Contextualizing Memphis basketball's March Madness performance and moving on

The Memphis basketball offseason began much sooner than expected after the Tigers lost to FAU in the first round of the NCAA tournament last week. Reconciling that disappointment with all the positive strides the program made over the course of the 2022-23 season might take some time. Beat writer…

Why Memphis basketball is positioned to go on a March Madness run

Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway is building toward something. Has it taken longer than some people − possibly even he − expected? Yes, it has. But last week's win over No. 2 Houston, then the No. 1 team in the country, clinched the first league championship for the program in a decade. It …

Memphis basketball's most realistic ceiling and Kendric Davis' player of the year chances

The Memphis basketball team is hitting the reset button this week. The Tigers (23-8) ended the regular season in second place, their best finish since joining the AAC in 2013. But that doesn't much matter in the postseason, when every team has a clean slate. Penny Hardaway's team will be the No. 2…

With March Madness around the corner, is Memphis basketball's buzz back for good?

Memphis basketball believes it belongs in the NCAA Tournament. But the Tigers also know there's still work to be done. That work continues Thursday, when Memphis travels to Dallas to face SMU and, then, returns home to host No. 1 Houston on Sunday. On this week's edition of the Tiger Basketball P…

Why all losses are not created equal

Memphis basketball should be hungrier than ever after its 72-64 loss to Houston, this week's new No. 1 team in the nation. “That’s exactly what I told the team,” Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said outside the team’s locker room. “We played with a 90% (Alex Lomax), kind of a 60% Malcolm (Dandridge) a…

Is it more important for Memphis basketball to beat Houston or not lose to anyone else?

The Memphis basketball team rebounded from a disappointing loss to Tulane with a business-like win at USF. But the damage was done. Most bracketologists have the Tigers squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble with seven regular-season games left. Two of their remaining games are against Houston. Di…

Memphis basketball is 17-5 and in position for an at-large bid. Where is the buzz?

Tulane. USF. Temple. UCF. That is what is left of the road ahead of Memphis basketball before it arrives at Houston. The Tigers, 17-5 overall and 7-2 in AAC play, are in a good spot. Is it a good enough spot that they can afford a bad loss? On this week's episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, …

If Memphis is on the verge of another late surge, what does a realistic finish look like?

Memphis basketball has won its last three games, two of them coming on the road. Penny Hardaway's teams have a history of settling into a deep groove around this time of year. Since 2020-21, the Tigers are 28-6 after Jan. 20. Can this Memphis team keep that trend going? If so, what does a realisti…

The potentially overlooked significance of Memphis basketball's dramatic win at Temple

Penny Hardaway called the timeout that Kendric Davis said is "the reason we won." Davis actually hit the shot as time expired to lift Memphis basketball to a 61-59 win at Temple last week. The victory kept the Tigers (13-5, 3-2 AAC) on the projected NCAA Tournament bubble. But, on the heels of an …

Welcoming Memphis basketball back to the bubble and reconciling the long road ahead

The Memphis basketball team closed the 2021-22 regular season by winning 10 of its last 11 games. The Tigers needed every single one of them − and then some, ultimately − in order to reach the NCAA Tournament. Almost a year later, Memphis might need to pull off something similar, because Penny Har…