What we know about Tigers as they head into American Conference play
Memphis Tigers Head Coach Penny Hardaway reacts against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FedExForum on Dec. 17, 2025. (Wes Hale/Special to The Daily Memphian)
Even more than six weeks into the 2025-26 season, it isn’t easy to know exactly what to make of the Memphis Tigers.
The Tigers (5-7) beat Alabama State 88-67 on Monday night at FedExForum in their final game before beginning an 18-game American Conference slate against North Texas on Dec. 31 (3 p.m., ESPN2) at home. (They’ll play their 13th and final nonconference game on Feb. 14, when they take on Utah State in Logan, Utah.)
So far, we’ve seen this team push then-No. 1 Purdue until the final minutes in a 9-point loss in the Bahamas and pick up a 7-point home win over a Baylor team that has a solid chance to be NCAA Tournament-bound come March.
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Memphis Tigers Memphis Tigers Basketball American Conference Penny Hardaway Dug McDaniel 2025-26 college basketball season Subscriber Only2025 is almost over. Now is the time to support your trusted local news source.
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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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