Nov. 23, 2012
**NOTE: The Memphis-Northern Iowa basketball game can be heard on Rock 103 (102.7 FM) Saturday.
SETTING THE SCENE
- Memphis (2-2) meets Northern Iowa (3-2) in the Battle 4 Atlantis (B4A) 7th/8th-place contest Saturday, Nov. 24 at 12 p.m. (CT).
- The Tigers dropped their B4A consolation semifinal game to Minnesota 84-75 Friday. The Panthers fell to Stanford 66-50 in their consolation semifinal encounter.
MEMPHIS-NORTHERN IOWA SERIES
- Saturday's contest is the first between the two basketball programs.
MEMPHIS VERSUS FIRST-TIME FOES
- Northern Iowa is the second of five first-time opponents Memphis faces in 2012-13.
- The Tigers have already played North Florida (an 81-66 win Nov. 12) and will meet Ohio Dec. 5, Loyola (Md.) Dec. 30 and Harvard Jan. 19.
- Memphis has an all-time record of 152-70 (.685 winning percentage) when facing first-time foes.
- Since 2000-01, the Tigers are 25-2 (.926 winning percentage) when facing first-time opponents. The only two setbacks against first-time opponents since 2000-01 were against Stanford (2000 Puerto Rico Shootout) and Duke (2005 Preseason NIT).
- Under head coach Josh Pastner, Memphis is 4-0 against first-time foes.
MEMPHIS VERSUS THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE
- The Tigers have an overall record of 32-32 versus current members of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).
JOHNSON SUSPENSION OVER
- For the first time in regular-season action, junior Geron Johnson suited up for the Blue and Gray Friday versus Minnesota. He had four points and one board against the Golden Gophers.
- Johnson had to sit the first three games as a result of an NCAA-imposed suspension. The suspension was the result of extra benefits received by Johnson from a family friend who assisted the family with his educational expenses prior to his enrollment at the University of Memphis.
