RUSTON – After a brief stop at home, Louisiana Tech hits the road for two games this week starting on Wednesday against nationally-ranked Memphis.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Wednesday, Dec. 4 | 7 p.m. CT
Location: FedEx Forum (Memphis, Tenn.)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (7-1)
LA Tech suffered its first loss of the season this past Saturday, falling 73-70 to Southern in what was the Bulldogs fourth game in six days. The 'Dogs had won their previous three games trailing each one in the second half by at least eight points.
 
They attempted to pull off another comeback, down by as much as 14 in the second half to the Jaguars. LA Tech was able to go on a 14-1 run to pull to within one but could not pull off this comeback.
 
Daniel Batcho was named Conference USA Player of the Week for a second time this season after averaging 17.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game in the four contests played. He put up a game-high 22 points (his third 20+ scoring perfor­mance this season) to go along with a season-high six blocks against Southern. The power forward currently ranks 27th in the country in scoring (20.1 ppg), fourth in field goal percentage (73.7), and 11th in blocks (2.63 bpg).
 
Al Green was big off the bench for the Bulldogs against the Jaguars, tying his season high with 19 points while also tying his career high with five made three-pointers. He has been the primary sixth man off the bench, averaging 9.1 points per game with four games of double-digit points. Despite not starting, he has played 29+ minutes in four of the last six games.
 
Amaree Abram and Kaden Cooper continue to get things done on the defensive end as both Bulldogs have totaled 21 steals, which leads Conference USA and ranks as the 16th most in the country. Abram has registered at least one steal in all eight games this season (had a career-high six versus Southern Illinois) while Cooper has posted at least four steals in four games.
 
Sean Newman Jr. continues to be one of the top passers in college basketball. He has 70 total on the season for an average of 8.8 dimes per game, both ranking third in the nation. The redshirt junior reached 200 career assists as a Bulldog versus Richmond, tying for the fastest to 200 ever at LA Tech (needed just 34 games to do it). He has recorded at least eight assists in six of the eight games this season.
 
The Bulldogs are 5-0 away from home so far this season, winning at UT Arlington as well as winning all four of their neutral site contests versus UMass, Southern Illinois, Richmond, and Eastern Kentucky.
 
ABOUT #16 MEMPHIS (6-1)
Memphis has gotten off to a hot start, starting with an 83-75 victory over Missouri. The Tigers also collected road victories at UNLV and San Francisco before reaching the championship game of the Maui Invitational.
 
On a national stage, Memphis took down No. 2-ranked and defending national champion UConn, 99-97 in overtime, followed by a 71- 63 win against Michigan State before falling in the title game against No. 4 Auburn that end­ed the Tigers six-game winning streak.
 
Memphis is anchored by a pair of transfer guards in PJ Haggerty (2024 AAC Freshman of the Year at Tulsa) and Tyrese Hunter (2022 Big 12 Freshman of the Year at Iowa State, starter for Texas Longhorns in 2023-24).
 
Haggerty leads the Tigers with an average of 22.1 points per game, having scored 20+ points in five of their seven games. His scor­ing average ranks 12th in the country. He also gets to the foul line a ton, having made 49 free throws which is 11th most in the nation.
 
Meanwhile, Hunter is averaging 16.1 points per contest while shooting 52.4 percent from three-point range, a percentage that ranks 13th in the nation. He had a big game versus the Huskies, scoring 26 points while making 7 of his 10 three-pointers.
 
Memphis has one of the top offenses in the country with an effective field goal percent­age of 56.7 percent and a 46.9 three-point shooting percentage, which is the nation's best. The Tigers have shot at least 50 percent from deep in three games this season, including a 13-of-18 performance against Ohio and 12-of- 22 from long range versus UConn.
 
THE SERIES
Memphis leads the all-time series versus LA Tech, 3-2.  The two teams first matched up in a home-and-home during the 1952-53 season.  The Tigers and Bulldogs did not face of again until 2004 and 2005, both coming in Memphis.
 
The last meeting between the two programs came in 2015 with Memphis prevailing, 94-68, in a contest that was part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational.
 
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