{"id":178376,"date":"2026-03-04T22:03:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T22:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/178376\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T22:03:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T22:03:07","slug":"senior-night-showdown-awaits-as-memphis-hosts-south-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/178376\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior Night Showdown Awaits as Memphis Hosts South Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

MEMPHIS, Tenn. \u2013 Memphis closes out the home portion of its regular season Thursday night, hosting American Conference regular-season champion South Florida at FedExForum. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN2 as the Tigers celebrate Senior Night.
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\nIn a pregame ceremony, Memphis will honor six seniors: Dug McDaniel<\/a>, Sincere Parker<\/a>, Zach Davis<\/a>, Tariq Ingraham<\/a>, Thierno Sylla<\/a> and Mason Matthews<\/a>. The program will also recognize senior managers Jackson Grimes and Owen Petersen.
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\nWith two games remaining, Memphis enters the night fighting to secure a spot in next week’s American Conference Tournament. The Tigers currently sit near the cutoff line in the standings, making Thursday’s matchup a critical one down the stretch.
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\nSouth Florida (21-8, 13-3 American) arrives in Memphis riding a seven-game winning streak after clinching the league’s regular-season title. The Bulls feature the conference’s top scoring offense, powered by Izaiyah Nelson, Wes Enis and Joseph Pinion, a trio that combined for 56 points in the teams’ first meeting on Feb. 19.
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\nMemphis counters with a balanced scoring attack led by Dug McDaniel<\/a> (13.4 ppg), Sincere Parker<\/a> (12.0 ppg) and Curtis Givens III<\/a> (9.4 ppg). Inside, Aaron Bradshaw<\/a> has been one of the Tigers’ most efficient scorers, shooting 57 percent from the floor while averaging 8.9 points per game.
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\nThursday’s contest marks the final opportunity for Memphis to play in front of the home crowd this season as the Tigers look to send their seniors out with a win and strengthen their postseason position.
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\nGAME DETAILS
\nMemphis Tigers (12-17, 7-9 American) vs. South Florida (21-8, 13-3 American)
\nThursday, March 5, 2026 | 8 p.m.
\nFedExForum (18,400); Memphis, Tenn.
\nTelevision:\u00a0ESPN2 (John Schriffen, pxp; Chris Spatola, analyst)
\nRadio:\u00a098.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Ken Moody, analyst)
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\nBY THE NUMBERS<\/p>\n


\n\t10.0: Julius Thedford<\/a> is averaging 10.0 rebounds per 40 minutes, the second-best mark among American Conference guards (min. 300 minutes). Thedford would be the third Memphis guard this century to have a double-figure average along with D.J. Stephens (11.2 in 2012-13) and Trahson Burrell (10.4 in 2015-16).
\n\t10.4: Memphis ranks 12th nationally with 10.4 steals per game at home this season. The Tigers are on pace to become just the third American Conference team to average 10.0+ steals per game, joining: Memphis (10.73) in 2020-21 and UTSA (10.43) last season.
\n\t11.6: Sincere Parker<\/a> is averaging 11.6 points per game off the bench, the seventh-highest average in American Conference history. His 15 double-figure scoring games off the bench this season are tied for the 10th-most in a single season in conference history.
\n\t27: Dug McDaniel<\/a> is 27 points away from becoming the seventh active Division I player with 1,500 career points and 500 assists.
\n\t30.0: Memphis opponents are shooting just 30.0 percent from three this season, a figure that would mark the lowest allowed by an American Conference team since Houston held teams to 27.9 percent in 2022-23.
\n\t31.1%: Since Penny Hardaway<\/a> took over in 2018-19, Memphis has held opponents to just 31.1 percent from three-point range, the fifth-best mark among Division I programs in that stretch. Only Houston (29.2%), Tennessee (30.9%), VCU (31.0%) and Michigan State (31.0%) have allowed a lower percentage in that span.
\n\t33-1: Over the last three seasons, Memphis is 33-1 (.971) when holding opponents to 70 points or fewer, the seventh-best mark in Division I in that span (minimum 10 games). The loss was against Wake Forest (Nov. 21, 2025) after the Deamon Deacons hit a buzzer beater three-pointer to win 69-68. <\/p>\n

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\nSCOUTING THE BULLS<\/p>\n


\n\tUnder first year head coach Bryan Hodgson, South Florida enters Thursday at 21-8 overall and 13-3 in conference play, riding a seven-game win streak.
\n\tThe Bulls lead the conference in scoring at 88.3 points per game (10th in DI) and are on pace to become the highest-scoring team in program history.
\n\tUSF also tops the league in rebounds (42,9; 3rd in DI) and offensive rebounds (15.5, 3rd in DI) per game.
\n\tThe Bulls lead the nation in free throws made per game (20.8) and free-throw attempts (27.9) while their 17.1 assists per game are 29th.
\n\tForward Izaiyah Nelson averages 16.2 points and 10.0 rebounds, leading the conference in rebounding and field-goal percentage (56.8).
\n\tHe is third in the country with 18 double-doubles this season.
\n\tWes Enis (15.9 PPG, 3.5 made threes per game) and Joseph Pinion (14.4 PPG, 3.3 made threes per game) form one of the nation’s most productive 3-point tandems.
\n\tThey both rank in the top-20 nationally in three pointers made per game and in total three-point attempts.
\n\tEnis and Pinion have combined to make 189 three-pointers this season. In comparison, Memphis’ entire team combined had made 193. <\/p>\n

\nUP NEXT
\nThe Tigers close out the regular season with a Sunday road trip to Tulane for a 1 p.m. tip on ESPN+.

\nHOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS:

\nFor complete information on Memphis Tiger Men’s Basketball, visit\u00a0www.GoTigersGo.com<\/a>\u00a0and follow the team’s social media channels on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0
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