Memphis @ Central Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 10, 2017 ) Memphis 54, Central Florida 84

Central Florida looks to build on a dominating defensive performance when it plays its American Athletic Conference home opener against Memphis on Wednesday. The Knights held East Carolina to 39 points in a 20-point victory Sunday, while the Tigers are coming off an embarrassing 34-point setback to Cincinnati in their league opener.

Junior guard Jeremiah Martin leads the way offensively for coach Tubby Smith, averaging 17.4 points, while junior forward Kyvon Davenport added 12.8 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds. Martin, Davenport and guard Jamal Johnson have taken a combined 181 3-pointers this season even though they combine to shoot just 32.6 percent from beyond the arc, but they'll need to look for the perimeter shot against a tall UCF front line. The Knights are led on both ends of the floor by 7-6 junior center Tacko Fall, who paces the team with 12.2 points along with 7.5 rebounds and an AAC-leading 2.1 blocks. He's joined up front by 6-9 senior forward A.J. Davis, who leads the AAC in rebounding at 9.1 per game to go with his 11.2 points.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN3

ABOUT MEMPHIS (9-5, 0-1 AAC): The loss to Cincinnati could take the Tigers one of two ways: Either they'll start to listen to Smith and play the way he wants, or Smith could lose the team and it could be a long season for Memphis fans. Players admitted after the 82-48 loss that they weren't running the plays Smith was calling, and it certainly showed, as the team managed just 16 points in the first half and shot a season-worst 32.1 percent from the field for the game. Granted, the Bearcats are one of the top defensive teams in the country again this season, but the Tigers weren't working together at all offensively, and Smith is hoping that the embarrassment of the loss will start the team's turnaround into a more cohesive unit.

ABOUT UCF (10-4, 1-1): A player that could have a huge impact on UCF's chances the rest of the season is Dayon Griffin, a junior guard that has been the Knights' most prolific 3-point shooter. With junior guard B.J. Taylor -- last season's leading scorer -- out since the season opener with a foot injury, Griffin has become the main perimeter threat, attempting 72 of the team's 218 3-pointers. With teams packing it in to combat Fall and Davis on the interior, Griffin will have many more opportunities to shoot from the 3-point line, but he needs to get better on his percentages, as he's connected on just 20-of-72 from beyond the arc (27.8 percent).

TIP-INS

1. Memphis ranks last in the AAC in 3-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.

2. UCF ranks seventh in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 60.5 points per game.

3. Fall leads the nation in field-goal percentage, hitting 77.8 percent of his shots from the field.

PREDICTION: UCF 70, Memphis 56