It’s time we no longer classify these losses as embarrassing. East Carolina. Tulane. Now a USF team that entered this morning’s game in Tampa having lost all six of its home games in AAC play. No, the Memphis Tigers are among the have-nots in the AAC, to say nothing of the larger, 351-team Division 1 picture. If not to be expected, these losses are the state of things at the U of M.
Nehemias Morillo (19 points) and Jahmal McMurray (17) led the way for the Bulls, who ended a nine-game losing streak in the series with Memphis (dating back to January 2003). The Tigers led, 51-49, with eight minutes to play, but USF enjoyed a 7-0 run on its way to outscoring Memphis 31-20 the rest of the contest.
The Tigers shot 36 percent from the field and worse (28 percent) from three-point range. And they missed free throws (10 for 20). Senior forward Dedric Lawson earned his fifth straight double-double (and 13th of the season) with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but senior forward Shaq Goodwin had his worst game in two months (6 points, 2 for 10 from the field). Avery Woodson scored 17 for the Tigers and Nick Marshall added nine points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Now 15-12 (6-8 in the AAC) with only one road win, the Tigers will book the program’s worst road record since at least 1999-2000 when they went 3-8 away from home in Johnny Jones’s lone season as head coach.
The Tigers will host 21st-ranked SMU next Thursday at FedExForum then play their home finale (against Tulsa) on February 28th.