Northern Kentucky @ Memphis preview

Memphis will look for a third straight home victory when it hosts non-conference foe Northern Kentucky on Saturday. The Tigers have won two straight after dropping their opener to Alabama, while the Norse are coming off their first loss of the season - a two-point decision to Vermont in the championship game of the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase.

Northern Kentucky coach John Brannen has a nice 1-2 punch offensively in forward Drew McDonald (15.2 points, seven rebounds) and guard Lavone Holland II (15 points, 4.8 assists), each of whom has scored in double figures in all five games of the season. Junior guard Jeremiah Martin has paced Memphis so far, scoring 17 points per contest and hitting a team-best six 3-pointers. Junior forward Kyvon Davenport - a juco transfer - is second on the Tigers in scoring (12.7 points) while being the top rebounder (6.3) for coach Tubby Smith. Senior swingman Jimario Rivers (10.7 points) is a solid scorer, especially in the transition game, which has been Memphis' best source of points with the halfcourt game struggling.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN3

ABOUT NORTHERN KENTUCKY (4-1): The Norse have had a lot of success offensively thanks to great passing by all of the players on the floor for Brannen. Northern Kentucky returned 77 percent of its scoring and 84 percent of its assists from last season, so there was already chemistry for the team to work with, and they have so far, recording assists on 66.2 percent of their made baskets. With that passing comes good shots, which the Norse have taken advantage of, connecting on 62.7 percent of their 2-point shots through five games.

ABOUT MEMPHIS (2-1): Smith has not been happy with the team's halfcourt offense, though he was encouraged by the play against New Orleans, with the Tigers finishing with 15 assists after combining for 16 in the season's first two contests. Memphis has shown a tendency to try to create offense off the dribble rather than passing, which isn't helped by the fact the Tigers have yet to identify consistent outside shooting threats. Martin leads Memphis with 46.2 percent shooting (6-of-13) from beyond the arc, but the rest of the squad is shooting 20 percent - with Davenport the only other player to hit more than one 3-pointer this season.

TIP-INS

1. Rivers recorded a career-high 18 points, hitting on a career-best eight field goals in the win over New Orleans.

2. Memphis has connected on at least one 3-pointer in 555 straight games, a streak that goes back to the 2001-02 campaign.

3. Northern Kentucky has caused a turnover on 24.7 percent of its opponent's possessions this season.

PREDICTION: Memphis 72, Northern Kentucky 67