NCAA East Regional first-round box score for the game between the Memphis Tigers and Florida Atlantic University Owls played Friday, March 17, in Columbus, Ohio.

The 1972-73 Memphis State Tigers NCAA Tournament team’s impact on the city still is examined and debated 50 years later.

The Tigers, playing in front of a loud, large crowd at Elma Roane Fieldhouse, never trailed. Memphis will play Ball State Monday in the second round.

DeAndre Williams had a GoPro. Alex Lomax (and his big ones) are on a T-shirt. Yes, Memphis, the Tigers seem to be having a high old time.

Joey Dorsey is headed back to the NCAA Tournament, 15 years after the end of his collegiate career at Memphis.

It’s Wednesday, March 15, minutes before noon, and Alex Lomax and his Memphis Tigers teammates are headed to Columbus, Ohio.

While some on the outside are already looking ahead, Memphis knows it can’t skip steps. The No. 8 seed Tigers are focused on preparing for No. 9 seed FAU ahead of Friday’s NCAA Tournament first-round matchup.

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Larry Finch, Larry Kenon helped Memphis State beat South Carolina and Kansas State to make it to St. Louis in the 1972-73 NCAA Tournament.

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway felt criticism from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman was unwarranted.

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DeAndre Williams is glad Memphis has earned some national recognition but believes the college basketball world doesn’t truly realize what the Tigers are capable of in March.

No matter how far Memphis makes it in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed, it’d be hard to call this season anything short of a successful one.

The Memphis point guard is the only player in the country in the top 20 in points and assists per game.

As the Tigers enter the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season, the team reached 25 wins for the first time since 2012-13; improved their seeding from a season ago; beat the AP No. 1 team for the first time in school history; and won the American Athletic Conference tournament.

Penny Hardaway and Alex Lomax finally did it. They brought a championship to the University of Memphis.

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Jackson State won 15 straight games before losing to Southern University on a buzzer-beater in the semifinal round of the SWAC Tournament.

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Memphis vaults into the AP Top 25 a day after their 75-65 AAC Tournament title win over then-No. 1 Houston.

While they’re not a blue blood or Power 5 juggernaut, the FAU Owls have put together one of the most successful seasons in college basketball.

Memphis will have an extended postseason after producing a 20-win season for the first time in 11 years.

Coach Penny Hardaway’s Tigers heard their name called on CBS’ Selection Sunday show a little more than an hour after winning their first-ever AAC Tournament title.

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NCAA men’s basketball box for the Sunday, March 12 AAC Tournament championship game between the Memphis Tigers and the Houston Cougars from Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

This is what the Tigers had been building toward. This was what Penny Hardaway claimed they were capable of doing all along. 

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Box score: Memphis 75, Houston 65

Penny Hardaway took the job at Memphis with the promise that he’d deliver titles. Sunday, The Tigers knocked off No. 1 Houston to win the AAC Tournament. They’re not done for the season. The NCAAs await. But after five years, Hardaway delivered on his promise. And it was glorious.