GAME NOTES: The 22nd-ranked Memphis Tigers are considered the class of Conference USA once again, and they will attempt to add a victory to their non-league record against Lamar tonight. The Cardinals enter this contest with a 5-7 overall record that includes an 0-5 mark in true road games. On a positive note, two of the last three outings overall have resulted in wins, including a 74-53 decision over Northern Illinois last week. Memphis was most recently in action on Saturday when it cruised to an 86-46 decision over Middle Tennessee to improve to 7-0 at home. The Tigers have won three of their last four games overall to move to 9-3 on the season, and the three losses have come against teams from the SEC, ACC and Pac-10. Memphis holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series with Lamar, including a 108-83 victory in last season's meeting with the Cardinals.

All five starters scored in double figures for Lamar in the romp over Northern Illinois last time out. Leading the way offensively for the squad was Lamar Sanders, as he racked up 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor to go along with 17 rebounds. James Davis pitched in 14 points, six assists, four blocks and three steals, proof of his versatility. Darren Hopkins and Currye Todd contributed 13 points apiece, and Matthew Barrow netted 11 points. The Cardinals connected on 50 percent of their field goal attempts in the tilt and limited the Huskies to 40 percent efficiency. Overall this season, Davis is racking up 17.2 ppg and 8.5 rpg, while Sanders is contributing 13.0 ppg and 9.9 rpg. As for Hopkins, he posted 12.9 ppg on 45.3 percent accuracy from three-point range. Lamar is scoring 70.7 ppg, but it is allowing its opponents to tally 74.3 ppg.

Chris Douglas-Roberts has emerged as the go-to guy at the offensive end for Memphis, and the standout sophomore is netting 15.6 ppg on 55.1 percent shooting from the floor. Jeremy Hunt is not a starter, but he is still second on the team in scoring with 13.1 ppg despite the fact that he only plays about 22 minutes per game. The third and final double-digit scorer on the roster is Robert Dozier with 10.9 ppg. Memphis is racking up 81.6 ppg while limiting its opponents to 66.8 ppg on 38.6 percent shooting from the floor. Doneal Mack led the way for Memphis in the romp over Middle Tennessee with 18 points off the bench on 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range, and Hunt contributed 16 points. Douglas-Roberts pitched in 13 points, while Dozier and Willie Kemp added 11 points apiece. Kemp also dished out nine assists against only one turnover, and Memphis earned a 43-24 rebounding advantage.

Clearly, Memphis is the smart pick in this contest, as it will likely be well ahead of Lamar by intermission. Don't expect the Tigers to lose any more than four games for the rest of the regular season.