Martin: As Memphis tries to knock off nation’s No. 1, we have questions
Memphis Tigers guard Julius Thedford (15) dribbles the ball against the UNLV Rebels during the first half at FedExForum on Nov 16. (Wes Hale/Special to The Daily Memphian)
John Martin
John Martin is a contributing college sports columnist for The Daily Memphian. Martin is a lifelong Memphian who’s covered the Memphis Tigers’ basketball program for more than a decade. Before joining The Daily Memphian team, he was the Memphis beat writer for The Athletic. Currently, he is the co-host of the Jason and John Show on 92.9 FM ESPN, weekdays at 11 a.m. Martin is a graduate of White Station High School and the University of Memphis.
The Memphis basketball season may be off to a tepid start, but I’ve got five burning questions as the Tigers prepare to play No. 1-ranked Purdue Thursday afternoon (5 p.m. CT) in the Bahamas.
What’s actually the best lineup?
One of the frustrating things about this Memphis roster is unfortunately it doesn’t seem clear which combination of five players gives the Tigers the best chance to win. There are certain players who feel like they need to be on the floor for Memphis. There are certain players who give more consistent effort. But last year it was pretty clear by the end of the year what the best lineup was: Tyrese Hunter, PJ Haggerty, Colby Rogers, Nick Jourdain and Dain Dainja (with Moussa Cisse off the bench).
I could probably start with Julius Thedford as one of the five, but where do you go from there? Sincere Parker is the only player on the roster with NCAA Tournament experience. He should be in that group, but his effort has clearly not been good enough for Penny Hardaway in the early goings.
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