Tigers will play 20-game round-robin basketball schedule

AAC announces scheduling format and timelines for men's and women's basketball seasons

gotigersgo.com MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced the scheduling format and timelines for conference play in the 2020-21 American Athletic Conference men's and women's basketball seasons.

The plan was developed in consultation with The American's athletic directors, senior woman administrators and COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group and was approved unanimously by the member institutions.

The scheduling format consists of 20-game, double round-robin conference schedules in both men's and women's basketball for each of The American's 11 member institutions.

'This format provides a sensible and fair path for all of our men's and women's basketball teams in what will be a challenging upcoming season,' said Aresco. 'It allows each of our teams to play a consistent number of conference games and will ensure that they are competing against teams that are utilizing our strong health and safety protocols.'

In previous seasons, the conference utilized an 18game schedule for conference games in men's basketball and a 16-game conference schedule in women's basketball.

Conference play in men's basketball will begin with three windows for games in December (Dec. 14-17, Dec. 21-23 and Dec. 28-31). The conference schedule in women's basketball will begin with four windows in December (Dec.

14-17, Dec. 18-20, Dec.

21-23 and Dec. 28-31).

The American's men's and women's basketball championships will be contested in the same city and at the same venue for the first time in 2021, as Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, will host both events. The women's basketball championship will run March 8-11, while the men's tournament is set to take place March 11-14.

The full conference schedules, along with television selections and game times, will be announced at a later date.

• Memphis Madness Going Virtual Nov. 12

The University of Memphis will host Memphis Madness on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. as a virtual event to officially introduce the 2020-21 men's and women's basketball teams to Tiger fans.

The event will be free to watch via broadcast on the Memphis TigerNetwork YouTube channel and is presented by Ashley HomeStore. Click here to view the channel.

Memphis Madness will be a 30-minute program introducing players and coaches with Tiger student-athletes showcasing their skills throughout. The Memphis pom and cheer squads will also perform.

• Memphis Basketball Picked to Finish 2nd in American Athletic Conference Preseason Poll

The American Athletic Conference coaches have selected the 2020-21 Memphis men's basketball team to finish second in the conference preseason poll.

Third-year head coach Penny Hardaway's team received two first-place votes and 90 total voting points from the other 10 AAC coaches. Houston is picked to win the conference with nine first-place votes and 90 total.

Tiger freshman center Moussa Cisse is the Preseason Rookie of the Year. One of the top recruits in the country, Cisse led Lausanne Collegiate School to the 2019-20 Tennessee Division II-A state title. In his final high school season, Cisse averaged 18.4 points, 15.3 rebounds and 9.2 blocks.

Sophomore forward D.J.

Jeffries and sophomore guard Landers Nolley II are both second-team selections. The 6-foot-7 Jeffries appeared in 19 games with 13 starts last season, averaging 10.8 points and 4.3 rebounds as a freshman.

Nolley, a 6-foot-7 transfer from Virginia Tech, joins the Tigers after averaging 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists while earning Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman Team honors for the Hokies last season.

Last season, the Tigers finished 21-10 overall and 10-8 in AAC play. The season was canceled just prior to the conference tournament due to the COVID-19 health emergency.

Eight of the 14 players on Memphis' roster have started at least 13 games at the Division I level. That list includes Jeffries (13), Nolley II (29), guard Alex Lomax (15), guard Boogie Ellis (27), guard Damion Baugh (25), guard Lester Quinones (23), forward DeAndre Williams (15) and forward Lance Thomas (13).