Mercer @ Memphis preview

The best news for Memphis after an ugly performance Thursday in a loss at UAB is the Tigers get a chance to move on quickly, hosting Mercer on Saturday. The Tigers scored just 21 points in a dreadful first half against the Blazers en route to a 71-56 defeat, during which Memphis shot just 1-of-8 from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes and finished the game 4-of-10 from the free-throw line as its three-game winning streak ended.

So the Tigers, in the words of coach Tubby Smith to reporters afterward, “go back to the drawing board.” There will be a heavy emphasis on getting good shots from the beginning Saturday after Memphis missed its first six attempts against UAB and did not score from the field for more than the first five minutes. Jeremiah Martin and Kyvon Davenport combined for 32 points, but the rest of the Tigers shot 2-of-10 from 3-point range. The Bears, who reached the championship game of the Paradise Jam last month, fell at Tennessee 84-60 on Wednesday.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, ESPN3

ABOUT MERCER (5-3): The Bears have played two games in a row without leading scorer Ria’n Holland, who averages 20.2 points per game but is hindered by an ankle injury. Jordan Strawberry led Mercer with 20 points in the Tennessee loss and has scored 31 in the two games Holland has missed. Mercer defeated Liberty and Drexel in the Paradise Jam before losing 79-70 to Colorado in the title game.

ABOUT MEMPHIS (3-2): Martin (16.8 points per game) and Davenport (13.6) both hit three 3-pointers Thursday to keep the final score respectful, but for the season the Tigers are scoring just 67 per game. Memphis has faced a double-digit first-half deficit in three of its past four games. The Tigers gave up 16 points off turnovers Thursday and finished with a season-low three steals.

TIP-INS

1. The Tigers play seven of the next eight games at home, sandwiching a contest against No. 17 Louisville in New York on Dec. 16.

2. Memphis senior G/F Jimario Rivers is shooting 54.1 percent from the field despite going 0-for-4 Thursday.

3. The Tigers started the weekend ranked 328th in the nation in free-throw shooting (63.1 percent).

PREDICTION: Memphis 72, Mercer 66