No. 9 Gonzaga (9-2) at No. 4 Memphis (9-1) 7:00 pm EST
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Rodney Carney and Memphis return
from the Christmas break with a bang when Adam Morrison and
Gonzaga come to town.
Carney and the fourth-ranked Tigers host their first contest
between Top-10 clubs when the No. 9 Bulldogs visit for an
impressive non-conference matchup on Tuesday.
Although coach John Calipari already has altered his starting
lineup this season, the Tigers are off to their best start in 20
years. The last time that Memphis had a better record after 10
games was 1985-86 when it began 10-0. That squad went on to a
20-0 start en route to losing to Villanova in the national
semifinal.
Carney, the leading scorer at 17.5 points per game, has
flourished in his move to the bench as the Tigers' top reserve
in the past three games. The 6-7 senior, who needs three points
to move past Andre Turner for 10th place on the school's
all-time scoring list, is coming off a career-best 37 points in
a 76-58 win over Louisiana Tech on Tuesday.
Since leaving the starting five on December 10, Carney has
averaged 24.3 points on 49 percent (26-of-53) shooting.
The Bulldogs also feature one of the top scorers in the nation
in Morrison. The 6-8 junior has done little to tarnish his
chances for the Wooden Award this season, leading Division I in
scoring at 27.5.
Morrison was held in check for most of Thursday's contest
against Saint Louis, but scored seven of his 18 points in the
final 4 1/2 minutes to ensure a 60-57 victory.
Plagued by foul trouble, second-leading scorer J.P. Batista had
just eight points and five rebounds for Gonzaga, which has won
its last five games.
This will be the fourth time that Memphis will be involved in a
matchup between a pair of teams ranked within the Top 10. The
last was nearly 10 years ago, when the Tigers fell, 64-61, at
top-ranked Massachusetts on January 4, 1996.
The Bulldogs have faced four previous ranked teams this season,
going 2-2 in those meetings.