Memphis faces tough test vs No. 22 Houston

No. 22 Houston (21-6, 11-3) vs. Memphis (18-8, 7-6)

FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 22 Houston presents a tough challenge for Memphis. Memphis has won one of its three games against ranked opponents this season. Houston blew out Tulsa by 33 in its last outing.

TALE OF TWO ROSTERS: Houston has been fueled by senior leadership this year while Memphis has leaned on freshmen. For the Cougars, seniors Nate Hinton, Quentin Grimes and DeJon Jarreau have collectively accounted for 43 percent of the team’s total scoring. On the other bench, freshmen Precious Achiuwa, Alex Lomax, Boogie Ellis, Lester Quinones and D.J. Jeffries have combined to account for 64 percent of all Memphis scoring this season.NATE IS A FORCE: Hinton has connected on 37.1 percent of the 105 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 7 of 18 over his last five games. He’s also made 74.4 percent of his foul shots this season.

THREAT FROM DEEP: Houston’s Marcus Sasser has attempted 130 3-pointers and connected on 36.9 percent of them, and is 9 for 23 over the last three games.

ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Tigers have recently created buckets via assists more often than the Cougars. Memphis has 40 assists on 77 field goals (51.9 percent) across its previous three outings while Houston has assists on 36 of 70 field goals (51.4 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The opportunistic Memphis offense has averaged 73.5 possessions per game this season, ranking the Tigers 28th nationally. Houston has not been as uptempo as the Tigers and is averaging only 66.4 possessions per game (ranked 310th).