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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 Tim Buckley.
When CBS’ Selection Sunday show ended Sunday night, what we all knew became official: Memphis will not be dancing this March.
The Tigers, who ended the season with a 22-10 overall record and a fifth-place finish in the AAC, will miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. Their tumultuous campaign came to a crashing halt when they lost to Wichita State 71-65 in the second round of the AAC Tournament on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.
Based on the talent Memphis accumulated through the transfer portal and the fact that it was ranked as high as No. 10 in the AP Top 25 poll in mid-January, it’s safe to say this is the most disappointing season in coach Penny Hardaway’s six years at the helm.
But is this the worst product Hardaway has put on the court in his time at Memphis?
The numbers, particularly KenPom’s advanced analytics, can help us come to a conclusion.
Here’s where Memphis finished in KenPom in 2023-24:
- Overall - No. 74
- Adjusted offensive efficiency - No. 70
- Adjusted defensive efficiency - No. 105
That marks the worst overall KenPom ranking a Memphis team has had under Hardaway. It is the lowest the Tigers have finished a season since ending the 2019-20 campaign ranked No. 59.
Memphis’ No. 105 adjusted defensive efficiency ranking is also by far its worst under Hardaway, who’s a coach that hangs his hat on defense. The Tigers previously had never finished any lower than No. 54 in that category, and that was in Hardaway’s first season in 2018-19.
Hardaway also has produced two top-five defenses in his six seasons with the Tigers, finishing No. 5 in adjusted defensive efficiency in 2019-20 and No. 1 in 2020-21.
Last year, in the 2022-23 season, Hardaway took a slight step back in defensive success but made up for it with better production on the offensive end. Led by stars Kendric Davis and DeAndre Williams, the Tigers closed the season ranked No. 20 overall in KenPom — their best KenPom ranking under Hardaway. They were also No. 26 in adjusted offensive efficiency — their best finish in that category — and No. 38 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
This past season, though, Hardaway had more weapons than ever on the offensive end — big-name portal gets like David Jones, Jahvon Quinerly, Nae’Qwan Tomlin and others — but just couldn’t get them all to mesh. It resulted in a No. 70 ranking in adjusted offensive efficiency, which is the worst Memphis has had since ending 2020-21 ranked No. 117 in that category.
Here are the KenPom numbers for Memphis in each of Hardaway’s six seasons as coach:
2018-19
- Overall - No. 56
- Adjusted offensive efficiency - No. 81
- Adjusted defensive efficiency - No. 54
2019-20
- Overall - No. 59
- Adjusted offensive efficiency - No. 210
- Adjusted defensive efficiency - No. 5
2020-21
- Overall - No. 31
- Adjusted offensive efficiency - No. 117
- Adjusted defensive efficiency - No. 1
2021-22
- Overall - No. 24
- Adjusted offensive efficiency - No. 38
- Adjusted defensive efficiency - No. 33
2022-23
- Overall - No. 20
- Adjusted offensive efficiency - No. 26
- Adjusted defensive efficiency - No. 38
2023-24
- Overall - No. 74
- Adjusted offensive efficiency - No. 70
- Adjusted defensive efficiency - No. 105
More from your Insider:
Penny Hardaway is “No. 1 on that list” of people disappointed with how Memphis’ 2023-24 basketball season ended, Tigers athletic director Laird Veatch says. Which helps explain why Memphis declined an NIT bid.
How did Upadhyaya’s Top 25 compare to the way the NCAA Tournament selection committee seeded teams for the Big Dance?
“Memphis basketball was left out again on Selection Sunday. It better not happen next year. Not if Memphis basketball is going to continue to be a dominant force in this city — or if Penny Hardaway is going to continue as the head coach.”
“I decided to make a business decision for myself,” Pierre told The Daily Memphian. “I need to choose the right situation for me. So it was kinda really like a no-brainer for me.”
Tigers coach Penny Hardaway responded to critics when speaking with reporters Monday night following his weekly radio show at Brookhaven Pub & Grill.
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