|
Welcome to this week’s Tigers Basketball Insider. Below you’ll find the latest news and analysis from The Daily Memphian’s Parth Upadhyaya, John Martin and Geoff Calkins.
While Memphis battled through cramps in a gymnasium with no air conditioning en route to a 76-67 win over SEC foe Vanderbilt on Monday, Nov. 7, where were college basketball’s top dogs?
Well, let’s take a look.
Here’s what the top five teams in the preseason AP Top 25 poll were up to on college hoops’ opening night: No. 1 North Carolina edged UNC-Wilmington (ranked 194th in KenPom’s ratings) by 13 points, No. 2 Gonzaga routed North Florida (225th in KenPom) by 41, No. 3 Houston pounded Northern Colorado (198th in KenPom) by 47, No. 4 Kentucky blew out Howard (241st in KenPom) by 32 and No. 5 Kansas cruised past Omaha (324th in KenPom) by 25. Oh, and all of those were home games.
The results vary, with the Tar Heels and Jayhawks struggling a bit and the Bulldogs, Cougars and Wildcats using their opponents as punching bags. But one thing’s for certain: coach Penny Hardaway and the Tigers don’t believe in scheduling many cupcakes.
“I want my guys to be able to experience the tougher teams early,” said Hardaway, whose squad beat the Commodores (74th in KenPom) on the road. “I really do. I’ve never believed in playing the smaller teams early to try to boost (our record). I’ve always tried my best when I could control the schedule to play some tough games early.”
National pundits took notice, too.
CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander sent a tweet out Monday morning that made mention of the fact that Memphis-Vanderbilt was college basketball’s best opening-night matchup, per KenPom. And legendary sports broadcaster Dick Vitale tweeted that afternoon that he felt the Tigers’ contest versus the Commodores was the most “intriguing opening game.”
Though Memphis led by as many as 19 and was mostly in full control against Vanderbilt, the Commodores did cut the Tigers’ lead to eight with 7:06 to go.
Memphis was legitimately tested — and as a result, Hardaway and his staff got a clearer picture of their team’s strengths and weaknesses than most power-conference coaching staffs did Monday night.
Last season, the Tigers’ grueling non-conference slate cost them. The group lost four consecutive games — three to Power Five teams — in a span of two weeks.
“That was extremely tough,” Hardaway said. “And it was a big lesson for me, but we finished strong because of those games early. We finished strong and ended up getting into the NCAA Tournament.”
In that same tweet from Norlander on Monday, the CBS Sports writer stated that Memphis is the only power-conference program that’s opening the season with two road games.
Most power conference coaches “would rather quit than start playing twice on the road,” Norlander added.
Hardaway sure isn’t quitting any time soon, but the Tigers’ road ahead only gets tougher. They travel to Missouri on Nov. 15 to take on a Saint Louis team that just missed the preseason AP Top 25 by five sports (36 votes received) and is ranked No. 35 in KenPom’s ratings.
If Hardaway hopes to find out soon what his squad is made of, then he’s in luck.
“I believe in playing good teams early and seeing where your team is,” he said, “so you can use them as teaching tapes.”
More from your Insider:
Memphis used a balanced scoring attack and solid defense to seal a win over Vanderbilt. DeAndre Williams and Kendric Davis combined for 33 points.
Memphis traveled to Nashville and dominated Vanderbilt Monday, 76-67. In the process, Memphis looked like something we haven’t seen from a Hardaway team before. It might be better than its hype!
Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse has high praise for Memphis after defense does in his Commodores.
NCAA box score for the men’s basketball game between the Memphis Tigers and the Vanderbilt Commodores played at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee.
When the Memphis Tigers open their season Monday, Nov. 7, against Vanderbilt in Nashville, Faragi Phillips will return to where his collegiate coaching career began for the first time since joining Penny Hardaway’s staff this summer.
Keonté Kennedy’s reception in Nashville, where he almost joined Vandy before choosing the Tigers, is just intriguing storyline.
Penny Hardaway decided his team would try to prove itself on the court this year “instead of just talking” about it. That quest begins Monday, Nov. 7, with a season-opening showdown against Vanderbilt in Nashville.
The Glendale, Arizona, native is a senior at Arizona’s Dream City Christian School.
The Daily Memphian’s Parth Upadhyaya and John Martin bandy about the most intriguing questions surrounding the Memphis Tigers’ 2022-23 season.
Just when it seemed like Penny Hardaway might be shifting his recruiting focus to transfers, he goes out and lands two highly ranked high school recruits.
Penny Hardaway has landed two highly touted 2023 basketball recruits.
Memphis Tigers coach Penny Hardaway and Vanderbilt Jerry Stackhouse both were college All-Americans and NBA stars who now lead major college basketball programs.
The Memphis coach won’t disclose the starting lineup for the season opener at Vanderbilt, but does offer updates on availability of Kendric Davis, Damaria Franklin.
The jersey retirement will take place during a ceremony at FedExForum at a future game to be determined by the program and the late Wright’s family.
For the 6-foot-3 transfer guard Tigers coach Penny Hardaway calls “pretty special,” the most direct route to eligibility would be for University of Illinois-Chicago head coach Luke Yaklich to sign a “no participation opportunity” form. But UIC and Yaklich refuse to sign.
..... |
