Jan. 23, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

TIGERS TO MEET IN-STATE FOE TENNESSEE ON SATURDAY IN KNOXVILLE
The University of Memphis squad (15-3, 5-0 C-USA), ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press poll and No. 24 in ESPN/USA Today poll, takes to the road on Saturday, Jan. 24 and travels to Knoxville, Tenn., to face in-state foe Tennessee (12-5, 3-1 SEC). The non-conference encounter, to be televised by CBS Sports, is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. (CT) start.

The Tigers go back on the road after a two-game homestand versus Conference USA opponents UAB and Rice. Memphis went 2-0 in the homestand with victories over UAB 81-68 on Jan. 17 and Rice 80-52 on Jan. 21. Prior to this homestand, Memphis posted a 2-0 record on a two-game road swing with victories over UCF (73-66) Jan. 10 and Tulsa (55-54) Jan. 13.

Before the Jan. 10 contest at UCF, Memphis' previous road contest was Dec. 13 at Georgetown. In between the two road games Dec. 13 and Jan. 10, the Tigers hosted a seven-game homestand at FedExForum and posted a 6-1 record in that stretch.

Memphis opened the seven-game homestand Dec. 17 with a 59-51 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock and followed with a 72-65 setback to No. 11/11 Syracuse Dec. 20. The Tigers bounced back with five-consecutive victories over Drexel (87-49) Dec. 22, Cincinnati (60-45) Dec. 29, Northeastern (80-48) Dec. 31, Lamar (108-75) Jan. 3 and Marshall (80-57) Jan. 7.

Tennessee enters Saturday's game having won three of its last four. The Volunteers defeated Georgia, South Carolina and Vanderbilt in that stretch, with the lone setback coming to Kentucky. Tennessee also posted solid non-league victories over Siena, Georgetown, Marquette and Belmont.

SCOUTING THE VOLUNTEERS
Tennessee brings a 12-5 overall mark into Saturday's game. The Volunteers are 3-1 in Southeastern Conference play. Tennessee enters the contest having won three of its last four. The Volunteers defeated Georgia, South Carolina and Vanderbilt in that stretch, with the lone setback coming to Kentucky. Tennessee also posted solid non-league victories over Siena, Georgetown, Marquette and Belmont.

The trio of Tyler Smith (17.9 ppg), Wayne Chism (12.5 ppg) and J.P. Prince (10.1 ppg) paces the Tennessee offense. Chism leads the Volunteers on the glass with an 8.9 rebounding average, while Brian Williams is second at 6.5 rpg. Smith is tops on the squad with 67 assists (3.9 apg). Scotty Hopson (38 percent) and Cameron Tatum (33.7 percent) are Tennessee's top threats from the arc.

The Volunteers are shooting 45.9 percent from the floor, 30.3 percent from the arc and 69.8 percent from the charity stripe. Tennessee is out-rebounding its opponents by an average margin of +6.8 (41.5-34.7), which is third-best in the SEC.

FORMER TEAMMATES, NOW FOES
Saturday's contest features two juniors that were teammates in high school from 2004-06, but are now foes. Memphis guard Willie Kemp and Tennessee forward Wayne Chism teamed up during those two seasons on the Bolivar Central High School squad.

The duo helped lead Bolivar Central to a two-year (2004-05, 2005-06) mark of 58-16 and the 2005 Tennessee Class AA crown. In 2006, Bolivar Central reached the Class AA quarterfinals. Kemp won the 2006 Tennessee Class AA Mr. Basketball award, while Chism was a finalist for the honor.

A MCDONALD'S ALL-AMERICA GAME, JORDAN BRAND CLASSIC REUNION SATURDAY
It will be a McDonald's High School All-America Game reunion on Saturday when Memphis and Tennessee meet. In the Mar. 26, 2008, contest played in Milwaukee, Wis., the Tigers' Tyreke Evans played for the East squad, while the Volunteers' Scotty Hopson was a member of the West squad.

Evans was selected the game's MVP and had 21 points and 10 boards in helping lead the East team to a 107-102 victory. He also had four assists in 23 minutes of action. Hopson had 10 points (4-of-5 FG, 2-of-4 FT), two rebounds and one steal in 13 minutes of action.

Evans and Hopson also played in the 2008 Jordan Brand Classic in Madison Square Garden on Apr. 19, 2008. Hopson scored a team-best 21 points (8-of-13 FG, 2-of-3 treys, 3-of-5 FT) in helping lead the Blue team to a 124-114 win over the White squad. Hopson also had four boards, one block and two steals. Evans, the White team MVP, had a 23 points (game-high), seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Joining Hopson on the Blue team was Memphis' Wesley Witherspoon. The 6-foot-8 Tiger freshman had 13 points, four rebounds and three steals in the Blue team win.

