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Memphis is confident that it can defend its home court, but knows it must also win on the road to make another run for a Conference USA title. The 20th-ranked Tigers look to earn another victory away from home when they meet Southern Mississippi on Saturday. Memphis (12-3, 2-0) has won two of the last three Conference USA regular season championships, and was selected by the league coaches to win again this year in a preseason poll. The Tigers went 19-1 at home last season en route to the conference title and are 9-0 at FedEx Forum this season, but are in the midst of playing three of four games on the road. "We know we can get the ones at home," senior guard Jeremy Hunt said. "But to come into somebody else's place and be mentally tough enough to pull out the victory, that means a lot." Memphis lost at Tennessee and then-No. 9 Arizona last month before beating Houston 79-69 on Thursday for its first road win of the season. "You've got to break the seal," coach John Calipari said, "and now, start winning road games." The Tigers shot 60.0 percent from the floor Thursday and showed their versatility by dominating the inside and outside, scoring 40 points in the paint and making 10-of-16 3-pointers. Hunt scored 14 points and hit 3-of-4 3-pointers after scoring a career-high 24 on 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc in a win over Cincinnati on Jan. 4. He was named the C-USA player of the week last week, and is averaging 17.4 points on 50.0 percent shooting from 3-point range over his last five games. The Tigers have won four straight, outscoring their opponents by 27.0 points and shooting 53.4 percent from the field during that stretch. Memphis is Conference USA's top-scoring team with 82.2 points per game, but Southern Miss (11-3, 1-0) is allowing the fewest points in the league at 57.3 a contest. The Tigers have dominated the series with the Golden Eagles, winning five straight by an average of 20.0 points. Southern Miss beat SMU 57-56 in its conference opener on Wednesday, but has not opened league play with consecutive wins since the 2002-03 season. The Golden Eagles are just 6-25 in conference games over the past three seasons. They led by as many as 21 points in the first half Wednesday to take a 37-19 advantage at the break, but allowed the Mustangs to take the lead with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Southern Miss, though, went ahead for good with 92 seconds left on a layup by Andre Stephens. The Golden Eagles lost 77-64 to then-No. 9 Alabama on Dec. 16, their eighth straight defeat to a ranked opponent. They have won just two of their last 20 matchups with Top 25 teams since 1996.
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