Our #6 Cards (8-1) will mix it up with an old foe on Saturday when they travel to face Memphis (6-2). Its always great when these two long time rivals get together. After a six-year hoops hiatus, Memphis and Louisville renewed their longtime rivalry in the 2011. The contest Saturday will be the 87th meeting between the rivals, with the Cardinals holding a 52-34 advantage in the series. In addition to being fellow C-USA members from 1996-2005, they also competed as league foes in the Missouri Valley Conference from 1968-73 and Metro Conference from 1976-91. I’m glad we are mixing it up with these guys again.

Josh Pastner is entering his fourth season as Memphis head coach and is 75-29 over three seasons. And even though the Tigers haven’t been able to win a NCAA game during that time they have been solid in the regular season. Pastner will get some key minutes from some talented youngsters, but his roster is heavy with proven veterans. The Tigers were in the Bahamas with the Cards and they had a rough go of it losing 2 out of the 3 games they played. After struggling early Pastner decided to make a lineup swap and moved Joe Jackson to shooting guard with Chris Crawford playing point. Since he made this switch they have been dominating their opponents. But none the caliber of Louisville. The Tigers are currently ranked 69th in points per game, 103rd in rebounding per game, 47th in assist per game and 35th in field goal percentage per game.

Ferrakohn Hall SR (2.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg) 6-8 F doesn’t pile up lofty statistics, but he does provide energy and contributes a lot of the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. He has scored 20 pts this season grabbed 21 rebounds in 61 min of PT this season.

Charles Holt SR (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 5-10 G Has not played this season.

D.J. Stephens SR (5.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) 6-5 G/F is one of the more athletic players on this Memphis team and has impressive leaping ability. He doesn’t have to score points to make an impact. He has helped the Tigers win a lot if games. He has scored 45 pts this season, grabbed 42 rebounds in 144 min of PT this season.

Stan Simpson SR (2.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg) 6-10 F The junior college transfer, who began his college career at Illinois, had a disappointing first year with the Tigers. And he hasn’t been that productive this season either. He has scored 16 pts, grabbed 9 rebounds in 59 min of PT this season.

Joe Jackson JR (10.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg) 6-1 G is ultra-quick and naturally talented. But some think he hasn’t lived up to his full potential. He has struggled with consistency and there have been times over the last two seasons that Jackson has been a special player. At other times, though, he’s not played up to his ability. The recent move back to SG has got him going though. He has scored 85 pts, grabbed 21 rebounds, has 31 assist in 219 min of PT this season.

Antonio Barton JR (7.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg) 6-2 G is a under the radar guy who has been really good for Memphis. He’s a tough hard-nosed guy who does his job. Shares PG spot with Crawford. He has scored 63 pts, grabbed 17 rebounds, has 12 assist in 203 min if PT this season.

Chris Crawford JR (9.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg) 6-4 G is a very good perimeter defender and although he’s inconsistent, he’s one of the team’s best 3-point shooters. Since being moved to PG he has a very impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 3 to 1. He has scored 73 pts this season, grabbed 37 rebounds, has 25 assist in 233 min of PT this season.

Tarik Black JR (10.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg) 6-9 F is money when he gets the ball around the basket. He converted a school record 68.9 percent of his shots last season. He is also an excellent offensive rebounder but does struggle on the defensive glass. He has scored 73 pts this season and grabbed 34 rebounds in 153 min of PT.

Trey Draper JR (0.7 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 5-10 G has only played 2 min this season.

Geron Johnson JR (11.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg) 6-3 G is an explosive athlete who landed with the Tigers officially in late August, after finishing up some schoolwork and being admitted into the university. He is a dynamic combo guard and is an all-around talent who has fit into this Memphis rotation quickly. He has scored 55 pts this season, grabbed 21 rebounds, has 17 assist in 115 min of PT this season.

Adonis Thomas SOPH (10.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg) 6-7 G/F would probably be in the NBA had he not had to sit for most of last season with an ankle injury. The former McDonald’s All-American is a great shooter and rebounder. He has scored 87 pts, grabbed 30 rebounds, has 12 assist in 216 min of PT.

Hippolyte Tsafack SOPH (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-8 F has not played this season.

Shaq Goodwin FR (8.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) 6-9 F is the most decorated player in the Memphis’ signing class and probably the most talented C-USA newcomer. ESPN rated him a four-star recruit, the No. 8 power forward in the class of 2012 and the No. 31 player overall. He is still adjusting to the college game but is a very good player. He has scored 69 pts, grabbed 49 rebounds, has 14 assist in 172 min of PT this season.

Damien Wilson FR (1.7 ppg, 0.2 rpg) 6-6 G was part of an Oak Hill team that was 44-0 and won the FAB 50 national championship last season. He is a winner. He is a slasher and is very aggressive at getting to the rim. He has played limited min this season scoring only 10 pts.

Anthony Cole FR (0.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg) 6-0 G has only played 2 min this season.

This game was named the #5 OOC game of the season by Sports Illustrated’s Andy Glockner. Here’s what he said: ”The Tigers know CUSA isn’t that strong this season, and their non-conference schedule is providing them with numerous chances to impress. This is probably the choicest of the bunch, though, getting a top-5 team and a regional rival to come to them. We’ll know a ton about Memphis’ maturity after this one.”

The Tigers have been a team that don’t handle pressure well, don’t guard the three well and they haven’t rebounded well. They will be facing a Louisville team that is out-scoring opponents by 21 points per contest, and holding them to only 54 ppg. They force 22 turnovers per game, and out-rebound the opposition by 8 per outing. I do think this is a good match-up for our Cards but this Memphis team is very talented and very capable of pulling of the upset in this early season game. They are very good at sharing the basketball and are one of the best assist teams in the nation. They do get out in transition very well. So our defense will be tested as they were against Duke. They will have a great home crowd behind them and will play the best game of their season.

This will be one of the toughest games of the season for the Cards. In probably one of the most hostile environments they will face all season. We will find out a lot about our team in this one. I like the Cards in this up and down the floor slug-fest. “IN RUSS I TRUST”.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 89 Memphis 83