Tigers hitting reset for AAC tourney and a March already gone mad
The difference between the start of the season and now: Comfort with the defense, and locked in as a family.
The difference between the start of the season and now: Comfort with the defense, and locked in as a family.
Point guard Alex Lomax is back at practice but that doesn’t mean he’ll return for the Tigers’ first AAC tournament game Friday.
If Sunday produced an all-too-familiar feeling for Memphis fans, there is still reason to hope this might turn out better than the other losses.
Those final 1.7 seconds were painful, but the time before that is where the lessons come from. Tramon Mark’s ‘miracle' shot doesn’t undo the fact that Memphis held its own on the road against Houston.
The Tigers, the No. 3 seed after losing to Houston on Saturday, will play March 12.
March 7, 2021: Houston 67, Memphis 64Related story:
Boogie Ellis’ shot gave Memphis hope, but Cougars freshman Tramon Mark’s last-second 3-pointer vaporized it.
Johns coached the women’s basketball team from 1972 to 1991 and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Alex Lomax is questionable to play at Houston and the Tigers are still on the NCAA tournament bubble.
After leaving Memphis State, Penny Hardaway dropped jaws in legendary pickup games at Fonde Recreation Center, Houston’s longtime NBA haunt.
With USF taken care of, all eyes and efforts now turn to the season’s toughest task.
The Tigers have a tremendous opportunity when they play the Houston Cougars on national TV Sunday. It’s one they first had to earn.
March 2, 2021: Memphis 73, South Florida 52Related story:
Defense again the name of the game, and Boogie Ellis led the Tigers with 18 points. Related stories:
Tigers fans have likely gotten used to watching ugly basketball games this season.
Sunday’s win at Cincinnati showed that the Tigers are at their most dangerous when Malcolm Dandridge, Moussa Cisse and DeAndre Williams are in sync.
The Tigers lost Alex Lomax to injury and got the shaft from the American Athletic Conference, but they rose to the occasion Sunday and won at Cincinnati for the first time since Derrick Rose led the team.
Feb. 28, 2021: Memphis 80, Cincinnati 74 Related Story:
Memphis fends off Cincinnati for fifth straight win
The Tigers dominated on the boards and maintained their composure in the final seconds.
A source with knowledge of the situation described Lomax’s injury to The Daily Memphian as a “twisted ankle” and said he would most likely not play against the Bearcats.
When the American Athletic Conference stripped Memphis of its final home game against Houston, it was just the latest in a long line of civic shaftings. There’s a reason Memphians are so resilient. What other choice do we have?
The American Athletic Conference moved the Tigers’ last home game of the season to Houston. It’s a transparent screw job.
The change is a devastating blow for the Tigers, who now have lost home-court advantage for their toughest game of the season.
Memphis looked rusty after 18 days without basketball. But never mind that. The Tigers got the win!
Feb. 24, 2021: Memphis 61, Tulane 46