Headed to Birmingham, Memphis looks to make possible what seems improbable: five straight wins and an NCAA Tournament berth.

“It’s March, and Penny Hardaway and the Tigers have a chip and a chair.”

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Bracket set for American Conference Tournament
Memphis escapes in OT against Tulane to clinch

American Conference Tournament berth

A tumultuous regular season complete, Tigers excited to enter ‘new season’

Memphis will open the American Conference Tournament against Tulane.

Quante Berry made two free throws with 2.3 seconds left in overtime to give Memphis a 96-95 comeback win over Tulane and send the Tigers to the upcoming American Conference Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama.

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Box score: Memphis 96, Tulane 95 (OT)

Bracket set for American Conference Tournament

Here is the box score for the Memphis Tigers’ game against the Tulane Green Wave on Sunday, March 8.

A win against the Green Wave would snap the Tigers’ seven-game losing streak and guarantee them a spot in the 10-team American Conference Tournament.

With nine American teams having already clinched a berth to the conference tournament, Memphis is fighting for a final spot in Birmingham.

Former Memphis star Dain Dainja, now playing in the G-League for the Miami Heat-affiliated Sioux Falls Skyforce, said it hurts to watch the Tigers struggle.

Memphis falls to 12-18 overall and 7-10 in the American Conference. Point guard Dug McDaniel led the Tigers with 25 points. Zach Davis added 17.

Box score for the NCAA basketball game between the University of Memphis Tigers and the University of South Florida Bulls at FedExForum on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

As questions again swirl about the future of Penny Hardaway, athletic director Ed Scott had every chance to address them Wednesday. He chose to stay silent. What could that mean?

A Senior Day matchup against league-leader South Florida marks Memphis’ final home game of the 2025-26 season.

Memphis athletic director Ed Scott updated the university’s Board of Trustees on revenue-sharing contracts with players, soccer stadium renovation and football ticket revenue. 

Among six programs for which the Tigers budgeted revenue generated from ticket sales and parking, only men’s basketball has fallen short.

Student-athletes can now get paid for their name, image or likeness as well as revenue-sharing payments from the school. Today, we try to sort it all out. 

”It’s hard. I’m not lying — it’s hard for sure,” Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said of what’s been one of the most difficult seasons in program history.

One fact to sum up Penny Hardaway and this Memphis basketball season: This is the most losses the Tigers have suffered in 56 years.

Guards Julius Thedford, Dug McDaniel and Sincere Parker finished with double-digit points, but every other Tiger combined for only 25 points. 

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Box score: East Carolina 84, Memphis 68

Here is the NCAA men’s basketball box score for the March 1, 2026, game at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, North Carolina, between the East Carolina Pirates and the Memphis Tigers.

Ja Morant is on the way out. Penny Hardaway is teetering. It’s the worst basketball season in the city’s history, featuring the fall of two Memphis icons.

Parth Upadhyaya and John Martin look ahead to what changes Penny Hardaway needs to make.

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What to watch when Memphis visits East Carolina

Tied with Temple for eighth place in the American Conference with three regular-season games left, Memphis looks to take care of business against 11th-place East Carolina.

Five straight losses have put the Tigers in a hole, but a win Sunday at East Carolina would boost Memphis’ confidence and increase its chances of making it to Birmingham. 

Memphis and Texas have agreed to a home-and-home series beginning with the 2026-27 basketball season.

Despite point guard Dug McDaniel’s season-high 29 points, the Tigers lose at home to the Shockers, 88-82. Wichita State scored the final 7 points of the game.

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Box score: Wichita State 88, Memphis 82