As Memphis headed into the new year, coach Penny Hardaway made it clear that the No. 21 Tigers could not coast through the American Athletic Conference.They could not relax. They were “the hunted,” Hardaway said. Memphis would need to keep its foot on the gas pedal. The Tigers did just that on Thursday, when Memphis dialed up a 28-point win over Florida Atlantic for the program’s largest margin of victory since March 2023.”Almost a flawless game by our guys’ attention to detail in the game plan,” Hardaway said, “and finishing the game out strong.”With that first AAC win under their belt, the Tigers (11-3, 1-0 AAC) now turn their attention to visiting North Texas for a conference tilt on Sunday afternoon. The Mean Green could present a unique challenge, as their deliberate style of play has lifted UNT to its best start in two years — despite losing its top six scorers and 90 percent of the team’s points from last season.”This is a new team,” said second-year North Texas coach Ross Hodge, who returned only Moulaye Sissoko to the starting lineup from last season.Yet that has not stalled the Mean Green (10-3, 1-0), who have won four straight and seven of their last nine. That includes Tuesday’s 78-75 win over preseason AAC favorite UAB, in which Atin Wright buried a contested, step-back, buzzer-beating 3-pointer.Wright serves as North Texas’ leading man, with 13.5 points per game on 39 percent shooting from 3-point range. Brenen Lorient, at 10.6 ppg, is the only other double-digit scorer, but the Mean Green have not needed big offensive production.North Texas was ranked No. 5 through Friday in scoring defense (57.9) in Division I, following the program’s trend over the past few seasons (59.0 since 2020). Only Houston has given up fewer points per game over the last five seasons (57.8). That stems from the Mean Green’s slower pace of play. North Texas averages just 61.9 possessions per 40 minutes — the second-lowest total in the nation behind Virginia (61.0).