Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway, as his team has lost six straight games, has not blamed injuries. He has not cited a lack of resources. He has not hinted at behind-the-scenes drama.

Hardaway has, in large part, avoided making excuses. 

On this week's episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, Jonah Dylan and Jason Munz surmise some potential reasoning behind that. 

Also, Dylan and Munz take stock of where things stand with two games left in the regular season, lean on some listener-submitted analytics to forecast American Conference tournament berth probabilities, and (at the 44-minute mark) shine a light on Rhodes College reaching the Division III NCAA Tournament. 

Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway, as his team has lost six straight games, has not blamed injuries. He has not cited a lack of resources. He has not hinted at behind-the-scenes drama.
Hardaway has, in large part, avoided making excuses.&nbsp;
On this week's episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, Jonah Dylan and Jason Munz surmise some potential reasoning behind that.&nbsp;
Also, Dylan and Munz take stock of where things stand with two games left in the regular season, lean on some listener-submitted analytics to forecast American Conference tournament berth probabilities, and (at the 44-minute mark) shine a light on Rhodes College reaching the Division III NCAA Tournament.&nbsp;

The Tiger Basketball Podcast from The Commercial Appeal, hosted by Tiger basketball beat writer Jason Munz and Tiger football beat writer Jonah Dylan.

The Tiger Basketball Podcast from The Commercial Appeal, hosted by Tiger basketball beat writer Jason Munz and Tiger football beat writer Jonah Dylan.

Memphis Tigers basketball podcast from the Commercial Appeal

Tiger Basketball Podcast

Penny Hardaway isn't making excuses for nosedive. What it might mean

First impressions can be powerful.

So, after catching our first in-person glimpse of the 2026-27 Memphis basketball team, Jason Munz and Jonah Dylan are leaning into them. 

Fresh off observing a portion of the team's summer workouts on July 23, Munz and Dylan parse through their primary takeaways and try to decide whether it was enough to actually convince them of anything. 

Also, on this week's episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, Munz and Dylan discuss the latest scheduling news and welcome Bartlett High 4-star guard Dylan Jones for a guest appearance (starting at the 1:13:53 mark of the episode). They also recap Dylan's trip to SEC and American Conference football media days and predict how many conference titles the Tigers will win in 2026-27. 

First impressions can be powerful.
So, after catching our first in-person glimpse of the 2026-27 Memphis basketball team, Jason Munz and Jonah Dylan are leaning into them.&nbsp;
Fresh off observing a portion of the team's summer workouts on July 23, Munz and Dylan parse through their primary takeaways and try to decide whether it was enough to actually convince them of anything.&nbsp;
Also, on this week's episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, Munz and Dylan discuss the latest scheduling news and welcome Bartlett High 4-star guard Dylan Jones for a guest appearance (starting at the 1:13:53 mark of the episode). They also recap Dylan's trip to SEC and American Conference football media days and predict how many conference titles the Tigers will win in 2026-27.&nbsp;

What (we think) we know after seeing the Tigers live and how many conference titles Memphis will win in 2026-27

Kendric Davis recently returned to Memphis for a few days to train with his former coach, Penny Hardaway, and the new Tiger basketball team. 

On the heels of that visit, the Sydney Kings' superstar point guard sat down for an extended interview with Commercial Appeal reporters Jason Munz and Jonah Dylan, which covered a wide range of topics. Including:
His impressions of the 2026-27 Tigers roster (27:15)
Becoming "the new standard" for Memphis point guards in the transfer portal era (28:03)
A previously untold story that speaks to his connection with the city (32:36)
The NBA opportunity that has so far eluded him (36:32)
The landmark contract he signed with the Kings earlier this year (38:18)
The NCAA Tournament loss to FAU (39:35)
Never being 100% healthy at Memphis (42:14)
The very real, very intense rivalry with NBL MVP Bryce Cotton (44:06)

On this episode, Munz and Dylan also discuss behind-the-scenes chatter from the Tigers' summer workouts, among several other topics. 

Kendric Davis recently returned to Memphis for a few days to train with his former coach, Penny Hardaway, and the new Tiger basketball team.&nbsp;
On the heels of that visit, the Sydney Kings' superstar point guard sat down for an extended interview with Commercial Appeal reporters Jason Munz and Jonah Dylan, which covered a wide range of topics. Including:
<ul>
<li>His impressions of the 2026-27 Tigers roster (27:15)</li>
<li>Becoming "the new standard" for Memphis point guards in the transfer portal era (28:03)</li>
<li>A previously untold story that speaks to his connection with the city (32:36)</li>
<li>The NBA opportunity that has so far eluded him (36:32)</li>
<li>The landmark contract he signed with the Kings earlier this year (38:18)</li>
<li>The NCAA Tournament loss to FAU (39:35)</li>
<li>Never being 100% healthy at Memphis (42:14)</li>
<li>The very real, very intense rivalry with NBL MVP Bryce Cotton (44:06)</li>
</ul>
On this episode, Munz and Dylan also discuss behind-the-scenes chatter from the Tigers' summer workouts, among several other topics.&nbsp;

Extended interview: Kendric Davis on his connection with Memphis, the FAU game and the Bryce Cotton rivalry

Penny Hardaway is not leaving anything to chance.

Hence the pursuit of 24-year-old Serbian center Nemanja Popović, which yielded a commitment from the All-Polish Basketball League first-team selection. 

All that's left for he and the Tigers is the formal signing. While we await clearance of that final hurdle, Jason Munz and Jonah Dylan dive into what Popović's addition might mean for Memphis. How it might affect the starting lineup. How the rotation might shake out. What it might do for the Tigers' ceiling. And more. 

Also, on this week's edition of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, Munz and Dylan get into the contract that former Memphis star Jalen Duren might soon be signing (and the significance of it) and field some listener-submitted questions on both football and basketball. 

Penny Hardaway is not leaving anything to chance.
Hence the pursuit of 24-year-old Serbian center Nemanja Popović, which yielded a commitment from the All-Polish Basketball League first-team selection.&nbsp;
All that's left for he and the Tigers is the formal signing. While we await clearance of that final hurdle, Jason Munz and Jonah Dylan dive into what Popović's addition might mean for Memphis. How it might affect the starting lineup. How the rotation might shake out. What it might do for the Tigers' ceiling. And more.&nbsp;
Also, on this week's edition of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, Munz and Dylan get into the contract that former Memphis star Jalen Duren might soon be signing (and the significance of it) and field some listener-submitted questions on both football and basketball.&nbsp;

Penny Hardaway isn't making excuses for nosedive. What it might mean

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