GAME NOTES: The top-ranked Memphis Tigers continue their trek toward a possible undefeated season when they host Conference USA rival Texas-El Paso this afternoon at FedEx Forum. UTEP enters today's tilt riding a modest two-game win streak, which includes a 90-79 triumph over Southern Miss on Wednesday night. The Miners are a solid 13-6 on the year, including 4-2 in C-USA action. UTEP is facing the No. 1 team in the land for the first time since 1979 when it lost to Indiana on the road in a 74-43 final. The Miners are just 2-5 in true road bouts this season and they have dropped nine of their last 10 away from home against C-USA foes, dating back to last season. UTEP has lost 16 straight on the floor of a ranked opponent. Memphis took care of Houston on Wednesday to improve to 20-0, marking the program's best start ever. The 89-77 victory over the Cougars also ran the team's league mark to 6-0. Memphis is 11-0 at home this season, logging an average margin of victory of nearly 26 ppg in those games. Overall, the Tigers have won a national-best 43 straight home games. Memphis owns a 6-1 edge in the all-time series with UTEP, and is 4-0 at home versus the Miners.

UTEP has performed exceptionally well at the offensive end this season, averaging 78.3 ppg on 44.1 percent shooting from the floor. A pair of Philadelphia natives lead the way for the Miners, with Stefon Jackson pacing Conference USA and ranking among the nation's top scorers with his 24.0 ppg. A 49.5 percent shooter, Jackson also does a solid job on the glass, coming up with 5.2 rpg. As for Marvin Kilgore, he is netting 12.7 ppg in hitting 48.4 percent of his total shots, and serves as the team's primary playmaker with five assists per outing. Randy Culpepper is a 6-0 freshman from ironically, Memphis, and he has enjoyed a decent rookie season thus far, averaging 12.5 ppg despite shooting just 37.0 percent from the floor. Jackson drained six three- pointers in scoring 33 points in the recent win over Southern Miss, the team nailing 12 triples on the night. Three other Miners finished in double figures, and the team as a whole made good on 55.6 percent of its total shots and scored 22 points off 17 Golden Eagle turnovers.

Memphis boasts three double-digit scorers in the form of Chris Douglas-Roberts (17.5 ppg), Derrick Rose (14.1 ppg) and Robert Dozier (10.6 ppg). The Tigers are lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of 81.3 ppg thanks to their 47.2 percent shooting effort. The only thing the Tigers don't do well is shoot free throws, coming in at a disappointing 58.7 percent -- the worst mark in C-USA. Defensively, the club has excelled as well, yielding just 60.3 ppg behind 37.2 percent shooting from the field. Foes are hitting their three-point tries just 28.8 percent of the time and the Tigers own favorable margins in both rebounding (+8.0) and turnovers (+3.6). Douglas-Roberts poured in a season-high 30 points and Joey Dorsey matched his career-best with 22 rebounds as Memphis topped Houston earlier in the week. Dozier scored 17 of his career-best 21 points in the second half, and both Antonio Anderson and Rose finished in double figures as well with 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Tigers shot a blistering 58.5 percent from the floor, making up for an uncharacteristic 22 turnovers, 10 of which were attributed to the backcourt duo of Douglas-Roberts and Rose. The Tigers held the Cougars to just a .353 shooting percentage, which included a woeful 6-of-24 showing from three-point land, and they dominated UH on the glass, 49-29.

While the Miners certainly have talent, specifically Jackson, they simply aren't in the same class as Memphis. Expect the nation's top team to prove its mettle once again as the Tigers are about as well-rounded as any team in recent memory.