FORT WORTH, Texas – Armed with some impressive postseason rewards hardware, the University of Memphis opens play Thursday in the 2020 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Championship.
The sixth-seeded Tigers (21-10) will meet No. 11 seed East Carolina (11-20) at 9 p.m. at newly opened Dickies Arena, the winner moving into Friday's quarterfinals against No. 3 seed Tulsa, which earned a first-round bye.
UofM freshman forward Precious Achiuwa will enter the opening-round game with an ego/confidence boost. Achiuwa, from Queens, N.Y., was named Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year Wednesday, a day after being selected to the AAC First Team and to the league's All-Freshman Team.