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Memphis seeks continued success vs. Southern Miss

Mar 14, 2008 - 2:03 PM Southern Miss (19-13) at No. 3 Memphis (31-1) 4:30 pm EDT

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Ticker) - Even with just a single loss on their schedule, Memphis understands an unexpected setback this week may cost it a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The third-ranked Tigers continue their run for a third consecutive championship on Friday when they meet Southern Mississippi in the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament.

Each of the three seasons that Conference USA has held its conference tournament at the FedEx Forum, Memphis has been in the finals, winning each of the last two times. After back-to-back 16-0 regular-season conference finishes, the Tigers know expectations will be high for a third straight championship.

Memphis showed the necessary urgency in its first game of the tournament on Thursday with a 75-56 victory over Tulane in Thursday's quarterfinals. The Tigers jumped out to an early 16-4 lead and never looked back. Juniors Chris Douglas-Roberts and Robert Dozier scored 17 and 14 points, respectively, in the win.

The Golden Eagles have dropped nine straight meetings - including two this season - against Memphis since a 66-63 win on January 10, 2004. That streak includes an 83-47 rout the last time they visited Memphis.

Southern Mississippi notched its fourth straight win in Thursday's 68-62 first-round victory over Central Florida. Freshman guard R.L. Horton scored 18 points, hitting several key free throws down the stretch to secure the win.