Cincinnati Basketball: Landers Nolley II set to face familiar foe in Memphis Tigers

After spending the last two seasons at Memphis, Bearcats senior forward Landers Nolley II will face his former team when the Tigers come to Fifth Third Arena in less than a day.

Nolley scored a team-best 13.1 points per game and earned All-AAC First Team honors in his first year under Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway but was relegated to a lesser role last season.

The Georgia native began his career at Virginia Tech and was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team before transferring to Memphis as a sophomore and eventually landing in Cincinnati.

In addition to leading the Bearcats with 15.4 points per game this season, Nolley has become an impactful defender and rebounder with three double-doubles in the last five games.

Cincinnati Basketball: Landers Nolley II set to face familiar foe in Memphis Tigers

During his sophomore campaign, Nolley led the Tigers in points and 3-point percentage, plus took home the Most Outstanding Player award as Memphis secured the NIT championship.

Even though it will be unlike most games because of the familiarity, Nolley has experience facing former teammates including scoring 21 points in the Bearcats win at South Florida this week.

Nolley went up against former Memphis teammate and current South Florida point guard Tyler Harris on Wednesday night and helped Cincinnati pick up an 85-69 win to improve to 14-6.

It will be interesting to see how Nolley responds to being defended by former teammates DeAndre Williams and Chandler Lawson but I’m sure he will continue to be a catalyst for the Bearcats.

Cincinnati Basketball: Breaking down the series history as the Bearcats host rival Memphis

Make sure to check out a break down of the storied series history as the Cincinnati Bearcats prepare to host the rival Memphis Tigers on Sunday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena.

Coming into the highly-anticipated matchup, Cincinnati has lost three in a row and four of the last five games against Memphis including a pair of single-digit losses last season.

In the two meetings a year ago, former Memphis forward Landers Nolley II averaged 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds to help beat the Bearcats before transferring to Cincinnati in April.

It’s been nearly three years since the most recent win against Memphis as Tre Scott fueled the Bearcats to a 92-86 overtime win behind a game-high 25 points and 19 rebounds in 2020.