DENTON, Texas — Things don't get any easier for a Memphis basketball team that is already down.

Following a 76-66 loss at North Texas Thursday, the Tigers (18-7, 7-5 AAC) have to gear up for SMU on Sunday (3 p.m., ESPN). The game is a rematch of a Jan. 7 meeting at FedExForum in Memphis. The Mustangs (18-7, 9-3) have won five straight and are 9-2 at Moody Coliseum this season. Their only home losses have been to Texas A&M and Dayton. Penny Hardaway's team is 6-4 in true road games.

SMU represents an opportunity for Memphis to pick up a fourth Quad 1 win. Although, most NCAA tournament projections do not include the Tigers as part of the at-large conversation.

Here are three things to keep an eye on ahead of Sunday's game.

Memphis basketball staying put

The Tigers, who traveled to the Dallas metroplex Wednesday for the game in Denton, Texas, normally return to Memphis immediately after road games.

But with SMU located in Dallas, the team will spend Friday and Saturday there to prepare for Sunday's game. Forward Nicholas Jourdain thinks that will be a good thing under the circumstances.

Memphis has had issues gelling this season. Jourdain thinks time away from home will help in that regard.

“I think, because we’re staying together, we’re grouped together, we’re going to be in the hotel together, spending time together, we have an opportunity to recuperate, refocus and beat SMU on Sunday,” he said.

What happened last time

SMU carried a 36-24 lead into halftime against Memphis when they squared off on Jan. 7.

But, with the score tied 58-58 for nearly two minutes late in the game, Jahvon Quinerly drained a 3-pointer with three seconds left on the clock to propel the Tigers to the 62-59 victory.

That contest holds the distinction of being the fewest points both teams have scored in a game this season.

SMU scouting report

The Mustangs are a good 3-point shooting team, converting 35.4% of their attempts. But Memphis held them to just 14.3% beyond the arc on Jan. 7. Since then, SMU has hit 40% or more of its 3-point attempts in five out of 10 games.

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An area of weakness for Memphis has been defensive rebounding. It ranks 330th in the nation with a 33.1% defensive rebounding percentage. That figures to play well into the Mustangs' hands, since they rank No. 8 in the country in offensive rebounding percentage (38.0%). Tyreek Smith, Keon Ambrose-Hylton and Samuell Williamson each have 43 or more offensive rebounds this season.

Zhuric Phelps is SMU's top scorer (14.6 points per game). The Tigers held him to 12 points on Jan. 7. Chuck Harris, who averages 13.5 points per game, was limited to just five points versus Memphis.

Memphis basketball score prediction vs. SMU

SMU 71, Memphis 69: The Mustangs are poised to kick the Tigers while they're down.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball vs. SMU: Score prediction, scouting report