The American Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament began on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas. The Memphis Tigers entered the AAC tournament with a bye as they finished second in the conference standings in the regular season with a 13-5 record. With the bye, the Tigers watched as the No. 7 seed UCF Knights defeated the No. 10 seed SMU Mustangs 76-70 to set up the third matchup of the season between the Tigers and the Knights.
Memphis and UCF split the season series with each team winning on their home floor. UCF defeated Memphis in the first matchup on January 11th in double overtime, 107-104. UCF jumped out to an early 19-6 lead to begin that game before Kendric Davis led the Tigers on a comeback charge to take control of the game eventually leading by as many as 14 points. However, the Tigers fell apart down the stretch of the second half as UCF overcame an 11-point deficit with 5:44 left to force overtime and found a way to get the victory in double overtime.
Memphis returned the favor at the FedExForum with a 64-63 win on February 16th. The Tigers dominated that game early leading by as many as 15 points but Kendric Davis left the game a little before halftime with an ankle sprain. With Memphis struggling offensively in the second half without its leading scorer, UCF made a valiant effort in their comeback attempt to take the lead 63-62 with 3:10 remaining. Both teams would go scoreless until a Damaria Franklin steal and layup with 10 seconds remaining helped the Tigers escape with the victory to tie the season series.
Now round three is upon us in the AAC tournament with Memphis looking to solidify its NCAA Tournament status. Coming off a heartbreaking loss to the No. 1 ranked Houston Cougars, the Tigers should have plenty of motivation to take out the UCF Knights. UCF enters this matchup coming off a comeback victory against SMU in a game in which they trailed by eight points at halftime and by as many as 13 points. Judging by both matchups between the Knights and Tigers this season we are in for a treat for this one.
The Prediction:
Memphis 74, UCF 71
Matchup: Memphis Tigers (23-8, 13-5 in AAC) vs UCF (17-13, 8-10 in AAC)
Date/Time: March 10th, 6:00 p.m.
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
TV/Stream/Radio: ESPNU / 98.9 The Roar of Memphis