Tulsa @ Memphis preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 30, 2019 ) Memphis 79, Tulsa 95

Tulsa and Memphis try to build some momentum heading into next week's American Athletic Conference tournament when they clash in their regular-season finale Saturday in Memphis. The Tigers, who will host the conference tournament, are coming off a 71-69 loss to No. 19 Cincinnati last Saturday that snapped their three-game winning streak, while the Golden Hurricane have won two straight and could move up in the league standings with a victory.

DaQuan Jeffries, who leads Tulsa in scoring (13.2 points) and rebounding (5.6), had a big performance against Memphis in their first meeting this season as he scored a career-high 25 points to lead the team to a 16-point victory. A key for coach Frank Haith's squad in this one will be the inside play of Martins Igbanu (12.7 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Jeriah Horne (9.9, 5) after Memphis won the rebounding battle in the first meeting. A pair of seniors playing their final regular-season home game - Jeremiah Martin (league-leading 19.7 points, 4.4 assists) and Kyvon Davenport (13.3, 7 rebounds) - will lead Memphis' attack. A total of five seniors will play for coach Anfernee Hardaway in this one, but freshman guard Tyler Harris (11 points, 2.1 assists) will see plenty of time after he hit four 3-pointers en route to 18 points in the first meeting.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT TULSA (18-12, 8-9 American): The offense seems to have found its groove at just the right time, with the team scoring 91 points in its win over East Carolina on Sunday - its first 90-point performance since it produced 95 against Memphis at the end of January. The Golden Hurricane shot a season-best 59.3 percent against the Pirates, with Curran Scott scoring a season-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting for his third straight double-digit scoring effort. Scott, who is averaging 8.8 points, has been hot from beyond the arc lately, hitting nine of his 39 3-pointers this season over the last three contests.

ABOUT MEMPHIS (18-12, 10-7): Memphis is locked into the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament, so there's no seeding for which to play in this contest, but that doesn't mean the team won't be trying to win. Hardaway certainly wants to get back in the win column after a difficult loss at Cincinnati in which the Tigers turned over the ball in the final seconds when they had a chance to tie the contest. One big positive from the loss was Isaiah Maurice, who finished with a season-best 14 points and seven rebounds in a season-high 25 minutes, and Hardaway may try to get him on the court more in this one as well.

TIP-INS

1. Igbanu ranks second in the AAC in field-goal percentage (63.4 percent) and has made 34 of his last 39 attempts over the last five contests.

2. Martin is the only player to rank in the conference's top five in scoring, assists (fourth) and steals (second with 2.2).

3. Memphis leads the AAC in both scoring (81.8 points) and assists (15.7).

PREDICTION: Memphis 93, Tulsa 84