UCF faces Memphis in AAC quarters

Published Mar. 12, 2021 6:30 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Central Florida (11-11, 9-10) vs. No. 3 seed Memphis (15-7, 11-4)

American Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals, Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas; Friday, 10 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: A spot in the AAC semifinals is up for grabs as Central Florida is set to take on Memphis. In the regular season, Memphis won both of the head-to-head matchups. The teams last played on Feb. 3, when the Tigers shot 50.9 percent from the field while holding Central Florida to just 42.1 percent on their way to a 75-61 victory.

BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: Landers Nolley II has put up 13.1 points to lead the way for the Tigers. D.J. Jeffries is also a key contributor, producing 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. The Knights are led by Darius Perry, who is averaging 12.6 points.DOMINANT DARIUS: Perry has connected on 38.3 percent of the 107 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 11 of 27 over the last five games. He's also converted 85.5 percent of his foul shots this season.

PASSING FOR POINTS: The Tigers have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Knights. Memphis has an assist on 50 of 76 field goals (65.8 percent) over its previous three games while Central Florida has assists on 43 of 76 field goals (56.6 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The Memphis defense has allowed only 62.3 points per game to opponents this season, ranking the Tigers 16th among Division I teams. The Central Florida offense has averaged 67.5 points through 22 games (ranked 253rd, nationally).

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