ALSO A NIKE HOOPS SUMMIT REUNION
Memphis' Tyreke Evans and Tennessee's Scotty Hopson haven't always played on opposing teams. Both played on the same team at the 2008 Nike Hoops Summit last April at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore. The duo teamed up to helped lead the USA Junior National Select Team to a 98-78 win over the World Select Team.

Evans had 11 points, eight boards, four assists and three steals, and Hopson added 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

On the other side, Tennessee's Emmanuel Negedu and Memphis' Angel Garcia played for the World Select Team. Negedu had three points and three boards in 11 minutes, while Garcia -- who recently was cleared to practice, but not yet play -- scored four points and grabbed four boards.

HEY, DON'T WE KNOW YOU?
Some of the Tiger upperclassmen may recognize a familiar face wearing the Tennessee uniform. However, when they last saw this player, he was wearing the Oklahoma crimson and cream.

Volunteer junior guard Bobby Maze last saw the Tigers in the 2006 Maui Invitational as a member of Jeff Capel's Sooner team. Although Maze was injured and did not play in the contest, he did travel with the Sooners to Maui. The Tigers won that Maui Invitational first-round game 77-65.

A PRINCE TIE TO THE TIGERS
Volunteer junior J.P. Prince not only calls Memphis home, but his family also has a tie to the Tiger basketball program. Prince's father, John, was an assistant on Larry Finch's staff from 1994-97.

During his time as an assistant at Memphis, the Tigers posted a 62-33 overall record and made two NCAA Tournament trips and one NIT appearance. The 1994-95 Tiger squad advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, and the 1995-96 team tied for the first Conference USA regular season crown.

MEMPHIS VS. THE SEC
The Tigers have an all-time record of 88-65 (.557 winning percentage) against members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Memphis has played Alabama (5-2), Arkansas (10-11), Auburn (0-1), Florida (0-1), Georgia (1-1), Kentucky (1-0), LSU (2-2), Ole Miss (26-11), Mississippi State (13-11), South Carolina (18-5), Tennessee (7-12) and Vanderbilt (5-8).

Memphis has won seven of its last nine contests against SEC opponents, and 12 of its last 15 games against the league. The last time the Tigers faced an SEC opponent was in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Memphis defeated Mississippi State 77-74 in North Little Rock, Ark.

CAL VS. THE SEC
Head coach John Calipari has an 18-13 record against Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponents. Calipari has coached against Alabama (1-1), Arkansas (3-2), Florida (1-0), Kentucky (2-4), Ole Miss (4-3), Mississippi State (1-0), South Carolina (3-0), Tennessee (2-3) and Vanderbilt (1-0). Calipari has never faced Auburn, Georgia and LSU.

Calipari has won 12 of his last 15 games against SEC opponents.

TIGER SUCCESS IN JANUARY
While Memphis has had a lot of success in December in the John Calipari era, January has proven to be a better month for the Tigers. Since Calipari took over the Memphis hoops program in 2000-01, the Tigers have an impressive 60-10 record (.857 winning percentage) in the month of January.

The Tigers have won their last 31 January games, with their last January setback coming to Texas on Jan. 2, 2006 (69-58 loss).

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Memphis has had a long history of success in non-league games, and that has continued under head coach John Calipari. Since Calipari took over in 2000-01, the Tigers have a non-conference record (including postseason) of 120-37 for a 76.4 winning percentage.

In 2007-08, Memphis had a 22-2 record against non-conference opponents (including postseason). This season, the Tigers are 10-3 against non-C-USA foes.

ANOTHER GLASS-CLASH ON SATURDAY In four recent encounters when the Tigers had to step up to the challenge on the glass, they passed three of the tests with flying colors in wins over Drexel, Cincinnati and Marshall. Memphis did not do so well in its board battle at Tulsa Jan. 13, but was fortunate to come away with a victory.

Well, Memphis faces another boards test when its meets in-state foe Tennessee on Saturday. While the Tigers are second in C-USA in rebound margin at +4.5, the Volunteers are third in the SEC in rebound margin at +6.8.

Last year, Tennessee out-rebounded the Tigers 50-34. It was the largest rebounding deficit for Memphis in the 2007-08 season.

The following shows what the Tigers have been up against on the boards in recent games and the outcome of the glass battle in each contest:

Opp./Date	Opp. Reb. Margin	Reb. Result

	Entering Gm.	In Gm.

