University of Memphis men’s basketball fans are having a déjà vu moment. The team has shown that they can compete with any squad in the country. For example, they recently upset the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies in the opening round of the Maui Tournament.
A year ago, the Tigers (6-1) defeated ranked team after ranked team as they climbed in the various top 25 polls. However, when the conference play began, the wheels fell off. The slide began with bad losses to Rice and Tulane, including the opening round of the American Athletic Conference tournament.
It was an odd occurrence for Coach Penny Hardaway. By mid-season, high expectations of a deep run in the NCAA tournament had been built, only to fail to make the tournament. The Tigers wrapped up the season by opting out of the second-tier NIT Tournament.
A year later, pre-March Madness is deafening in Memphis once again. The school’s men’s program has the city buzzing. Particularly, after the 99-77 upset of the back-to-back champs UConn in the opening round of the Maui Invitational.
With only one player remaining from last year’s roster – scholarship player Nicholas Jourdain – this season feels different. A return to form. Defense had been the trademark of Hardaway-coached teams – until last year. Transfers PJ Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter, both solid defenders, fit the bill. Furthermore, the entire team has adopted Memphis’ grit and grind culture with every possession – and the city has noticed the effort.
The 2023-24 roster also festered with chemistry issues outside of the game. This year’s group has been building a rhythm since July. A bond has resulted. Teammates seem to like one another. They also appear to be willing to put ego aside and share the spotlight.
Hopefully, the hot start will not be a repeat of the previous season…great wins in November and December, followed by disappointment. At the very least, Memphis fans want an appearance in the NCAA tournament.
The overtime win versus UConn is cause for optimism. After all, the Huskies did enter the game as AP’s No. 2 ranked team in the nation. The Tigers have received a few votes too, but not enough to climb into the rankings. They’ve received even less attention, nationally. That changed after Memphis dominated most of the way.
In the second round, Memphis squared off against Michigan State. Tom Izzo’s Spartans entered the game a slight favorite. Once again, Memphis looked the better team the full 48 minutes of play.
Unfortunately, Memphis fell to the No. 4 ranked Auburn Tigers 90-76 in Wednesday’s championship game.
It wasn’t the result that Memphians had hoped for, but two out of three isn’t bad. When the new top 25 polls are released Monday afternoon, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility to expect a climb up the ladder for Memphis – and a return to the NCAA Tournament.
