Southern Methodist @ Memphis preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 19, 2019 ) Southern Methodist 61, Memphis 83

The chaotic nature of the American Athletic Conference was on display Wednesday when No. 20 Memphis was dealt an embarrassing 40-point beatdown at the hands of unranked Tulsa - the worst loss by a ranked team against an unranked opponent since 1993. The Tigers will have the chance to get back on track when they host SMU on Saturday, and despite boasting the best overall record in the conference, they've lost two of three AAC games on the road.

Memphis scored only 40 points against Tulsa while shooting 28.6 percent from the floor and 2-for-21 from 3-point range - all season lows - and allowed the Golden Hurricane to shoot 50 percent from the field, which is well over its typical allotment of 35 percent. But the Tigers should fare better scoring against the Mustangs, who are 10th in the conference in scoring defense - a number that reaches to more than 72 points per game when away from Moody Coliseum. With no upperclassmen on the roster, Penny Hardaway's young Tigers team has struggled to take care of the ball, with more turnovers than assists in four of five AAC contests. Despite the poor defensive showing against Tulsa, the Tigers still lead the country in field goal percentage defense, but will need to get back to their old ways to stop the Mustangs offense that leads the conference with 76.7 points per game and a 46.7 field goal percentage.

TIME: 3 p.m. ET. TV: CBS Sports Network

ABOUT SMU (14-4, 4-2 AAC): Point guard Kendric Davis has taken the league by storm after missing four games, third in the AAC with 15.9 points per game while leading the way with 7.4 assists - 2.7 better than the next-highest player. Following a poor performance against Houston, junior college transfer Tyson Jolly has averaged 21 points the last two games while shooting 7-for-13 from 03-point range. After being removed from the starting lineup by coach Tim Jankovich, forward Ethan Chargois scored 12 points on 80 percent shooting against East Carolina, though he secured one rebound while Isiah Jasey, who replaced him in the lineup, had one of his most productive games of the season with six points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes.

ABOUT MEMPHIS (14-4, 3-2): Since center James Wiseman left the program after playing three games, frontcourt mate Precious Achiuwa has established himself as the best freshman in the AAC, averaging 15.1 points and the only player to average a double-double. Freshman D.J. Jeffries has failed to score in double figures in three of the last four games, excluding an 18-point performance against Cincinnati, after totaling 10 or more in six straight games. One of three non-freshmen on the roster is sophomore point guard Alex Lomax, who has started the last three games and averages 4.7 assists - third-best in the AAC.

BUZZER-BEATERS

1. Memphis has won the last two meetings after losing the previous six.

2. SMU forward Isiaha Mike leads the AAC with an 88.9 free-throw percentage.

3. Memphis is third in the country with 6.7 blocked shots per game.

PREDICTION: Memphis 80, SMU 73