The Memphis Tigers play host to the UCF Knights on Thursday night in a crucial AAC showdown from FedExForum. The Knights come in right in the middle of the conference standings, while Memphis sits in third place and is looking to continue to build its NCAA Tournament resume. With two wins in a row, the Knights are trending in the right direction, while the Tigers have their own two-game winning streak going. The first meeting between these two saw an overtime thriller back in January, as the KNights came away with the three-point win, and fans hope the rematch will be just as exciting.
After winning in overtime in the first meeting between these two this season, UCF will be hoping that they can spring the upset and secure the season sweep. They find themselves sitting at .500 in AAC action and right in the middle of the standings, though, with the talent at their disposal, they know that building momentum could go a long way as the ACC Tournament quickly approaches. UCF was battling a five-game losing streak but back-to-back wins have them hitting the road thinking that they might be turning a corner. They do have a losing record in true road games this season and with five straight losses on the road in this series, it'll be interesting to see which version of the Knights makes an appearance.
The Knights have three injuries that they continue to deal with as well as Thursday night's tipoff draws near. CJ Walker (leg_ and Michael Durr (hand) both remain out indefinitely, while Jayholn Young (wrist) is questionable. Walker and Durr were expected to play key roles this season, so there's no doubt they'll continue to be missed, while Young's 21.4 mpg will be tough to fill if he is unable to go as well.
Ballin' is a habit ?? pic.twitter.com/FzlktGCKgr
— UCF Men's Hoops (@UCF_MBB) February 16, 2023
The focus for UCF has come on the defensive end and they'll certainly have their hands full trying to slow down Mmephis' high-paced offense in this one. The Knights rank 67th in scoring defense and are in the top 75 in nearly every defensive category. On the offensive end, they obviously found success in the first meeting and their three-point shooting has seemed to be the equalizer this season. They rank 44th nationally in three-point percentage and are even better from the free-throw line. Taylor Hendricks (14.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg) continues to look like an NBA player and as he remains the x-factor and focal point, questions remain as to who else might step up and provide scoring in the frontcourt.
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