Pirates Open C-USA Play Wednesday Against No. 5 Memphis

Jan. 10, 2006

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Matchup: East Carolina vs. Memphis
Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Time: 7:06 p.m.
Site: Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Greenville)
Records: ECU 6-7 overall, 0-0 Conference USA; Memphis 13-2 overall, 0-0 Conference USA
Rankings: Memphis is ranked fifth in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. East Carolina is not ranked.
TV: CSTV, Carter Blackburn (play-by-play) and Pete Gillen (analyst) have the call.
Radio: Pirate Sports Radio Network. Jeff Charles (play-by-play) and Si Seymour (analyst) provide the call.

Pirates Open C-USA Play Wednesday Against No. 5 Memphis
East Carolina begins its fifth season of competition in Conference USA on Wednesday night as it opens league play at home against fifth-ranked Memphis in a nationally televised game (7:06 p.m./CSTV) in the conference opener for both teams.

East Carolina, 6-7 overall and 5-3 at home this season, owns a three-game homecourt winning streak. The Pirates held off pesky Saint Paul's, 80-74, Saturday night in Greenville.

The Pirates are led by All-Conference USA candidate Corey Rouse (14.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg), who leads the league in rebounding and ranks second in field goal percentage. A trio of newcomers is also averaging double figures for the Pirates: Jeremy Ingram (12.2), Sam Hinnant (11.8) and Courtney Captain (10.5).

Memphis, 13-2 overall, is ranked fifth in both polls. The Tigers are coming off a 73-63 win over visiting Winthrop Sunday afternoon.

Memphis leads the all-time series, 3-0. Each of the last two meetings have been decided by six points. Wednesday's visit from the Tigers will be just their second trip to Greenville and their first since the 2003-04 season. Memphis escaped Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum with a 79-73 win on February 11,2004.

The Pirates have an all-time record of 3-7 against ranked opponents inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The Tigers will be the first top five opponent to strut into the venue.

Injuries Have Castro And Hammonds Out Of Lineup Wednesday
East Carolina senior forward Mike Castro is out indefinitely after sustaining an injury to his right foot. Castro hasn't played in a game since December 18 at Winthrop. Sophomore guard Tom Hammonds will not play in Wednesday night's game against Memphis after suffering a sprained left ankle against Saint Paul's this past Saturday. He is listed as questionable for Saturday's game at UTEP.

Pirate Streaks & Trends

The Pirates have used six different starting lineups this season, but have used the same one the last four games (Beale, Hinnant, Ingram, McNeil, Rouse).

East Carolina has out-rebounded 10 of its 13 opponents this season, including six of the last seven.

Sophomore Jeremy Ingram has made 12 three-point field goals the past four games and is shooting 41.9 percent from behind the arc (12-of-29).

East Carolina has scored at least 80 points in each of its last three home games. ECU has won six straight games when scoring 80 or more and 17 of its last 18.

Junior Courtney Captain and freshman Sam Hinnant have each made at least one three-pointer in every game this season.

East Carolina is undefeated this season when:
............Leading at the 5:00 mark (5-0).
............Scoring 80 or more points (4-0).
............Shooting 50 percent or better (5-0).
............Shoots better than its opponent (6-0).

Wrapping Up The Saint Paul's Game
ECU rallied when trailing at halftime for just the second time this season and out-scored Saint Paul's by 15 in the second half for an 80-74 victory Saturday night. More From Saturday's game:

Had five players score double figures for the second time this season.

Recorded season-highs for rebounds (43), assists (22) and blocks (4).

Junior Japhet McNeil handed out a career-high 12 assists and became fourth player in school history to amass 300 career assists.

ECU committed a season-low 11 fouls.

Memphis Is Highest Ranked Team To Visit
Ranked fifth in the latest Associated Press poll, Memphis will be the highest ranked opponent to visit Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The previous highest ranked opponents to visit were a pair of No. 8 teams. South Carolina was ranked eighth when its visited Greenville on December 10, 1969 as was Louisville, just two years ago (1/15/04). South Carolina was the preseason No. 1 team prior to the 1969-70 season, but was defeated by Tennessee in its second game of the season.

