Memphis star PJ Haggerty squares off against his former team Wednesday night when the 17th-ranked Tigers host Tulsa in an American Athletic Conference contest.Haggerty was tied for fourth in Division I in scoring entering Tuesday with 21.6 points per game. He scored 26 in an 86-83 victory Sunday at Rice, the fifth straight win for Memphis (18-4, 8-1 AAC).Haggerty had been held to just eight points in the Tigers’ previous game, a 68-56 victory at Tulane last Thursday.”That’s one guy I knew I didn’t have to worry about on this trip to be ready to play,” Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said after the win over the Owls. “When he got home, we knew he was going to be ready to go. I could tell he had a little bounce in his step.”What might Haggerty do for an encore against Tulsa, the team he made 31 starts for as last season’s AAC Freshman of the Year?If it’s like most of his games in the last two seasons, the electric guard will probably score a lot of points. Haggerty canned 11 of 18 shots at Rice and is shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and 41.5 percent from 3-point range this season. He is also averaging 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals through 22 games.His ability to score almost at will has enabled the Tigers to arrive at the halfway point of league play with a narrow lead over UAB. Even when they haven’t played up to potential, they’ve normally found a way to win.”Y’all know my faith, man. I believe we’re the best team in the country,” Hardaway said.While Memphis tries to maintain its AAC lead, Tulsa (9-13, 3-6) continues its search for consistency and a few more wins. It came up short on Sunday in New Orleans, squandering a 28-26 halftime lead and falling to Tulane 59-56.
