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Memphis Basketball: Can Tigers live up to preseason hype for 2019-20?

By John Willkom

MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Penny Hardaway of the Memphis Tigers reacts against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the HoopHall Miami Invitational at American Airlines Arena on December 1, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Penny Hardaway of the Memphis Tigers reacts against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the HoopHall Miami Invitational at American Airlines Arena on December 1, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 20: James Wiseman #32 warms up at halftime of the Jordan Brand Classic boys high school all-star basketball game at T-Mobile Arena on April 20, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 20: James Wiseman #32 warms up at halftime of the Jordan Brand Classic boys high school all-star basketball game at T-Mobile Arena on April 20, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Leadership questions

The biggest question surrounding this team will be: where is the leadership going to come from? Both Hardaway and Coach Mike Miller (Florida & NBA) should be able to pull from personal experience to guide a young team, and early season tests against Oregon and Tennessee should help an inexperienced group gel. However, multiple guys are legitimate lottery picks that could easily let future NBA visions cloud the mindset needed to make a deep run into the NCAA tournament.

Isaiah Maurice, a power forward who contributed 5 ppg last season, is the team’s only senior (or junior for that matter) and will most likely play a supporting role coming off the bench. The style of play employed by gritty rivals, Houston and Cincinnati, should also help prep this team for what’s needed to win come March. But, the questions remain: If Memphis finds itself down one with ten seconds left on the road, who’s getting the ball? How many touches will Wiseman get in the post? If Ellis starts bombing away from the field, is there a teammate willing and able to check him?

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If the Tigers can answer those questions early in the season, the foundation is certainly there for Memphis to make a legitimate national championship run.