Memphis Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway’s relationship with the team is a long one. The Treadwell High grad took his talents to his home town team after being named the Parade National High School Player of the Year. On campus, he thrived. A two-time All-American, he entered the 1993 NBA draft on the way to becoming the third overall pick.
Nevertheless, Hardaway is close to accomplishing a personal goal after passing on a final opportunity as a player…win a regular season conference championship for his alma mater. A victory tonight over the South Florida Bulls at the FedExForum will bring the long-tenured Tiger the achievement. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
The Tigers’ clinched a share of the American Athletic Conference crown with a 75-70 win over the UT-San Antonio Roadrunners on Wednesday, March 4.
It would also the program’s first regular season conference championship since 2013. The 2023 squad led by Kendric Davis and DeAndre Williams won the postseason AAC title and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. But a regular season championship? That doesn’t automatically vault the Tigers to March madness.
Still, the Tigers’ resume this season all but guarantees a spot in the NCAA tournament. A 25-5 record along with the 16th spot in the latest AP Top 25 poll makes them a shoe-in. Now they are focused on improving their tournament seeding. Memphis will likely be the only AAC team to make the tournament.
The Tigers finished last season’s conference play with a 11-7 record, good for fifth place. Last season’s overall record was 22-10.
The Tigers failed to receive an invitation to the NCAA tournament. Hardaway also rejected any notion of accepting an invitation to the lesser NIT tournament.
The team has come a long way in a short time. One key decision was insertion of multi-skilled senior center Dain Dainja into the starting lineup in place of the rim-running Moussa Cisse. Hardaway began pondering the move after an upset loss at Temple on Jan. 16. He made the switch a week later before a home game against Wichita St. Since then, the Tigers have gone 12-1 and burned through the conference schedule. Their only loss was at Wichita St. on Feb. 16.
Memphis has won 11 true road games and 15 conference games. All bests for Hardaway. Perhaps the harbinger of a regular season success was there from the beginning. The Tigers’ signature win of the season came in the fall, with a 99-97 upset of the defending National Champions Connecticut Huskies in the Maui invitational. They fell to the #1 ranked Auburn Tigers 90-76 in the championship game.
Pundits have taken notice. Hardaway has been named a finalist for the Wooden Coach of the Year by a panel of experts. He is also the odds-on favorite to win AAC Coach of the Year honors. Both would also be firsts.
The Tigers’ first AAC tournament contest will take place on Friday, March 14 at noon. They will most likely square off against the winner of the Wichita State vs. South Florida State matchup. They are currently the eight and ninth seeded teams.
—————————————-