Drexel/12-22	+6.7	UM, 42-39

Cincinnati/12-29	+11.4	UM, 44-32

Marshall/1-7	+4.5	UM, 45-34

Tulsa/1-13	+7.9	TLS, 43-25

Tennessee/1-24	+6.8	--

COMMON FOES
Memphis and Tennessee have played two common opponents this year. The Tigers are 1-1 versus the common foes, while the Volunteers are 2-0. The following shows the results of the common opponents:

	Memphis		Tennessee

	83-71, W (N)	Chattanooga	114-75, W (H)

	70-79, L (A)*	Georgetown	90-78, W (N)

* overtime

** Tennessee has played Gonzaga twice this year and lost both games; Memphis travels to Gonzaga Feb. 7

WHERE HAVE THE THREES GONE?
Last year, both Memphis and Tennessee were among their respective league leaders in three-point field goal percentage and three-pointers made per game. However, both have cooled off from the arc in 2008-09. The following shows the difference between the two seasons (conference rank follows stat):

	Memphis	Year/Stat	Tennessee

	34.9/6th	2007-08/3-pt. FG Pct.	37.7/2nd

	31.3/10th	2008-09/3-pt. FG Pct.	30.3/11th

	7.55/3rd	2007-08/3P Made/Gm	8.63/2nd

	6.22/6th	2008-09/3P Made/Gm	6.41/6th

A BATTLE OF (SCORING) WILLS ON SATURDAY
Head coach John Calipari loves defense, and enjoys seeing his squad near the top of Conference USA in scoring defense. The Tigers are second in C-USA in scoring defense, allowing opponents only 61.2 points per game.

Tennessee, however, may present the Tiger defense its toughest test of 2008-09. The Volunteers average 82.9 points per game, which leads the SEC.

2008-09 TIGER SENIORS NEARING SCHOOL WINS RECORD
The Tigers set the NCAA record for wins in a three-year period (2005-06 through 2007-08) with 104 victories, and as a result of that success, it put the 2008-09 Memphis seniors in a position to set the school's all-time wins record. Now, the Tiger senior trio of Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier and Chance McGrady is closing in on that mark.

With its 15 victories so far in 2008-09, the senior class has 119 career wins, which is the second-most in school history. The school record for wins over a four-year period is 126 set by the 2007-08 class (Joey Dorsey).

The following shows the winningest four-year classes in Tiger history:

Class	Wins

2004-05 to 2007-08	126

2005-06 to present	119

1983-84 to 1986-87	111

2002-03; 2004-05 to 2006-07	111

1982-83 to 1985-86	108

1984-85 to 1987-88	105

1981-82 to 1984-85	104

2008-09 TIGER SENIORS ALSO CLIMBING NCAA WINS LIST
While the 2008-09 Tiger senior class (Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier, Chance McGrady) is closing in on the school wins record, it is also making its mark on the NCAA Division I chart for most victories in a four-year span. The record is 133 wins by Duke from 1998-2001.

The 2007-08 Tiger senior class is tied for the 10th spot on that NCAA Division I wins list with 126 victories. The following is an abbreviated list of the most wins in a four-year span in NCAA Division I history:

Team	Year	Wins

1. Duke	1998-2001	133

2. Duke	1999-2002	132

t. Kentucky	1995-98	132

t. Kentucky	1996-99	132

5. Kentucky	1946-49	130

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10. Memphis	2005-08	126

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24. 4 teams tied		121

Memphis	2006-present	119

COUNTDOWN TO A SECOND 500
Everyone knows Antonio Anderson's game is an all-around one, and the stats prove it. Earlier this season, the senior became the 45th member of the Tiger 1,000-point club in a win over Northeastern (Dec. 31, 2008).

Just two games ago versus UAB on Jan. 17, the 6-foot-6 guard grabbed his 500th rebound and now has 505 career boards. Up next for Anderson is to reach the 500-assists mark.

The Lynn, Mass., native has 448 career assists (seventh on career assists list), and on his pace of 4.3 dishes per game this year, he would reach the mark. If he is successful in reaching 500 assists, Anderson would become the only player in Memphis history to have 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in a career.

Even more proof of his all-around game is that he has 190 career steals (fifth on career steals list).

EVANS RECEIVES MID-SEASON HONOR
Tyreke Evans was named to the collegehoops.net Mid-Season All-Freshman first team, the web site release Jan. 22. Joining the Tigers' 6-foot-6 guard on the first team are Oklahoma's Willie Warren, Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu, Georgetown's Greg Monroe and Louisville's Samardo Samuels.

This season, Evans has already received the C-USA Rookie of the Week honor five times.

For more notes on the Memphis-Tennessee game, click on pdf link at the top of the page.