Memphis Tigers coach Penny Hardaway tried his best not to makes excuses after the loss in the NCAA Tournament. But his answers revealed how he truly felt.

Memphis Tigers basketball had an important season of redemption. But the ending? “Just heartbreaking,” PJ Haggerty said.

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PJ Haggerty struggled from the field, making only 7 of his 23 shots in Friday’s NCAA Tournament first-round game against Colorado State.

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A large, LED TV screen was set up under the Sunset Canopy at Tom Lee Park Friday, March 21, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for an NCAA Tournament watch party.

Of the 12 players on Memphis Tigers’ roster, seven could potentially return for at least another season.

Hits to their depth added up for the No. 5 seed Tigers (29-6) in their 78-70 first-round loss to No. 12 seed Colorado State on Friday afternoon at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

NCAA Tournament box score for Friday’s game between the Memphis Tigers and Colorado State Rams played in Seattle, Washington.

The loss of Harris, who’s averaged 2.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 16 games this season for Memphis, could be especially detrimental with starting point guard Tyrese Hunter already ruled out with a left foot injury.

Penny Hardaway and the players had a lot to say at Thursday’s media day in Seattle as the Tigers prepare for Friday’s NCAA Tournament first-round game against Colorado State. 

Haggerty is 22 points away from breaking the Memphis record for the most points scored in a single season, and only two wins away from ending the Tigers’ 16-year Sweet 16 drought. But one would never guess it by talking to him.

The Memphis program was built on special seasons. Penny Hardaway knows he has a chance to deliver another to the city he loves.

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Early in American Athletic Conference play, Baraka Okojie was Memphis’ No. 3 point guard. Then backup Dante Harris sprained an ankle. Then starting point guard Tyrese Hunter hobbled off the court in Fort Worth.

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Former Bartlett High standout Amarr Knox led the Hornets with 18 points and TJ Madlock added 11.

Harris, a midseason transfer from Virginia, has been sidelined for the past four games with a high ankle sprain he suffered in Memphis’ March 4 road win against UTSA.

Hunter wouldn’t rule out a possible return at some point during March Madness, particularly if Coach Penny Hardaway’s team can make a deep run.

Memphis Tigers basketball star PJ Haggerty is only the seventh player in program history to become a consensus All-American.

When the No. 5 seed Tigers (29-5) tip off against No. 12 seed Colorado State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Seattle, they’ll do so as 1.5-point underdogs. 

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Memphis coach Penny Hardaway told reporters Tuesday that Harris was “progressing” while Hunter was “coming along slower” as the team heads into the NCAA Tournament.

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The Tigers have shocked the college basketball world before. Fueled by a mission to prove the doubters wrong — and perhaps more importantly, prove themselves right — they’ll try to do it again.

The Crosby, Texas, native is averaging 21.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game for Tigers (29-5), who won the AAC Tournament title 84-72 over UAB on Sunday and are a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

Eleven-year-old Maci Barrett gave Penny Hardaway a bracelet expressing her support for the coach. Now FedEx is flying Maci and her family to Seattle for the NCAA Tournament. 

Despite being limited to nine available players, Memphis found a way to beat UAB in convincing fashion in Sunday’s AAC Tournament title game. Can it do more of the same in the Big Dance?

Memphis was made a No. 5 seed in the West Region and will open NCAA Tournament play Friday in Seattle against Mountain West Tournament-champion Colorado State, the No. 12 seed.

The Tigers, fresh off of their 84-72 AAC Tournament championship victory over UAB on Sunday, stayed put at No. 16 in this week’s AP Top 25.

Maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised the Memphis Tigers are a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They’ve certainly earned the respect.