Tigers basketball beat writer Parth Upadhyaya and columnist John Martin discuss the importance of Memphis’ upcoming home games against Wichita State and UAB.

Coach Penny Hardaway knows the No. 24 Memphis Tigers (14-4, 4-1 AAC) can’t lose their edge as they get set to take on Wichita State at home Thursday.

Separation week for the Tigers in the AAC begins at home against the Shockers.

The Tigers are the second shortest team in the AAC, according to average height data from KenPom.

Even after a disappointing loss to Temple on Thursday in Philadelphia, the Tigers remain in the AP Top 25.

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Tigers beat writer Parth Upadhyaya’s latest AP Top 25 ballot

Where did Parth Upadhyaya rank the Tigers after a week in which they fell on the road to a non-top-100 Temple team before beating Charlotte on the road by only nine points?

“When we play poorly, it looks bad,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said of the No. 18 Tigers after they beat AAC bottom-feeder Charlotte by single digits Sunday. “But when we play great, it looks great. We have our moments.”

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Despite flawed performance, Tigers pick up bounce-back road win at Charlotte

Box Score: Memphis 77, Charlotte 68

The challenge for the Memphis Tigers is to be this locked in every night, often against teams at the bottom of the barrel. And a loss the game before shouldn’t be a prerequisite to coming out with that kind of energy.

Led by PJ Haggerty’s 18 points and 14 points and nine rebounds from Dain Dainja, the Tigers pick up the road win to improve to 4-1 in the AAC and 14-4 overall.

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Box Score: Memphis 77, Charlotte 68

Here is box score for Sunday’s game between the Memphis Tigers and the Charlotte 49ers at Dale F. Halton Arena.

The Tigers’ victory snaps an eight-game road losing streak, the team’s first victory away from Elma Roane Fieldhouse since beating Tulane last season.

The No. 18 Memphis Tigers will have an opportunity to quickly bounce back from their recent loss to Temple when they visit the Charlotte 49ers.

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U of M will retire Tamika Whitmore’s jersey March 1

The former All-American and WNBA All-Star will have her jersey retired at halftime of the Memphis women’s game against Tulsa.

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway called the loss disheartening and discouraging. In the abstract, it’s hard to argue with him. It was a poor effort from the start. 

Memphis has been outrebounded in each of its past three games, by a total margin of 119-82. The Tigers must fix that problem in order to rebound from Thursday’s defeat at Temple.

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Memphis outmuscled, upset by Temple in Philadelphia

Box score: Temple 88, Memphis 81

The Tigers were outrebounded 49-25 for the game and allowed the Owls to grab 22 offensive rebounds.

This is the box score for the NCAA basketball game between the Memphis Tigers and the Temple Owls on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Memphis adds five to its M Club Hall of Fame class and will also honor five special awards winners at its Feb. 22 induction ceremony.

A late technical foul hurts Memphis in the final seconds of a home loss to UTSA.

Thursday’s matchup with the Owls is currently the final opportunity the Tigers have this season to add another Quadrant 2 win to their resume.

Virginia transfer Dante Harris provides Memphis with a third facilitator to go with guards Tyrese Hunter and PJ Haggerty, and another tenacious on-ball defender.

The Tigers rose in the AP Top 25 for the second straight week.

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Tigers beat writer Parth Upadhyaya’s latest AP Top 25 ballot

Where did Upadhyaya rank Memphis after a second straight close call at home — this one to an ECU team well outside the top 150 of the NCAA’s NET rankings — to an AAC foe? 

PJ Haggerty, Memphis’ superstar guard, has emerged as an All-American candidate and dark-horse National Player of the Year contender. Now, his big plays could directly help him earn a few extra dollars.

The Tigers will head home to prepare for UTSA. The game will tip at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15.