Memphis @ Tulsa preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 9, 2019 ) Tulsa 63, Memphis 66

Tulsa has put itself in the middle of the American Athletic Conference race with three straight wins and looks to make a statement Wednesday night when it hosts 20th-ranked Memphis. The Golden Hurricane edged Houston 63-61 at home before winning at both East Carolina and Tulane by a combined 29 points last week to move into a tie for first place in the league.

Junior guard Brandon Rachal was named AAC Player of the Week on Monday and Tulsa leads the way in scoring defense during conference play (56.6) after holding Tulane to 38.2 percent from the field in a 67-54 road victory Saturday. The Golden Hurricane will be tested against talented Memphis, which leads the AAC in scoring (76.8) and has responded to its first losing streak of the season with a pair of league wins by edging South Florida on the road and handling Cincinnati 60-49 at home Thursday. “The team was up for it,” Tigers coach Penny Hardaway told reporters of Thursday’s triumph in which they held the Bearcats to 30 percent shooting. “We had to protect home court and hit first and keep punching. We knew if we didn’t they would make a run like they did. We withstood the run. I’m proud of the team for not bailing out and not allowing physicality to push us back. We kept moving forward.” Memphis lost 95-79 at Tulsa last season and has dropped the past three games when visiting the Golden Hurricane.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT MEMPHIS (14-3, 3-1 AAC): Freshman forward Precious Achiuwa has strung together a league-record six straight double-doubles (10 overall) and leads the Tigers in scoring (15.4, 52.6 percent shooting) and rebounds (10.4). Freshman forward D.J. Jeffries is second on the team in scoring (11.3, 54.1 percent shooting) after pouring in 18 points against Cincinnati - his second-highest output of the season. “We really need D.J. to come out gunning,” Hardaway told reporters. “I don’t care if he goes 0-for-12, 0-for-13, whatever. We need him to shoot the ball more and be more aggressive.”

ABOUT TULSA (12-6, 4-1): Rachal leads the team in scoring (15.0), rebounds (6.7) and steals (2.0) after averaging 18.3 points over the last three games and shooting at least 50 percent from the field in each. Junior forward Jeriah Horne scored 13 against Memphis at home last season and averages 11.7 in 2019-20 after connecting on 14-of-25 from the floor the past three contests. Senior forward Martins Igbanu stepped up with a season-high 19 points off the bench against Tulane and coach Frank Haith told reporters: “I thought Marty had one of his best games. … 19 (points) and six (rebounds), and just a force in the paint.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Memphis freshman G Lester Quinones averages 11 points and has drained 5-of-7 shots from beyond the arc the last two games.

2. Tulsa junior G Darien Jackson scored a career-high 19 points in the victory over AAC co-leader Houston on Jan. 11.

3. Tigers sophomore G Alex Lomax leads the team in assists (4.8) and has averaged 5.6 over the past five contests.

PREDICTION: Memphis 76, Tulsa 68