.6 ppg and he is knocking down 48.4 percent from long distance. JaJuan Smith is next with 13.6 ppg and he is also a threat at the other end of the court, posting 19 steals thus far. In the squad’s previous outing, Lofton poured in 20 points in leading Tennessee to an easy win over Murray State. Smith added 10 points and three steals for the Vols, who shot 43.5 percent from the field, including an 11-of-28 performance from beyond the arc.