ECU vs. Ranked Teams At Home
ECU will host the 11th ranked opponent in its history Wednesday night. The Pirates have compiled a 3-7 overall record against ranked opponents at Minges Coliseum since No. 8 South Carolina waltzed into the coliseum as the first ranked opponent in 1969. Prior to joining Conference USA in 2001-02, ECU hosted just four ranked opponents in its first 35 years as a Division I member. Since joining the league the Pirates have hosted six ranked teams and have posted a 2-4 mark. More on ECU vs. ranked opponents at home:

Five of the 10 games have been decided by six points or less with ECU holding a 3-2 record in those games.

ECU recorded its first-ever win over a ranked team on December 8, 1986 over No. 19 Northeastern led by the late Reggie Lewis.

ECU In C-USA Openers
Since joining Conference USA in 2001-02, East Carolina has opened its league schedule at home each season. The Pirates are just 1-3 in their C-USA openers with their lone victory occurring during the 2002-03 conference opener against No. 9 Marquette, 73-70. ECU is 1-1 against ranked opponents in C-USA openers. Its loss occurred during its first-ever league game against No. 13 Cincinnati, 72-62 on January 5, 2002.

Stokes vs. Ranked Foes
The last time a Ricky Stokes coached team defeat a ranked opponent was during his final season at Virginia Tech. The Hokies stunned 18th-ranked Connecticut in Blacksburg, 95-74, on February 5, 2003. It was the only time in Stokes' four-year tenure that Virginia Tech defeated a ranked opponent. Stokes was 0-3 against top 10 teams at Virginia Tech and is facing his first as head coach of the Pirates Wednesday night.

The Memphis Series

Memphis leads the all-time series with East Carolina, 3-0.

Memphis defeated East Carolina in its lone visit to Greenville on February 11, 2004, 79-73.

The Tigers held off a pesky group of Pirates at the FedExForum last season, 66-72.

The two teams didn't play during their first year in C-USA together (2001-02) due to divisional scheduling format.

Stokes vs. Calipari
Wednesday's game will be the first meeting as head coaches between Ricky Stokes and John Calipari, however it will not be the first time the two coaches have been on opposite benches.

The first meeting between the duo occurred in 1996 when Calipari was the head coach at UMass and Stokes was an assistant at Wake Forest. Calipari's team recorded the victory in Amherst.

During the 2004 NCAA Tournament, Calipari's Tigers defeated South Carolina, where Stokes was serving as an assistant, in the first round.

More Connections

Calipari began his collegiate playing career as a two-year letterman at ECU's rival UNCW.

Five Memphis players all attended prep school in North Carolina at either Mt. Zion Academy or Laurinburg Prep.

Former Pirate Jonathan Kerner played along side former Tiger Anfernee Hardaway with the Orlando Magic in 1999.

ECU assistant coach Chris Ferguson compiled a record of 5-1 against the Tigers as a member of the Tennessee coaching staff from 1997-2005.

Memphis Game Recaps
Memphis has won each of the three previous meetings with East Carolina. The first meeting was a blowout, but each of the last two meetings have been very competitive and were decided by six points each. More on the three previous meetings:

February 4, 2003: Rodney Carney scored a game-high 22 points, making 4-of-8 3s to lead the Tigers to a 73-49 win at "The Pyramid." Memphis shot 41.3 percent from the floor, while ECU made 29.7 percent of its field goal attempts. Former Pirate Gabriel Mikulas led ECU with 14 points. Then-freshman Corey Rouse came off the bench to score five points and grab six rebounds, three offensive.

February 11, 2004: Antonio Burks scored 25 points to lift Memphis to a 79-73 win in Greenville. ECU held a four-point with 11:25 to play, 49-45, before the Tigers went on a 22-10 run over the next minutes to seize control. Former Pirates Derrick Wiley (21 pts, 11 rebs) and Moussa Badiane (19 pts, 11 rebs) each recorded a double-double.

February 2, 2005: East Carolina held a five-point halftime lead, but Rodney Carney scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the second half to rally Memphis past the visiting Pirates, 72-66. Corey Rouse netted 12 points for ECU, while Tom Hammonds added 11. The Pirates shot 47.8 percent from the floor in the first half, but went cold in the second half and finished the game shooting 31.3 percent. Early ECU foul trouble allowed the Tigers to be more aggressive in the second half as four Pirates fouled out.

On To "Glory Road"
Following its game against Memphis, East Carolina will travel to El Paso, Texas for its first-ever meeting with Conference USA newcomer UTEP on Saturday, January 14. The Pirates face the Miners on the same weekend that the movie "Glory Road," which is based upon the Miners' 1966 National Championship team, opens in theaters.

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