The New Orleans Privateers men’s basketball team will face the Memphis Tigers in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday at FedEx Forum. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
New Orleans, holding a 2-5 record, recently played two power conference teams during Thanksgiving week. The Privateers narrowly lost to Mississippi State in overtime, 81-78, and were defeated by #20 Texas Tech, 82-50. In the game against Mississippi State, four Privateer players scored in double figures. MJ Thomas and Churchill Abass each recorded double-doubles with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Jakevion Buckley has achieved two double-doubles this season: a 15-point, 12-assist performance at Tulane and a 25-point, 14-rebound effort at Fresno State. His points-assists double-double against Tulane was the first for a Privateer since 2018 and only the seventh since 1996. Buckley is among just ten NCAA players this season with a points-assists double-double.
Coleton Benson enters the upcoming game having made all of his free throw attempts so far this season—24 out of 24. He is one of six players nationwide who remain perfect from the free throw line while averaging at least 2.5 made free throws per game. The school record for consecutive free throws made stands at 32 by Terry Gill in December of 1971.
Privateer basketball players have combined for four double-doubles this season (Buckley with two, Abass and Thomas with one each), which is currently the highest total in the Southland Conference. New Orleans also leads the conference with three different athletes recording double-doubles.
The Privateers are seeking their first win over Memphis as they prepare for their eleventh meeting against the Tigers. Their last encounter took place in 2019 at FedEx Forum. Six out of ten games between these teams have been decided by single-digit margins.
Memphis holds a record of 2-4 after defeating Southern Illinois, 74-58. Julius Thedford and Dug McDaniel each contributed 15 points in that victory. Memphis also won its home opener against San Francisco.
Penny Hardaway serves as head coach for Memphis in his eighth season and has won nearly seventy percent of his games with the Tigers—68.4 percent across 228 contests. Memphis was named preseason favorite to win the American Athletic Conference, while McDaniel and Aaron Bradshaw received preseason all-conference honors.
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