Weird things always seem to happen in the American Athletic Conference tournament. The league always sees someone get hot and earn a bid into the NCAA Tournament that otherwise would not. This year, it almost happened again, but the favorite to win the tournament prevailed and secured the automatic bid. The Memphis Tigers beat the UAB Blazers in the American Athletic championship game to secure the automatic bid and prevent a bid steal by UAB.
Memphis is making their 29th appearance in the tournament and it is their first appearance since the 2022-2023 season. This is the best Tigers team that head coach Penny Hardaway has ever had and it is the best season that Memphis has had since the 2012-2013 season. The Tigers are currently 29-5 and went 16-2 in the American. It is the first time that Memphis has won the league regular season with Penny as their head coach.
The Tigers earned a five-seed in the NCAA Tournament. That is the highest seed that a Coach Hardaway team has ever earned. Memphis is sneaky team especially if they make it to the later rounds. The Tigers already have wins over Missouri, Michigan State, UConn, Clemson, and Ole Miss. They should make the second weekend but have been inconsistent as the year has gone on and have a tendency to play some clunkers. Here are some reasons that the Tigers can win a game in the NCAA Tournament.
Starting Guards
Memphis has two guards who have been and will continue to be the catalysts for every win. Every guard that Coach Hardaway has was found in the transfer portal. They can shoot, can all score, and pass well also. Even though they can all do those things, they each score in different ways. Colby Rogers has one role, and that is to shoot. He shoots a lot of threes and makes them at 37%. Finally, the best of the guards. PJ Haggerty is the American Player of the Year. He averages 22 points per game, leads the team in assists, and hauls in 6 rebounds per game. He does all of that by shooting very few threes and getting to the rim to finish most of his baskets. The 22 points is one of the tops in the country. Even if Tyrese Hunter is out for the tournament, Rogers and Haggerty will still be a handful for opposing teams.
Big Men
I am sensing a theme here. The Tigers have three guards who are catalysts for everything they do offensively. Believe it or not, coach Hardaway has built the team with three big men who do everything to set up the defense for the Tigers. Dain Dainja is a transfer from Illinois who is second on the team in scoring and shoots 61% from the floor. He is a good offensive player, but his best value is on the defensive end of the floor. Dainja leads Memphis in rebounding especially offensive rebounding. The big man hauls in three offensive rebounds per night to get extra baskets. He does have more than one block per night and locks down the paint. Moussa Cisse leads the team in blocks, is second in rebounds, and hauls in about three offensive rebounds per night.
Finally, Nick Jourdain is the starter who doesn’t score much, but he is a lockdown defender who does the little things to help Memphis win. Dainja and Cisse are tough in the middle and make it very hard to score. If all of these pieces are working together and playing well the Tigers are tough to beat. They were all great in games they won against the big-time schools earlier in the year.
Most Talent
It is going to be hard for me to agree with you if you say there are more talented teams in the country than Memphis. I would say Duke and Auburn probably have the most raw talent and athleticism but Memphis is a very close third. Every player that has been mentioned for the Tigers was a highly coveted transfer or recruit. I know they have been inconsistent, but when they are all playing together and showing their talent, they have looked unbeatable at times. It is Tournament time which means it is time for the most talented teams to come out and show their strengths. If Memphis plays up to their ceiling there are only a few teams who have more talent than them. They should get by on talent alone for a while.
Memphis is an interesting team because they have been inconsistent. If they play up to their capabilities they can win a National Championship and are one of the best teams in the country. It is just the inconsistent play that shows up way too often.