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FORT WORTH, Texas — Memphis basketball won both regular-season games versus UAB.
The 17th-ranked Tigers (28-5) will try to make it three in a row over the Blazers (22-11). The No. 1 and No. 3 seeds will meet Sunday (2:15 p.m., ESPN) at Dickies Arena with a March Madness automatic bid on the line.
Memphis doesn't need it to make the NCAA tournament. Penny Hardaway's team is going dancing no matter what happens against UAB. The Blazers, who won the AAC tournament last season to reach the Big Dance, will need to repeat to get back there.
"We’ve got to come out and play with a real sense of desperation," UAB coach Andy Kennedy said after Saturday's 66-56 win over North Texas.
Sunday's game will once again pit Memphis star big man Dain Dainja (a unanimous first-team all-AAC selection and the league's Newcomer of the Year) against Blazers star Yaxel Lendeborg (also a unanimous first-team honoree).
After the first game, the air of hostility that hovered over the first matchup (a 100-77 Memphis win on Jan. 26 at FedExForum) spilled over on to social media. In postgame interviews, Dainja said he didn't know who Lendeborg was until the Tigers began preparing for the Blazers earlier in the week. Lendeborg took offense and took to X (formerly Twitter) to express it.
"Congrats on the best game of your career bro! I'll see you," Lendeborg wrote.
Dainja responded simply, "lol ... BET."
In the March 2 rematch, Dainja dominated again, putting up 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Lendeborg finished with just 10 and six.
Following Saturday's game, Lendeborg said he let the drama distract him.
"Yeah, I should’ve never let that get to me," he said. "I feel like I hold myself to a higher standard than some Twitter beef. That’s completely on me. I let it ruin my mental space last game and it really bothered me throughout the game. Tomorrow, I’m going to go in there clear-minded and in a clear space and remember who I am."
Lendeborg continued by saying he has been eagerly anticipating what was (until Saturday) only a potential third game against Memphis.
"I’ll just say – yeah, I would say hoping," he said. "I feel like both games I was a letdown completely. This year, I guess a ‘rivalry’ started that shouldn’t have started. I let it get to me and played bad. But tomorrow I’m going to make sure that I won’t do that again."
Kennedy called the Tigers the best team in the AAC, adding All-American guard PJ Haggerty and Dainja are "two of the better players in the conference." He said the key to victory is shrinking the floor on them.
"Not giving them open space to play," he said. "Especially Haggerty – he’s incredible with his ability to drive. He’s fast. And, then, we’ve got to try to keep Dainja’s touches to a minimum."
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X, and sign up for the Memphis Basketball Insider text group.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why UAB star Yaxel Lendeborg was 'hoping' for a third crack at Memphis basketball
Continue reading...
The 17th-ranked Tigers (28-5) will try to make it three in a row over the Blazers (22-11). The No. 1 and No. 3 seeds will meet Sunday (2:15 p.m., ESPN) at Dickies Arena with a March Madness automatic bid on the line.
Memphis doesn't need it to make the NCAA tournament. Penny Hardaway's team is going dancing no matter what happens against UAB. The Blazers, who won the AAC tournament last season to reach the Big Dance, will need to repeat to get back there.
"We’ve got to come out and play with a real sense of desperation," UAB coach Andy Kennedy said after Saturday's 66-56 win over North Texas.
Sunday's game will once again pit Memphis star big man Dain Dainja (a unanimous first-team all-AAC selection and the league's Newcomer of the Year) against Blazers star Yaxel Lendeborg (also a unanimous first-team honoree).
After the first game, the air of hostility that hovered over the first matchup (a 100-77 Memphis win on Jan. 26 at FedExForum) spilled over on to social media. In postgame interviews, Dainja said he didn't know who Lendeborg was until the Tigers began preparing for the Blazers earlier in the week. Lendeborg took offense and took to X (formerly Twitter) to express it.
"Congrats on the best game of your career bro! I'll see you," Lendeborg wrote.
Dainja responded simply, "lol ... BET."
In the March 2 rematch, Dainja dominated again, putting up 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Lendeborg finished with just 10 and six.
Following Saturday's game, Lendeborg said he let the drama distract him.
"Yeah, I should’ve never let that get to me," he said. "I feel like I hold myself to a higher standard than some Twitter beef. That’s completely on me. I let it ruin my mental space last game and it really bothered me throughout the game. Tomorrow, I’m going to go in there clear-minded and in a clear space and remember who I am."
Lendeborg continued by saying he has been eagerly anticipating what was (until Saturday) only a potential third game against Memphis.
"I’ll just say – yeah, I would say hoping," he said. "I feel like both games I was a letdown completely. This year, I guess a ‘rivalry’ started that shouldn’t have started. I let it get to me and played bad. But tomorrow I’m going to make sure that I won’t do that again."
Kennedy called the Tigers the best team in the AAC, adding All-American guard PJ Haggerty and Dainja are "two of the better players in the conference." He said the key to victory is shrinking the floor on them.
"Not giving them open space to play," he said. "Especially Haggerty – he’s incredible with his ability to drive. He’s fast. And, then, we’ve got to try to keep Dainja’s touches to a minimum."
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X, and sign up for the Memphis Basketball Insider text group.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why UAB star Yaxel Lendeborg was 'hoping' for a third crack at Memphis basketball
Continue reading...
