• This is Georgetown's fifth visit to Memphis, with a record of 2-2 entering Thursday's game. The Hoyas earned wins over the Tigers in 1993-94 and 1996-97 at The Pyramid, lost to Memphis at FedEx Forum in 2007-08, and lost to Arkansas in an intersectional game held at the Pyramid in 1994-95.
• With its win Monday over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Memphis became the third Division I team to post 300 wins since the 2000-01 season. Over that same period, Georgetown has 225 wins.
• This is the 10th meeting between the schools and the third in a four game, five year series. The Tigers will play at Verizon Center in the 2011-12 season.
• Thursday's game marks the first of five games over a six game stretch which will see the Hoyas scheduled on ESPN2. (The non-ESPN2 game will be Jan. 1 versus DePaul on MASN.)
• Memphis' last win over a Top 10 team was Feb. 7, 2009 versus Gonzaga.
• Georgetown and Memphis each ranks among the top 25 nationally in scoring offense and in assists per game.
• Memphis is 9-3 versus Big East teams since the 2005-06 season.
• Georgetown is 10-1 all time in games played on December 23.

Change is a constant in college basketball, but nowhere more evident than the Memphis Tigers. From the #16-ranked team that battled the Hoyas in a 79-70 overtime loss at Verizon Center on Dec. 13, 2008, no player from that game remains on the active roster, and coach Josh Pastner will face Georgetown for the first time since succeeding John Calipari in the 2009-10 season.

Pastner inherited a Memphis program with just six scholarship players after Calipari left for the University of Kentucky, but Pastner nonetheless led the Tigers to the 2010 NIT and earned an early prediction as the team to beat this season in Conference USA. His 9-1 record in 2010-11 has not come without some changes as well. One of its top freshmen, Jelan Kendrick, was indefinitely suspended before the season started, and another top recruit narrowly missed being declared ineligible. Leading scorer Wesley Witherspoon was injured two weeks ago, 6-11 forward Angel Garcia quit the team to play professionally in Europe, and two other reserves are injured as well.

The Tigers will start four first-year players in Thursday's game, and look to stabilize an offense that has looked inconsistent in narrow wins over Austin Peay St. and Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Freshman Joe Jackson has led by example for the Tigers this season. Jackson has become the leading scorer in Witherspoon's absence (11.5 ppg) and the team co-leader in assists. Jackson's 23 points in the win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was a season high, and he has scored in double figures over five of the last seven games. Jackson's outside shooting has been poor (25%) but Memphis may look instead to fellow guard Charles Carmouche for outside shooting. Carmouche, a transfer from the University of New Orleans when that program dropped to Division III, is averaging 50% from the floor and has double figures in each of his last three games, thanks to a 41% mark from outside the arc. Reserve guards Antonio Barton (6.9 ppg, 50% FG) and Chris Crawford (9.4 ppg, 41% FG) figure to get their share of minutes, providing the Tigers with a number of capable options in the backcourt as the style of play demands.

A key matchup will be how the Hoyas look to contain freshman Will Barton, ranked as high as #6 nationally among incoming freshman. Barton's travels to Memphis was not an easy one, having attended Baltimore City College for two years, a year at National Christian Academy, a year at Lake Clifton, and a year at Brewster (NH) Academy. (The NCAA declared him ineligible for this season, but later reversed the decision.) One of six freshman candidates for the Naismith Trophy, the 6-6 Barton scored 16 points and seven rebounds against Kansas but has not fared well in the last two games, shooting just 5 for 14 with 11 turnovers. Pastner wants to see Barton step up his game and a national stage against Georgetown may be that opportunity.

Inside, the Tigers rely on two big men in the middle. 6-8 Tarik Black starts as a freshman at 6 points and 4 rebounds, but has not been an offensive force to date. Senior Will Coleman, at 6-9, has picked up eight blocks over the last two games, but has not met the expectations of the Memphis fan base and has struggled at the foul line (54%). Memphis will need 30 minutes or both from Black and Coleman, as the loss of Witherspoon gives the Tigers little or no depth inside. Pastner has taken the unusual step to pull the redshirt from 6-8 freshman project Hippolyte Tsafack, who has scored three points and one rebound in the last two games and may not be ready for gameday competition at this time.

Memphis plays a solid defense against outside shooting teams, holding opponents to just 31% from three point range and is third in the nation in steals with 11 per game. The aforementioned bench is thin, but can contribute. Overall, the Tigers cannot afford foul trouble in the game for its starters against a Georgetown bench that can go ten deep. Georgetown will look to get better efforts inside from Julian Vaughn and Henry Sims while getting open looks for its outside trio of shooters, and Memphis needs its best five men on the floor.

Some keys to the game:

• Turnovers: Memphis needs an up and down game with steals to drive its offense. Eight of its ten games have been at 70 points and above.
• Rebounding Margin : The Tigers have a negative rebounding margin (-0.2) against a number of weaker teams, and was a -13 on the boards in its loss to Kansas. Georgetown needs to eliminate the second chance baskets that offer the Tigers a chance to keep the game close.
• Hollis Thompson: Thompson's numbers have been down of late but his matchup with freshman Tarik Black offers an opportunity for Hollis to make a big difference in this game.

For Memphis to win, a faster pace forces Georgetown into 18 or more turnovers and the Tigers get on a second half roll much as it did during its run to the Final Four in the 2007-08 season. On the other hand, there is no Derrick Rose or Chris Douglas-Roberts to lead that charge, and the current Tigers must be careful not to overextend themselves with a Georgetown offense that can punish opponents on both sides of the court. For Georgetown, a strong effort inside and consistent shooting outside should be the ingredients for another impressive road win against a team picked to win its conference's title, and put the Hoyas on a solid step forward entering Big East play.