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What to watch in Memphis’ game at Charlotte

By , Daily Memphian Updated: January 18, 2025 4:59 PM CT | Published: January 18, 2025 4:00 AM CT

Memphis basketball must get back on track. And quickly.

The No. 18 Tigers (13-4, 3-1 AAC) dropped the first of a two-game road swing, losing 88-81 to Temple on Thursday night in Philadelphia after beating North Texas and East Carolina by a combined eight points in their prior two games. 

Close games against inferior American Athletic Conference opponents followed by an eyebrow-raising loss might give Tiger fans flashbacks to last season, when Memphis began league play 4-0 and was ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 before dropping eight of its final 15 games and missing the NCAA Tournament.

But coach Penny Hardaway isn’t going there — at least not yet.

“I’m not (gonna go) backwards and start talking about last year,” he said Thursday. “I’m not gonna panic.”

Topics

Memphis Tigers Basketball Penny Hardaway PJ Haggerty Tyrese Hunter Subscriber Only

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Parth Upadhyaya

Parth Upadhyaya

Parth Upadhyaya covers the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team. A Raleigh, N.C., native and a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Media and Journalism, Upadhyaya is a longtime college hoops junkie. Prior to joining The Daily Memphian in 2022, he covered high school sports in western Pennsylvania for the Beaver County Times and Penn State football for the Centre Daily Times.


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