Texas
Memphis basketball vs North Texas: Prediction, picks, injury updates and odds
The Memphis basketball team’s early season schedule has been one of the strongest in the country.
It has also featured an array of contrasting styles and looks. Coming off a commanding road victory over an FAU team that is more offensive-oriented, now the Tigers (11-3, 1-0 AAC) turn their attention to North Texas (11-3, 1-0), which prefers to focus more on defense.
The Mean Green travel to Memphis for a game Sunday (4 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2). It will be the only regular-season meeting between the two.
North Texas is coming off a come-from-behind win at home over UAB on Tuesday. The Blazers were the preseason favorite according to a poll of the AAC’s coaches to win the league. The Tigers earned a win over FAU on Thursday.
Here are three things to keep an eye on ahead of Sunday’s game.
The ‘blessing’ of having Dain Dainja
Memphis big man Dain Dainja feasted on FAU in the second half, scoring all 16 of his points during a 6:54 span.
The former Illinois and Baylor player is averaging 11.4 points per game (fourth on the team), and he’s doing it off the bench.
Coach Penny Hardaway has called it a “luxury” to have a player of Dainja’s caliber playing a reserve role. On Thursday, he went with a new word.
“What a blessing to have Dain Dainja coming off your bench,” he said. “At any time, he can get going. When he got his fourth foul, I left him out there and went with the two bigs (Dainja and Moussa Cisse). They did really well. Dain adds a different layer, because he can score the ball in bunches.”
How to capitalize on momentum
Memphis’ Tyrese Hunter said there was plenty of room for improvement after the FAU win.
The senior guard, who scored 20 points, rattled off a list of things: Keep the confidence level high, pay attention to the scouting report, and maintain the same energy level for a full 40 minutes.
But there was one item very clearly at the top of the list.
“Learn from your mistakes,” he said.
The Tigers committed 19 turnovers and gave up 25 points off those miscues. They also gave up 19 offensive rebounds, which led to 18 second-chance points for FAU.
North Texas basketball scouting report
It’s all about the defense for North Texas.
The Mean Green are second in the nation in steal percentage (15.1%). Eight different members of the roster have registered 10 or more steals through 14 games, led by Latrell Jossell’s 23.
But the Mean Green can create turnovers in other ways. North Texas is fourth in the country in turnover percentage defense (24.4%), and its opponents are averaging 15.1 turnovers per game.
The latter is a top-50 mark in Division I. But Memphis has overcome turnover-minded teams. The Tigers committed 13 turnovers versus Ole Miss and 16 against Missouri but won both of those home games comfortably.
Scoring points is not something North Texas emphasizes. The Mean Green has put up more than 73 points just twice since early November and has only topped 80 points once this season against Mississippi Valley State. That’s partially because of personnel. But it’s also a result of coach Ross Hodge’s philosophy. North Texas plays at one of the five slowest paces in the country, which was also the case last season.
Memphis basketball score prediction vs. North Texas
Memphis 77, North Texas 68: The Mean Green can be a feisty bunch. But the Tigers at home will be more than they can handle.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X, and sign up for the Memphis Basketball Insider text group.
Just days before Mother’s Day, a North Texas father is grieving the sudden loss of his wife and unborn son after she died unexpectedly, only days before her due date. Avi Carey said he is still in shock over the death of his wife, Tiffany, whom he described as his “rock” and “soulmate.”
“Tiffany’s smile, her radiance, her presence … she didn’t meet a stranger,” Carey said.
Nearly two decades together
The couple had been together for nearly two decades, raising two children, Kingston and Kasyn, and preparing to welcome their third child, a baby boy they planned to name Kylo.
Carey said Tiffany began complaining of a severe headache just days before she was due to give birth. He recalled her sitting on the couch, dozing off multiple times – something he said was unusual.
A short time later, Carey found her unresponsive.
“I saw her face … her lips were blue. And I already knew,” he said with tears in his eyes.
A celebration turned to heartbreak
Tiffany Carey and her unborn son died May 2, leaving behind a grieving husband and two children. The loss came less than a week after the family had celebrated a baby shower.
“We went from celebrating the baby shower to planning a funeral in less than five days,” Carey said.
