Coach Penny Hardaway searching for answers as Memphis prepares to head to the Bahamas.

Amid drama and struggle, there’s some good stuff happening with the Grizzlies, the kind that can pay bigger dividends later if the team can ever keep a real guard or two on the floor. Here are three things Chris Herrington likes this week.

Tigers and what is now the University of Memphis go back to around 1914, and the partnership eventually led to the school having a live feline on the sidelines during football games. 

Box score for the NCAA basketball game between the Memphis Tigers and the UNLV Runnin' Rebels at FedExForum in Memphis, on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025.

The only Tigers who finished with double-digit points were guard Julius Thedford (16 points and six rebounds) and guard Curtis Givens III (10 points and three assists).

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Box score: UNLV 92, Memphis 78

Memphis signs former Tennessee Vols standout to give the team needed assistance at the guard position, which is dealing with injuries to Ja Morant, Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr. and Javon Small.

Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy had a career-best 300 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 25 carries in Saturday’s win over Mississippi State.

Even with more approvals needed before closing the deal, Bartlett already is receiving interest from groups interested in managing Quail Ridge Golf Course for the suburb.

In the final minute, Ole Miss fans chanted “We want Lane!” in a bid to persuade their sought-after coach Lane Kiffin not to bolt for another school.

Memphis regroups after East Carolina hands the Tigers what running back Sutton Smith called “a tough pill to swallow.”

Ai Kitagawa scores twice in the first half to send the Tigers into a second-round match against TCU.

Zach Edey had 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes in his first game of the season. Ja Morant left the game with right calf soreness.

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Box score: Cavaliers 108, Grizzlies 100

Joey Aguilar threw for 204 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score to lead No. 21 Tennessee to a victory over New Mexico State on Saturday.

Box score for the Memphis Grizzlies game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Box score for the football game between the University of Memphis Tigers and the East Carolina University Pirates.

The 8-3 Tigers now have three losses in league play. They were already a longshot to make the American Conference Championship game heading into Saturday.

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Box score: ECU 31, Memphis 27

Memphis should be able to make progress in key areas and build some momentum against a struggling UNLV squad led by former Tigers coach Josh Pastner.

The Jaguars were hoping for an easier trip in next week’s quarterfinal round and they got it when Collierville outlasted Antioch.

Updates on Ja Morant, Zach Edey, Cedric Coward and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s availability for Saturday’s game in Cleveland.

Bartlett makes moves to purchase Quail Ridge Golf Course, which closed a year ago, and resurrect the 18-hole layout.

Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina, is expected to have one of the most hostile crowds the Tigers have seen this season. 

As Memphis embarks on yet another grueling nonconference schedule against Power 4 programs it’s clear the playing field has shifted. Should our annual expectations follow?

Drew Hill and Chris Herrington recap a disappointing start to the Grizzlies’ road trip and discuss Zach Edey’s imminent return. 

“We had a great seven-year run,” former Memphis coach and current UNLV coach Josh Pastner said of his time with the Tigers. “There were some great highs. A couple challenges, for sure.”

The Grizzlies have time to think about the long-term future of their stars, but the team on the floor needs to find its identity.