Breathing room is a luxury Memphis can barely afford.
After Thursday’s 83-76 win over Wichita State, Memphis enters Sunday’s home matchup against the Cincinnati Bearcats with some breathing room. Only some. The Bearcats at home is a Q3 matchup Memphis can ill afford to lose. With Cincinnati’s pending move to the Big 12 putting a hold on this rivalry, the Tigers should enter this game with some extra motivation. The welcomed returns of Kendric Davis, Malcolm Dandridge, and Alex Lomax will heavily impact how the Tigers close the season. But with Keonte Kennedy out for the year, that “next man up” mentality must continue.
Matchup: Memphis Tigers (21-7, 11-4 in AAC) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (19-10, 10-6 in AAC)
Time: 1 p.m. CST
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
TV/Stream/Radio: ESPN2 / 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS
Keys to the Game
- Limit Cincy 3s
In the Tigers’ last matchup with the Bearcats, Memphis did a phenomenal job defending the 3-point line. Cincinnati was a mere 6-24 from deep. Those 6 makes were well below their season average of 8.9, which ranks 31st nationally. For Memphis, its 3-point defense has been a subject of discussion for months. On January 12, the Tigers ranked 145th in opponent 3-point percentage. Now, they rank 48th. That’s a drastic improvement Coach Hardaway and his coaching staff should be credited for. This improved 3-point defense must continue against the streaky Bearcats.
2. A New 3rd Guy
No Keonte Kennedy is a major blow to close out the year. He emerged as the needed 3rd scoring option with his reliable 3-point shooting and athletic finishing at the rim. But Memphis has options to make up for Keonte’s production. Jonathan Lawson stepped up against Wichita State. Elijah McCadden has been incredible over the past month. But let’s focus on Damaria Franklin.
Damaria started his season with high expectations to be the Tigers’ 3rd option. While he showed flashes of his potential, Damaria struggled to find his role on the squad and lacked confidence offensively. For someone going through a rough patch and perhaps even doubting himself on the floor, Damaria’s game-winner against UCF wasn’t just huge for the Tigers. It was monumental for Mars. His next game against No. 2 Houston on the road was Damaria’s best of the season. This was followed by another great performance against Wichita State. If Damaria can continue his strong play in the coming weeks, Memphis’s ceiling will get much higher.
Prediction
Memphis 78, Cincinnati 70