As the return of Josh Pastner was celebrated pre-game, Memphis and UNLV tipped off on Sunday afternoon in Memphis. We at 4 Star Sports Media will have more on this game, but this brief first-half recap will provide some clarity on the halftime score of 49-36 UNLV.
Memphis Versus UNLV – First Half
Starter Shake Up
We saw Penny Hardaway shake the lineup around for this game. The Tigers started Dug McDaniel, Curtis Givens III, Julius Thedford, Ashton Hardaway, and Thierno Sylla. These are tasked with defending a team, in UNLV, who has a fast-paced style combined with a hard-nosed defense, aka Josh Pastner led team.
Givens Sparks Start
To start the game, we watched Givens III start scorching hot as he scored the first six points for Memphis. This led to others, such as Sincere Parker off the bench, putting the ball in the basket for Memphis. At the half, Memphis was led, in points, by Julius Thedford, with 7. In rebounds, Quante Berry leads Memphis with 2, which has been an issue for Memphis in this first half. It is clear that at this point in the season, which is early, this team lacks a prolific scorer. More importantly, Memphis does not have a go-to scorer. Which needs to be found soon for success.
Runnin Rebels Ooze Pastner
The Rebels are taking their name literally. Entering the game, the Runnin’ Rebels averaged 91 points per game. This team is running and chaotic, just as Pastner said in his opening presser was their new identity. Leading the Rebels is Howie Fleming Jr, with 21 at the break. The Tigers have been outplayed by a more physical UNLV team so far in Memphis.
Fouls Are A Problem
As we have seen with this Tigers team, fouls are a popular stat to achieve for the new roster. We understand that they have not played with each other much and may not know how to defend together. But, between the fouls, at half, and effort on the glass, this roster has glaring issues. At the half, Memphis has 12 fouls and is being outrebounded 18 to 12 at the break.
What Will the Second Half Bring?
With the deficit at what it is, eyes will be on Memphis to see if it can recover. Memphis is currently on an 11-game home winning streak. Will they be Runnin with a loss? Or, will adjustments be made by this staff? So far in this game, Memphis has been exposed with stagnant defense and being outworked on the glass and in transition, as Memphis only led once for one and a half minutes.
