MACOMB, Ill. -Â The Western Illinois men's basketball team travels to Tennessee for its final nonconference road game of the 2014-15 season... The Fighting Leathernecks and Tigers are slated to tipoff at 7 p.m. CT inside FedExForum (18,400)... It will mark the first meetings between the two teams.
UP NEXT: After WIU plays at Memphis the Leathernecks return home to finish their nonconference slate and begin Summit League Play as a part of a three-game home stand... Western plays its final game of 2014, and final nonconference game of the season on Dec. 30 when they welcome Anderson (Ind.) to Macomb... The Leathernecks then open league play at home when they welcome Fort Wayne to Macomb to bring in 2015 on Jan. 2, and then play host to Omaha on Jan. 4.
A LOOK AT MEMPHIS: The Memphis Tigers, members of the American Athletic Conference, enter Tuesday's (Dec. 23) contest with a 6-4 overall record... Memphis is coached by Josh Pastner who is in his sixth year at Memphis... Pastner owns a 136-48 overall record in his six seasons as a head coach... The Tigers have won three straight games, with their most recent victory coming against Summit League member Oral Roberts... In their win over Oral Roberts, the Tigers tied a program record with 15 blocked shots... Before their three-game win streak, Memphis had not earned consecutive victories or suffered consecutive losses... Austin Nichols leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.3 points per game with teammate Trahson Burrell right behind him averaging 10.9 points per game... Nichols also averages 3.7 blocks per game... Shaq Goodwin leads the team in rebounds per game (6.2), and Pookie Powell averages a team-best 3.0 assists per game.
LEATHERNECKS VS. TIGERS SERIES HISTORY: Tuesday's meeting will mark the first time the two programs play one another.
ESPN3: Western Illinois is slated to play four more games that will air live on ESPN3... The Leathernecks already played on ESPN3 twice this season, at UIC (Nov. 17) and at Cleveland State (Dec. 7)... The Leathernecks' next game scheduled to air on ESPN3 is Tuesday's (Dec. 23) game at Memphis... Below is a list of WIU remaining games that are slated to air on ESPN3:
Date   Opponent   Result/Time
Dec. 23   at Memphis   7 p.m.
Feb. 5   at South Dakota   7 p.m.
Feb. 12   at Oral Roberts   7 p.m.
Feb. 26Â Â Â at IUPUIÂ Â Â 6 p.m.
PRESEASON FIRST, SECOND OR THIRD: Western Illinois is wrapping up a five-game stretch that includes teams that were picked either first, second or third in their respective conference preseason polls... Western concludes the difficult stretch of games Tuesday in Tennessee when they face the Memphis Tigers who were picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference with 82 points... Before Tuesday's game, WIU opened the stretch on the road earlier this month with losses at Akron (73-49) and Cleveland State (76-54)... Akron was selected to finish first in the Mid-American Conference with 117 points (17 first-place votes)... Cleveland State was selected to finish second in the Horizon League with 335 points (9 first-place votes).... On Dec. 11, WIU beat Idaho (78-75) who was picked to finish third in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll with 97 points (2 first-place points)... In the Leathernecks' most recent action they beat Alabama State (78-68) who was picked to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference with 106 points (4 first-place votes).
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Western Illinois sophomore men's basketball player Garret Covington (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) was named The Summit League ' Player of the Week' last Monday (Dec. 15) after helping the Leathernecks go 2-0 the week prior... It was his second career honor, and first of the 2014-15 season... The sophomore guard, whose 17.8 points per game on the season leads The Summit League in scoring, averaged 22.5 points in this past week's two contests. Covington tallied 27 in WIU's come-from-behind win over Idaho before totaling 18 in the Leathernecks victory over Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) preseason favorite Alabama State.
IN THE CLASSROOM AND ON THE COURT: Two Western Illinois men's basketball players have been named WIU's Papa John's Scholar-Athlete of the week this season for their performances on the court and continued success in the classroom... Most recently sophomore guard Garret Covington earned the honor on Dec. 15, after fellow sophomore guard Jabari Sandifer was recognized on (Dec. 1).
COVINGTON FOR THREE: Sophomore guard Garret Covington has made at least one three-pointer in 25 consecutive games dating back to last season... The streak started last season when WIU played host to William and Mary (Jan. 4, 2014)... Covington had 70 three-pointers as a freshman, and has 28 so far as a sophomore... He has 98 in his career... He has played in 38 career games, has only had three games played without at least one three, and has made at least one triple in 35 games... He has 26 games with multiple three pointers... He has nine games with one trey, five games with two triples, nine games with three makes from long range, nine games with four three pointers, two games with five connections from beyond the arc, and a career-high six three-pointers in one game.
SIX STRAIGHT: In WIU's game versus Idaho (Dec. 11) this month, sophomore guard Garret Covington missed all five of his first-half three-point attempts in the first half before tying the WIU program record in the second half by knocking down six consecutive triples... Only three other Leathernecks have accomplished the impressive streak of three-pointers made: Ceola Clark III, Quentin Mitchell and Toney Hickman...It's the most threes made in a game since Clark drained six against South Dakota in the 2012-13 regular season finale in which Western clinched a share of The Summit League's regular season title.
