Memphis basketball vs. Alabama State: Scouting report, score prediction
Memphis basketball point guard Jahvon Quinerly answered the question with a question.
“That was a Quad 1 win, right?” he said last week when a reporter asked what the Tigers’ come-from-behind win at Missouri has done for the team’s confidence.
“First time playing in front of a sold-out arena, (we) could’ve looked scared out there,” Quinerly continued. “I’m just excited with the fight that we showed tonight.”
Memphis (2-0) will try to build on the momentum from the Missouri victory Friday (7 p.m., ESPN+) when it returns to FedExForum to face Alabama State. The Hornets (1-2) – coached by former Tiger and former Tigers assistant coach Tony Madlock – are coming off a 64-point win over Division III Oglethorpe University.
Tigers assistant Rick Stansbury will serve as acting head coach for the third and final time this season, as Penny Hardaway’s NCAA-mandated suspension expires following the game.
Here are three things to keep an eye on:
Will aggressiveness roll over?
Stansbury was proud of many things from the win against Missouri.
Perhaps, though, none more so than the Tigers' aggressive approach. The former Mississippi State and Western Kentucky coach said it played out most tangibly in the rebounding battle and, by extension, the second-chance points department.
Memphis out-rebounded Missouri 47-33, and took that dominance a step further by finishing the game with a 12-0 advantage in second-chance points.
“We wanted to be the aggressor as much as we could, (and) I think that’s an extension of being aggressive,” Stansbury said.
Free throws still a sore spot
It hasn't cost them yet, but the Tigers continue to struggle at the free-throw line.
Sure, the sample size is relatively small. Nevertheless, two games in, Memphis has hit just 61.5% of its free-throw attempts. Quinerly, Jayden Hardaway and Caleb Mills are tops on the team among players with at least six attempts with a combined 81% rate. Everyone else is shooting 39%.
It likely won't cost them Friday, either, if the issues continue. But Alabama State may very well give the Tigers plenty of practice, since the Hornets have one of the higher defensive free throw rates (42.9%) in the country.
Alabama State scouting report
The Hornets have played two games against Division I teams (Ole Miss and Iowa), losing both. In the season opener versus the Rebels, Alabama State trailed by just one point with under 12 minutes to play, but Ole Miss pulled away late.
TJ Madlock, a former Houston standout, is averaging 17 points a game. Former Memphis commit Amarr Knox (Bartlett) is putting up 9.7 per game. Former Fayette Ware star Jasteven Walker (a 6-10 forward) is at 8.7 points and 5.0 rebounds a game.
The Hornets have defended the 3-pointer well this season, allowing opponents to hit just 27.6% from deep.
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Memphis vs. Alabama State score prediction
Memphis 92, Alabama State 63: As the Battle 4 Atlantis looms, now is not the time for the Tigers to take their foot off the gas.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball vs. Alabama State: Scouting report, score prediction
