Memphis Basketball: 5 keys for a successful 2018-19 campaign

4. Create more transition opportunities

Transition opportunities often lead to easy baskets, especially at the college level. If a team is able to consistently get out and run either off of missed shots or turnovers, then they can typically control the pace of the game and therefore build up early leads. Teams that create turnovers and limit second-chance opportunities are almost always near the top of the country defensively. During this past season, though, Memphis struggled in three facets of the game that often lead to these fastbreak chances: defensive rebounding, blocks, and steals.

Despite the fact that Memphis was one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, ranking 11th in the nation (35.1 Oreb%), they were equally as bad on the other end. The Tigers allowed opponents to snag offensive boards on 33.7% of shots, a percentage that placed them at 333rd in the country (out of 351 teams). These polarizing statistics are puzzling but could be attributed to the playing style of the team last season. With Coach Hardaway now leading the way, a more balanced rebounding attack could be on the way.

In terms of counting defensive stats, Memphis also struggled. Per KenPom, the Tigers finished in the bottom half of the country in both block percentage (9.8%, 218th) and steal percentage (10.9%, 341st). Obviously, these stats do not and will never be able to tell the whole story of how effective a defense it. However, they can give a decent look at how a team is creating their fastbreak opportunities. In this case, Memphis will hopefully improve in these three facets of the game in order to run the floor more on offense.