• The Pirates enter Wednesday’s game with a record of 6-10 and 0-2 in C-USA play (losses to UAB and Marshall). ECU hasn’t fared well against major-conference competition, losing by 31 to Wake Forest and 39 to Tennessee. Their top scorer is junior guard Brock Young (16.1 ppg). Three other Pirates average double figures in the scoring column: forwards Darrius Morrow and Jamar Abrams, and guard Jontae Sherrod.
• The Tigers and Pirates have played seven times, with the U of M winning every game. The closest contests came in 2004 and 2005, when the Tigers won each time by six points. In last year’s game (in Greenville), Willie Kemp hit three treys in the 85-64 victory. Abrams led the Pirates with 18 points.
• A victory tonight for Memphis would be the Tigers’ 51st consecutive regular-season win in C-USA play. The streak would surpass UCLA’s record of 50 straight regular-season wins (in the Pac 8) from 1970 to 1974. Including postseason games, a win would be the 63rd straight for the Tigers, one shy of Kentucky’s record in the SEC (1945-50).
• Currently ranked 101st in the RPI index, the Tigers won’t gain much by beating ECU (156) at home. The RPI rankings of the Tigers’ next three opponents: Rice (260), UTEP (137), Houston (144).
• With eight points, Doneal Mack will become the 46th Tiger to score 1,000 in his career. If Mack continues to average 10 points a game, he has a shot at catching Vincent Askew (1,171, 27th) or even Marcus Moody (1,208, 24th) on the all-time Tiger scoring chart.