DOUBLE FIGURES: Sophomore guard Garret Covington has 582 career points and averages 15.3 points per game... He has 30 games with 10 or more points, 21 games having scored between 10-19 points, and nine games with 20-plus points... He finished the Leathernecks' win over Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 22) with 29 points, a career-best... Those 29 points were the most by a member of the program since David Jackson scored 32 against Fort Wayne on Nov. 21, 2006.
SANDIFER THE STAT STUFFER: In Western's recent back-to-back wins on Dec. 11 and Dec. 13, sophomore guard Jabari Sandifer, who leads the team in assists per game (5.1), has finished with impressive stat lines... In the Leathernecks' win over Idaho (Dec. 11), the Naperville, Ill. native had 10 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals... In WIU's victory over Alabama State, Sandifer tallied 11 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals... In the last two games he is averaging 10.5 points, 8.0 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game.
SANDIFER'S ASSISTS: Sophomore guard Jabari Sandifer has 138 assists in his young career, and averages 3.5 per game during his career... As a freshman, he played in all 30 games and averaged 3.1 per game, and has played in all nine games this season and averages 5.3 per game... He has at least one assist in all but one of his 39 career games played... He has multiple assists in 35 of those games... Three-plus assists in 29 career games... 14 games with four-plus... Six games with five-plus... Five games with six-plus... Three games with eight-plus, all this season... And a career-high 13 assists this season versus Greenville College (Nov. 29) while not turning the ball over in 29 minutes of play... His 13 helpers was two shy of WIU's single-game record.
20-PLUS ASSISTS AS A TEAM: As a team, Western Illinois finished three games with 20 or more assists... Most recently, the Leathernecks had 20 assists on 29 made baskets in their win over Alabama State (Dec. 13)... WIU's first game of the season with 20-plus helpers came in its game at UIC (11/17) when the Leathernecks finished with 20 assists on 24 made baskets... The second game this season in which Western had 20 or more assists was in the Leathernecks win over Greenville College (11/29) when they dished out 24 helpers on 35 made baskets... Last season, WIU had three total games with 20-plus assists, all against non-Division I opponents... Before this season, the last time WIU had 20 or more assists against a Division I opponent was Jan. 29, 2012 versus Omaha when the Leathernecks recorded 25.
AS A TEAM IN THE NATION (as of Dec. 19): Western Illinois ranks in the top 100 of six national statistical categories: 72nd in fewest fouls (158), 74th in defensive rebounds per game (26.11), 77th in fewest turnovers (115), 84th in assist/turnover ratio (1.14), 86th in assists per game (14.6), and 91st in three-point field goals per game (7.3).
INDIVIDUALLY IN THE NATION (as of Dec. 19): Two Western Illinois players rank in the top 100 of six national statistical categories: Garret Covington ranks 33rd in three-pointers per game (3.11), 37th in three-point field goal percentage (45.9), 44th in total three-pointers made (28) and 58th in points per game (17.8)... Jabari Sandifer ranks 57th in assists per game (5.1) and 78th in total assists (46).
AS A TEAM IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE (as of Dec. 19): The Leathernecks rank in the top five of 11 league statistical categories: First in defensive rebounds per game (26.1)... Second in opponent field goal percentage (42.5)... Third in least fouls per game (17.6) and steals per game (6.2)... Fourth in three-pointers made per game (7.3), assists per game (14.6) and total rebounds per game (34.9)... Fifth in points per game (66.0), three-point FG percentage (35.1), points per game allowed (69.8) and opponents three-point FG percentage (34.3).
INDIVIDUALLY IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE (as of Dec. 19): Sophomore Garret Covington ranks: First in points per game (17.8)... Second in three-pointers (28)... Third in total points (142)... Fourth in three-point field goal percentage (45.9)... Sixth in total field goals (51) and free throw percentage (78.9)... Sophomore Jabari Sandifer ranks second in total assists (46) and 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.9)... Junior Jamie Batish ranks fifth in assist/turnover ratio (2.5)... Junior guard J.C. Fuller ranks ninth in free throw percentage (76.9).
TEAM LEADERS: Sophomore Garret Covington and junior Tate Stensgaard are the only two Leathernecks to have started all nine games this season for the Leathernecks... Covington also leads the team in points per game (17.8), minutes per game (31.0), field goals (51), three-pointers (28), free throws (30), three-point field goal percentage (45.9) and free throw percentage (78.9)... Stensgaard also leads the team in field goal percentage (51.9) and defensive rebounds (33)... Junior Jalen Chapman leads the team in rebounds per game (5.1), offensive rebounds (18) and blocks (5)... Sophomore Jabari Sandifer leads the team in assists per game (5.1)... Sandifer and Chapman both have a team-best 10 steals.
WIU AND ITS OPPONENTS IN THE NCAA'S DAILY RPI: (as of Dec. 19): Western Illinois has an RPI of 313 in NCAA's Daily RPI... It's opponent's rankings are: 136. Memphis | 137. William and Mary | 140. Akron | 155. North Dakota State | 157. Cleveland State | 173. South Dakota State | 177. Pacific | 196. Denver | 200. Idaho | 201. Oral Roberts | 222. Fort Wayne | 235. Alabama State | 237. Southeastern Louisiana | 255. UIC | 266. South Dakota | 274. Omaha | 309. IUPUI. |
