Memphis at Houston: 2021-22 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
In a matchup between two American conference foes, Memphis travels out to Texas to take on the first place Houston Cougars. Can the Tigers pull off a big upset?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 12, 2022, on ABC at 3:30 p.m. EST
Location: Fertitta Center, Houston TX
In an American conference that appears to be headed towards being a one-bid league on Selection Sunday, the Memphis Tigers (13-8, 7-4) have the opportunity to creep closer to the bubble as they head to the Fertitta Center to take on the No. 6 Houston Cougars (20-3, 9-1) Saturday afternoon.
In their last game, Memphis stayed hot and beat Tulane 80-69 to give them their fourth straight win. They were led by a pair of double-doubles, one by freshman center Jalen Duren, who finished with a team-high 15 points and 14 rebounds. The other double-double was by senior forward Deandre Williams, who had 14 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. The Tigers as a team accumulated 13 steals against the Green Wave but also struggled with ball control. They turned it over 17 times, which has been an issue for them all season long.
Memphis has had a disappointing start to the season so far based on all of the preseason hype they received. They were ranked as high as 9th in the AP poll back in November, but have fallen off a cliff and are a .500 team since their 5-0 start. Four players average at least 10 PPG, but no one over the 11.1 that both Duren and Williams have.
Senior guard Tyler Harris is also in double figures, as is freshman guard Emoni Bates. Bates has been dealing with a back injury and his status is in doubt for Saturday. The Tigers have been in the media all season for a lot of the wrong reasons, as they haven’t met their high expectations and head coach Penny Hardaway hasn’t been shy with letting his frustration out to reporters.
On the other side, Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson has the Cougars in position to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament after last season’s Final fFour appearance. Last time out, they lost a tough game on the road to SMU 85-83 to give them their first loss of conference play.
Three players scored 17 points in the loss – senior guards Kyler Edwards and Taze Moore and senior forward Josh Carlton. Senior forward Fabian White Jr. and sophomore guard Jamal Shead both had double-doubles in what was an overall great game by the starting five. Free throw shooting plagued the Cougars all night long and they finished under 11-18 from the stripe, which arguably helped them lose.
Despite the loss last time out, Houston has still had a phenomenal start to the season with their three losses coming by a combined five points. Coach Sampson has been one of the frontrunners for National Coach of the Year, especially with the injury situation he has to deal with. He lost junior guard Marcus Sasser and sophomore guard Tramon Mark to season-ending injuries earlier this year, but that hasn’t stopped them from being one of the best teams in the nation.
In both of their matchups last season, Houston defeated Memphis by scores of 67-64 and 76-74. Both rosters are very different than they were a year ago, especially the Cougars, whose top four players in minutes played last matchup all won’t be a factor in this upcoming one. The previous loss really stings for the Tigers, as they lost by just two points in the American conference tournament semi-finals. They will certainly be out for revenge this time around.
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Overall, this should be a very competitive game between two of the best teams in the American. It will come down to who takes care of the ball and who can be more consistent from downtown. Despite the Tigers needing a big win to boost not only their resume but to get them back in the hunt for the tournament, I have the Cougars coming out on top.
Prediction: Houston 80, Memphis 66