The Memphis Tigers traveled to Miami to face the Ohio State Buckeyes, a team that they had not played since the regional finals of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
Memphis got on the board first when Shaq Goodwin knocked down a jumper to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. After the Buckeyes tied the game with a layup, the Tigers went on a small run, as they jumped out to a four point lead early. The Buckeyes then got a run of their own, taking the lead and extending it to a five point lead with 11:16 to go in the first half.
The Tigers then mounted a rally, and tied the game with just 9:42 left in the half, before taking the lead a short time later. The teams then alternated having the lead, with neither team able to get more than a few point advantage. The Buckeyes ended the half on a four point run, which gave them a 37-35 lead at the half.
In the first half, the Tigers were led by eight points from Goodwin, along with seven points from Ricky Tarrant Jr. The Buckeyes were led by 13 points from Jaquan Lyle and 12 points from Marc Loving.
The Buckeyes came out on a tear in the second half, as they extended their lead to nine points in just two and a half minutes. The Tigers then started trimming the lead, and got it to within three when the Buckeyes got a jumper to push the lead back to five. That was just a momentary hiccup for the Tigers, as they kept rolling and eventually took the lead with 13:10 left in the second half.
From that point on, neither team was able to hold the lead for long, as the largest lead for either team was a five point lead held by the Tigers with 4:32 left in the half. The Buckeyes then began to cut into that lead, as within a minute they had trimmed it to just a two point lead, with still over three minutes left in the second half.
The Tigers had a shot at winning the game when they took possession off a Ohio State turnover with just six seconds left and the score tied. The Tigers sent up a final shot that ended up not going in, which sent the game into overtime.
In the overtime period, the Tigers ended up pulling away and winning the game by a score of 81-76. This victory was thanks to 23 points from Goodwin, along with 10 rebounds from Dedric Lawson. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, were led by 18 points from Lyle, and seven rebounds from Loving in what turned out to be a losing effort.
Thad Matta's Buckeyes now have a losing record for their early season, and their schedule does not get any easier. Virginia is there next opponent, and they will tussle on Tuesday. Memphis is getting on a right track now, but they get a stern test against undefeated Louisiana Tech in a game that is also on Tuesday.