Houston @ Memphis preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 16, 2019 ) Memphis 58, Houston 61

No. 22 Houston travels to Memphis on Saturday in a battle between the two teams picked to win the American Athletic Conference in the preseason coaches' poll. It has been a tale of two seasons for both squads as Houston is leading the race for the AAC regular season title while Memphis is currently sitting on the outside of the NCAA Tournament field.

After a thrilling overtime loss at SMU, Houston bounced back for a 33-point route of Tulsa -- one of the two teams in closest pursuit of the Cougars in the standings -- behind freshman Caleb Mills, who had a career-high 27 points. The Cougars have relied on young players all season as four of their top six scorers are underclassmen, all averaging at least seven points. Memphis snapped a three-game skid with a narrow victory against a lowly East Carolina team, and Saturday's game marks the first of four chances for a quality win that the Tigers desperately need to boost their tournament resume. “I wouldn’t say win out. We got to win some big games. I wouldn’t put that much pressure on the young guys. But we have to win some impressionable games," coach Penny Hardaway told Yahoo! Sports following the loss at Connecticut on Sunday.

TIME: 2 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT HOUSTON (21-6, 11-3 AAC): In addition to averaging 10.4 points, sophomore guard Nate Hinton has played strong defense, requesting to defend Tulsa leading scorer Brandon Rachal and holding him scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting. Mills had been held to single-digit scoring in the previous two contests but still leads the team with an average of 12.4 points, setting up to be the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since the 1979-1980 season. Sophomore guard Quentin Grimes was held scoreless in eight minutes against Tulsa before exiting with a hip injury and is doubtful to play, per The Houston Chronicle.

ABOUT MEMPHIS (18-8, 7-6 AAC): AAC Rookie of the Year front-runner and Player of the Year candidate Precious Achiuwa has notched three-straight double-doubles, averaging 20.7 points and 14 rebounds on 45 percent shooting in that span. Since the loss of D.J. Jeffries to a knee injury, freshman Boogie Ellis has stepped into a scoring role, eclipsing double figures six times in the last eight games, shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc in that time. After four straight games in double figures following the loss of Jeffries, fellow first-year guard Lester Quinones has cooled off considerably in the last two games, having made just two total fields goals in the last two contests.

BUZZER-BEATERS

1. Houston has won just once at Memphis since the inception of the AAC.

2. Memphis is first in the nation with a 36.7 field goal percentage defense.

3. Houston is 7-2 as a ranked team this season.

PREDICTION: Houston 77, Memphis 70