A crisis affecting Black mothers
Health officials say cases like this highlight a broader crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in the United States are more than three times as likely as white women to die from pregnancy‑related causes, and most of those deaths – around 80% – are considered preventable.
Carey said he is still searching for answers and now lives with questions about whether warning signs were missed.
“I would say educate yourself. Take everything seriously,” he said. “That should have been a red flag … the headache.”
Honoring Tiffany’s legacy
Now, surrounded by baby supplies meant for a child who never arrived, Carey said he is focused on honoring Tiffany’s memory and raising their children with the values she lived by.
“She always said, ‘You’ve got to lead with love,’” he said. “She did that in everything.”
Trump administration to release UFO files soon, president says
President Trump said his administration plans to release information and materials relating to UFOs.
Ever look up at the vast Texas sky and see something move across it? It could be a shooting star, a satellite — or a UFO.
The Pentagon released several documents Friday, May 8, detailing sightings of unidentified flying objects, or “bogeys,” in U.S. airspace, including reports from Texas.
The documents were released by the U.S. Department of Defense at the directive of President Donald Trump, marking the release of government files related to “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)” and UFOs.
“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a statement.
Here’s a look at the files related to Texas.
UFO spotted in 1948 above Abilene, Texas
A DoD incident summary shows that on Jan. 1, 1948, a man identified as “Mr. A. Schroeder” reported a UFO in the 1100 block of Highland Ave in Abilene, Texas.
Schroeder reported seeing a stationary bright blue-green bell-shaped object in the western sky above Abilene at 1:25 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.
Fort Worth man sees UFO above Alaska
Also in 1948, Lt. Aytch Johnson noticed a silver flat disk in the sky in Fairbanks, Alaska.
According to the incident report, the Fort Worth man observed the object flying over Alaska at around 1:06 p.m. on April 18, 1948, at an estimated speed of 250 to 300 miles per hour.
The report also noted that the sighting “may have been the reflection of sun from wings” of aircrafts flying in the area at the time.
Possible UFO sighting during the NASA Gemini 7 space launch
The DoD released the transcript and audio file of NASA’s Gemini 7 mission in 1965 when astronaut Frank Borman reported to NASA mission control in Houston his sighting of an unidentified object, which he referred to as a “bogey.”
While the launch didn’t take place in Texas, the report came back to space control in Houston.
The conversation occurred on Dec. 5, 1965 — 4 hours and 24 minutes into the flight — when Borman notified space control that there was a “bogey” on their left-hand side.
When asked to clarify what they are seeing, Borman said he was seeing “hundreds of little particles” on their left, about three to four miles away.
As NASA Public Affairs clarified, the bogey was an unidentified object, along with the particles.
Pentagon documents report of other possible sightings in Texas
Some documents have connections or reports of possible UFO sightings in Texas, but are missing details to understand the situation.
For example, the DoD received a clipping from the Yoakum Times-Record reporting UFO sightings by Mrs. Anna Banys in 1947, but it is unclear why she was writing to the DoD.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
Concern over effectiveness of AMBER Alerts
For nearly 30 years, the AMBER Alert has helped locate hundreds of children, but one of its founders believes changes should be made to make the emergency alert system more effective.
Fox – 7 Austin
An AMBER Alert has been issued for a 13-year-old girl abducted from Louisiana who was last seen in North Texas.
Merlin Chirinos-Argueta was last seen around 7:10 p.m. May 7 in Allen, Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Authorities say the teen was abducted from Keithville, Louisiana, and may be traveling in Texas
Chirinos-Argueta is described as a 13-year-old Hispanic girl with black hair and brown eyes. She is about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds, officials said.
The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said Merlin was reported missing Thursday. May 7 from the 6200 block of Bain Boulevard in Keithville. Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. said investigators are asking for the public’s help in locating the teen.
Investigators believe she may be with 18-year-old Daniel Vasquez Mejia, who has black hair and brown eyes.
Merlin has not been in contact with her family, which has raised concerns for her safety and well-being, authorities said. The investigation is ongoing.
Authorities say they may be traveling in a white Chevrolet SUV with Texas license plate VML6061. The vehicle is believed to have a skull sticker on the rear driver’s side back window and a “mojo” sticker on the passenger side rear window.
Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or contact the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-675-2170.
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