Memphis basketball tripped up at North Texas, drops back to .500 -

DENTON, TX — Not even a huge second-half performance from Sincere Parker could save Memphis basketball in a 76-69 loss at North Texas Thursday, Feb. 12.

Parker – who scored 40 points in a win over UAB one week earlier – exploded after halftime, dropping 18 of his team-high 20 points. It was a spark the Tigers (12-12, 7-5 American Conference), who were down by eight points with 12:13 to play, desperately needed.

But Penny Hardaway’s team, which led 67-64 with under four minutes remaining, could not close at The Super Pit. It missed a pair of front-ends in crucial trips to the free throw line inside the final 5:20 of the game. The misses by Dug McDaniel and Zach Davis underscored a problematic aspect of the game: the free throw line. The Mean Green (14-11, 5-7) attempted 41 free throws, while the Tigers had just 15 attempts.

North Texas also outscored Memphis 14-2 over the final 4:28.

Memphis started the day in a tie with Tulsa for second place in the conference standings. The loss drops the Tigers back into a three-way tie for fifth with Wichita State and UAB.

The Tigers – who had starting big men Aaron Bradshaw and Thierno Sylla foul out, and were without Quante Berry, who did not make the trip due to concussion protocol – led for more than 21 minutes.

Memphis gets a break from American Conference play, when it travels to Utah State for a game Saturday, Feb. 14.

Memphis basketball vs North Texas score updates

Sincere Parker scored 11 points in a 2:47 span in the second half to put Memphis basketball ahead of North Texas.

The Tigers’ starting big men Aaron Bradshaw and Thierno Sylla both picked up their fourth fouls with more than 13 minutes and 12 minutes left in the game, respectively.

The Mean Green started the second half making five of their first seven field goal attempts, extending their 1-point halftime lead to 45-38 with 15:58 remaining.

The Mean Green will take a 33-32 lead into the locker room. Julius Thedford has 8 points for the Tigers, while Curtis Givens III and Zach Davis have 7 apiece.

Zach Davis, who missed the past two games, gave the Tigers a much needed spark late in the first half that stopped a 13-0 North Texas run and helped Memphis take the lead back.

Senior guard Sincere Parker was whistled for a technical foul late in the first half.

Tigers big man Thierno Sylla received a deadball technical foul after getting tied up with North Texas’ Buddy Hammer in the first half.

The Tigers started hot, getting off to an 8-0 lead out of the gate. Since then, the Mean Green has outscored the visitors 13-4 to take a 13-12 lead.

Penny Hardaway is sticking with the same starting lineup as the last game against Charlotte: Dug McDaniel, Curtis Givens III, Julius Thedford, Aaron Bradshaw and Thierno Sylla.

Junior guard Quante Berry will not play for the Tigers against North Texas. He is listed as out for the game on the American Conference’s availability report.

What time does Memphis basketball vs North Texas play today?

Date: Thursday, Feb. 12

Time: 8 p.m. CT

Where: UNT Coliseum (“The Super Pit”)

What channel is Memphis basketball vs North Texas game on today?

TV channel: ESPN2 (Rich Hollenberg, play-by-play; Jon Crispin, analyst)

Streaming: ESPN+

Radio: 98.9-FM The Roar (Dave Woloshin, play-by-play; Ken Moody, analyst)

Memphis basketball vs North Texas predictions

Another balanced scoring effort will propel the Tigers to win their third straight game. Final score: Memphis 72, North Texas 66

Memphis basketball vs North Texas betting odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Feb. 11

Odds: Memphis favored by 1.5 points
O/U: 135.5 points
Money line: North Texas +100, Memphis -120

Memphis basketball vs North Texas injury updates

The Tigers had everyone on the 15-man roster available in their win over Charlotte on Feb. 8. Senior forward Hasan Abdul Hakim did not play after missing the previous three games with an illness.

Memphis basketball schedule 2025-26

All times Central

Nov. 8: Memphis 76, San Francisco 70 (FedExForum)
Nov. 11: Ole Miss 83, Memphis 77 (The Pavilion)
Nov. 16: UNLV 92, Memphis 78 (FedExForum)
Nov. 20: No. 1 Purdue 80, Memphis 71 (Baha Mar Hoops Championship in Nassau, Bahamas)
Nov. 21: Wake Forest 69, Memphis 68 (Baha Mar Hoops Championship in Nassau, Bahamas)
Nov. 26: Memphis 74, Southern Illinois 58 (FedExForum)
Dec. 3: Memphis 86, New Orleans 70 (FedExForum)
Dec. 6: Memphis 78, Baylor 71 (FedExForum)
Dec. 13: Louisville 99, Memphis 73 (KFC Yum! Center)
Dec. 17: Vanderbilt 77, Memphis 70 OT (FedExForum)
Dec. 20: Mississippi State 71, Memphis 66 (Humphrey Coliseum)
Dec. 22: Memphis 88, Alabama State 67 (FedExForum)
Dec. 31: Memphis 57, North Texas 48 (FedExForum)
Jan. 3: Memphis 76, Rice 70 (Tudor Fieldhouse)
Jan. 11: FAU 89, Memphis 78 (Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena)
Jan. 14: Memphis 55, Temple 53 (FedExForum)
Jan. 18: Memphis 95, UTSA 69 (FedExForum)
Jan. 21: Tulsa 83, Memphis 66 (Reynolds Center)
Jan. 24: Wichita State 74, Memphis 59 (Koch Arena)
Jan. 29: Memphis 92, FAU 65 (FedExForum)
Feb. 1: Tulane 78, Memphis 76 (FedExForum)
Feb. 5: Memphis 90, UAB 80 (Bartow Arena)
Feb. 8: Memphis 77, Charlotte 54 (FedExForum)
Feb. 12: at North Texas (8 p.m., ESPN2, UNT Coliseum)
Feb. 14: at Utah State (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network, Dee Glen Smith Spectrum)
Feb. 19: at South Florida (6 p.m., ESPN2, Yuengling Center)
Feb. 22: vs. UAB (11 a.m., ESPN2, FedExForum)
Feb. 26: vs. Wichita State (8 p.m., ESPN2, FedExForum)
March 1: at East Carolina (1 p.m., ESPN+, Williams Arena)
March 5: vs. South Florida (8 p.m., ESPN2, FedExForum)
March 8: at Tulane (1 p.m., ESPN+, Fogelman Arena)