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Virginia Basketball vs. Memphis Game Preview, Score Prediction

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See our game blog for Virginia vs. Memphis with score updates and live analysis here: Virginia vs. Memphis Live Updates | NCAA Men's Basketball

Virginia will take another shot at a ranked opponent, but this time at home, as the Cavaliers host No. 21 Memphis on Wednesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. The Tigers thrashed the Cavaliers 77-54 last season in Memphis, but both teams have changed quite a bit since then, with Memphis overhauling its roster and UVA experiencing a major coaching change.

Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Memphis, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a score prediction for Wednesday's matchup.

Virginia vs. Memphis Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (6-4) vs. Memphis Tigers (8-2)

When: Wednesday, December 18th at 7pm ET

Where: John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) in Charlottesville, VA

How to watch: ESPN2

How to listen: SiriusXM 380, SXM App 970 | Virginia Sports Radio Network

All-time series: Tied 1-1

Last meeting: Memphis defeated Virginia 77-54 on December 19th, 2023 in Memphis.

Virginia vs. Memphis Game Notes

  • The series between Virginia and Memphis is tied at 1-1.
  • UVA won the first meeting between the two programs back on March 23rd, 2014, with the Cavaliers beating the Tigers 78-60 in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament in Raleigh.
  • Memphis won the most recent matchup, which came last season, when the Tigers beat the Cavaliers 77-54 on December 19th, 2023 at FedEx Forum in Memphis.
  • This will be the first meeting between these two programs in Charlottesville.
  • UVA is 5-0 at home this season and 103-10 against non-conference opponents at John Paul Jones Arena since the start of the 2009-2010 season.
  • Memphis is ranked No. 21 in this week's AP Top 25. Virginia is 0-3 against ranked opponents so far this season.
  • UVA is 29-39 all-time against current members of the American Athletic Conference. This is the only AAC team on Virginia's regular season schedule this season.

Scouting Report: Memphis

2023-2024: 22-10, 11-7 AAC (5th)
2024-2025: 8-2

Memphis is the epitome of the transfer portal era of college athletics. The whole roster essentially left after the 2023-2024 season, including head coach Penny Hardaway's son, Ashton Hardaway, who transferred to Saint Mary's. Each of the Tigers' top six leading scorers from last season are gone and only one player who played significant minutes in the rotation is back this season.

Memphis completely reloaded through the transfer portal and that strategy seems to be working pretty well so far. The Tigers won their first six games, including big wins over UConn and Michigan State in Maui before falling to Auburn in the title game of that tournament. Memphis then slipped up in a surprising loss to Arkansas State, but bounced back in the next game, taking down Clemson 87-82 in overtime on the road. This will be the second road game against an ACC opponent in a row for the Tigers, who wrap up non-conference play with games against Clemson, Virginia, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss. Penny Hardaway's squad should enter AAC play battle-tested.

Memphis is led by a trio of guard transfers who can all shoot and handle the ball. Tulsa transfer PJ Haggerty leads the way, averaging 21.9 points per game to go along with 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. He's good for a couple of takeaways each game and is also shooting 39.4% from beyond the arc. Haggerty mostly leaves the three-point shooting to his backcourt partners though, as Texas transfer Tyrese Hunter is shooting a blazing 51.6% from three on 6.2 attempts per game. Hunter is averaging 16.0 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game and he is having the best season of his four-year career. 6'5" guard Colby Rogers, a transfer from Wichita State, is averaging 13.4 points per game and is also a very good three-point shooter, knocking down 44.6% of his triples on 5.6 attempts per game.

The lone holdover from last year's roster is Nick Jourdain, a 6'8" forward who is averaging 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and shooting 35.7% from three. Rounding out the starting five is 6'10" center Moussa Cisse, who has been on quite the full circle journey during his college career. Cisse started his college basketball career at Memphis in the 2020-2021 season, then transferred to Oklahoma State for two years, then spent last year at Ole Miss before transferring back to Memphis for this season. He is averaging 5.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

The fourth-leading scorer for Memphis comes off the bench. Illinois transfer Dain Dainja, a 6'9" forward who started his career at Baylor, is averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Look for UTSA transfer guard PJ Carter and George Mason transfer guard Baraka Okojie, who both play double digit minutes off the bench as well for the Tigers who run an eight-man rotation for the most part.

Memphis is the second-best three-point shooting team in college basketball, shooting 44.3% as a team. But the Tigers aren't just jacking up threes all the time; they take less than 20 threes per game, 327th in the country. Memphis makes a concerted effort to get paint touches and earn trips to the free throw line, ranking 14th in the nation in free throw attempts and 12th in free throws made.

What to Watch For in Virginia vs. Memphis

Dai Dai Ames back?
It was far from an official injury report, but Ron Sanchez told John Freeman on the Coach's Corner radio show on Monday night that Dai Dai Ames has been practicing and is expected to be available for the Memphis game. That's a huge development for the Cavaliers, who looked even more lost than usual on the offensive end against SMU and Bethune-Cookman without Ames, the only player on the roster capable of consistently touching the paint off the dribble and, until Christian Bliss gets healthy, the only natural point guard the Cavaliers have on their roster. The return of Ames doesn't necessarily mean Virginia is going to win on Wednesday, but the Hoos have a much better chance with him on the floor than they do without him.

Defending the Memphis guards
PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter, and Colby Rogers are responsible for more than 63% of the Tigers' scoring production. Whether it's the three-point shooting prowess of Hunter (51.6%) and Rogers (44.6%) or the ability of all three players to attack the paint off the dribble, the UVA defense will have its hands full on Wednesday night. Virginia's defense has been a work in progress this season and there are a lot of things that need to be worked on, but the Cavalier guards are going to be put to the test on the defensive end.

Can Virginia keep up with a ranked team?
Virginia has faced three ranked teams so far this season, losing all three games by a combined 65 points. Not many expected the Cavaliers to win any of those games, but the way that UVA was outclassed in each of those matchups has caused legitimate concerns over whether Virginia can even be competitive against the top half of the ACC this season. This is the first time UVA has gotten a chance against a "good" team at home at JPJ this season; the Hoos have to find a way to keep this a competitive game at the very least.

Bonus: Virginia is bringing back the classic all-orange throwback uniforms for the first time in... what feels like forever. Maybe the orange will deliver the Hoos to a season-changing victory.

Virginia vs. Memphis Prediction

Even with Dai Dai Ames expected to play, Virginia will not be able to keep up with the three-point shooting, off-the-dribble playmaking, and athleticism of the Memphis guards. UVA makes it respectable, but loses another ranked matchup.

Score prediction: Memphis 73, Virginia 63

More Virginia Basketball News

Sanchez Gives Injury Update on Dai Dai Ames on Coach's Corner Radio Show

Report: UVA Basketball Set to Host Bosnian Sharpshooter for Visit

Point/Counterpoint: Injury Reports and Gambling in College Sports

VIDEO/Transcript: Ron Sanchez Talks UVA Basketball's Win Over Bethune-Bookman

The Plus/Minus: Virginia Takes Down Bethune-Cookman

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Matt Newton
MATTHEW NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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