Martin: Memphis is left out — and needs to get out
Memphis Tigers guard Tyrese Hunter (11) reacts to the crowd during the second half against the Mississippi Rebels at FedExForum on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (Wes Hale/The Daily Memphian file)
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.
On Saturday, the NCAA Tournament selection committee unveiled its Top 16 teams in the country. For the first time since the early television reveal started in 2017, Memphis fans at least had a reason to tune in.
One by one, North Carolina athletic director and committee chair Bubba Cunningham rattled off the teams. Auburn … Florida … Kentucky … Wisconsin … Arizona … Michigan … St. John’s …
And that was that.
Despite being ranked 14th in the country in the AP Poll, Memphis did not make the cut as one of the top 16 teams, per the selection committee. They didn’t make it as the 17th or 18th, either: The just-missed teams were Michigan State (which Memphis beat on a neutral site) and Marquette.
Topics
Memphis Tigers Basketball Subscriber Only University of Memphis basketballIt’s GivingTuesday week! Will you join the celebration?
Donate now to help power our free community news access program.You know the value of having unlimited access to The Daily Memphian’s news. When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians with quality, in-depth local news through
- free access at over 300 schools and libraries
- free podcasts and radio broadcasts
- free newsletters
- and more!
Thank you for keeping up with local news. Thank you for investing in our community.
Related stories
Tigers Podcast: Are Jekyll-and-Hyde Tigers a strange case?
Parth Upadhyaya and John Martin try to determine if the Tigers playing up and down to their competition will ultimately bite them.
Memphis cruises to comfortable road win over South Florida
Led by center Dain Dainja’s 20 points, coach Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers looked dangerous in its 80-65 victory over USF. The win was Hardaway’s 150th as coach of the Tigers.Related content:
Martin: Memphis basketball rolls, no math degree necessary
In the midst of a season when it feels like Memphis basketball just can’t seem to please the rest of the country — despite being ranked 14th — Thursday night was a blast.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.