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FanSided 250: How basketball carried Memphis to a solid ranking

By Tristan Freeman

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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Memphis landed a spot in the annual FanSided 250 rankings. How did the off the court news lead the way for this to happen?

For those who aren’t aware, Busting Brackets parent company FanSided has an annual ranking of all the hottest fandoms in the world known as “FanSided 250”. Whether its sports, television, gaming or individual celebrities, there are always those who support and follow them. That’s especially true in the college division, where we call home. 21 schools made the list, including the Memphis Tigers.

It’s a cool accomplishment for a program and fan base who operates under the radar in the American Athletic Conference. The football team is going on six straight seasons of at least eight wins while winning a school-record 12 games this year. But what really put Memphis on the map this year and put them in a position to get ranked was what happened with the basketball team – primarily off the court.

It started over a year ago when eventual No. 1 overall recruit James Wiseman elected to play for Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers. Little did we know, it was just the beginning for a historic recruiting class. Once the offseason arrived, Coach Hardaway was able to land several top-100 recruits in the 2019 class, including Lester Quinones, Precious Achiuwa and former Duke commit Boogie Ellis. Memphis became the first team in nearly a decade not named Duke or Kentucky to have the No. 1 recruiting class.

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To say that Tigers fans were happy would be a major understatement. The hoops program was the talk of the town all summer and the fan base was all over social media to bask in the glory. It was evident in pageviews for Busting Brackets this offseason, with Memphis-based articles doing as well as Duke and other perennial basketball powers.

But the positive vibes went sour when Wiseman was ruled ineligible due to him and his family accepting money from Hardaway when they were together in high school. With the public relations currently against the NCAA, Memphis fans had a lot of backup in their outrage over the ruling. “Defiance” was the mindset of the fans, who made their frustrations known.

But that’s what makes a fan base so great, especially a smaller school that isn’t as big as the usual suspects. There’s a refusal to give up and lie down when things get rough while celebrating and appreciating the good things that come their way.

Next. Analyzing top uncommited prospects. dark

With Wiseman set to return in January, the Memphis Tigers have a legit shot at being a Final Four team this season. If that happens, expect not only Memphis and its fans to make it back on the FanSided 250 but rise a ton in the rankings overall.