Tag: Penny Hardaway

Memphis Tigers demand respect after 3rd straight win over ranked opponent

The Memphis Tigers secured their third straight win over a ranked opponent by dominating Virginia at home on Tuesday.

The Memphis Tigers moved to 9-2 on the season with a blowout victory over No. 20 Virginia, 77-54, at home on Tuesday evening.

It was coach Penny Hardaway’s third straight win over a ranked opponent, following a road victory over Texas A&M and a win over then-undefeated Clemson, 79-77, over the weekend.

Memphis remains undefeated at home and their only losses came against Villanova in the Battle 4 Atlantis and on the road at Ole Miss, one of just four remaining undefeated teams in college basketball.

The Tigers finally earned some respect with a top 25 spot in the coaches poll this week. While some teams crumble once the spotlight finally hits them Memphis did the opposite, holding Virginia to just 22 second half points in a convincing victory.

“Our identity is defense,” Hardaway said after the game. “That’s who we are. We’re a disruptive team. That’s our identity.”

KenPom currently ranks Memphis’ defense 21st in the country, and they have reinforcements on the way in the form of Kansas State transfer Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who should join the team early in 2024 as an immediately eligible graduate transfer.

While mid-major darling Florida Atlantic remains the favorite in the American Athletic Conference, Memphis does not look like a team ready to concede second place and should make the AAC an exciting two-team race all season long.

The Tigers have two more non-conference matchups, first at home against a struggling Vanderbilt squad on December 23 and then against Austin Peay on December 30, before they begin AAC play.

‘In every category, we did not meet our standard…’ Buzz Williams speaks after loss to Memphis

Here’s what Texas A&M Head Coach Buzz Williams had to say after the loss to Memphis

Texas A&M played hard but could not keep pace with a very determined Memphis Tiger game. It was an intense battle that was full of double-digit runs for each team. However, in the long run, the shots for the Tigers fell while the Aggies did not have the same luck.

Coach Buzz knows his team put forward a strong effort, but they couldn’t find any rhythm throughout the night:

“We were too inconsistent… Arguably, that’s as good of a roster that has been here in a long time. We were not terrible at anything, but we were not good.”

This was a tough loss that ended a winning streak at home that dated back to December 29th of last year. They will take a day to reflect and then focus on the next opponent.

Below, you can watch the full post-game press conference with Coach Buzz Williams.

Texas A&M will return next weekend to take on the No.3 ranked Houston Cougars in the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Post Game Recap: No. 21 Texas A&M fall to the Memphis Tigers 81-75 at home

The Aggies fought hard to the end, but came up short at home against Memphis.

No. 21 Texas A&M (7-2) dropped a heartbreaker to the Memphis Tigers (7-2), snapping their 14-game home winning streak on Sunday afternoon.

The first half started off fast, with both teams getting good looks but not taking advantage, missing multiple open jumpers. The Aggies would go on a 9-2 run to go up three, but Memphis would answer back with a three to tie it at 17 apiece around the ten-minute mark.

Memphis would go on their run thanks to hustling on both ends of the court and numerous A&M missed opportunities to score. While the Tigers started to heat up off the hot hand of David Jones, the Aggies still couldn’t buy a bucket, falling down by eight points.

Shooting was a stark difference from Wednesday’s win over DePaul, with the Aggies shooting a horrendous 3-17 from beyond the arc and 30% overall from the field. Even more troubling is that the Tigers held Wade Taylor IV and Henry Coleman to a combined six points. Meanwhile, Jones lit up the scoreboard for the Tigers with 21 first-half points as the Tigers took a 38-29 lead into halftime.

Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

Feeling the pressure to keep the game close, the Aggies gave Memphis a taste of their own medicine, hounding the ball-hander early, causing a few turnovers. A&M sprinted out to a 10-2 run to start the second half, cutting the lead to 45-43.

Once again, the Tigers answered back with smothering defense and second-chance points for a 12-2 run, pushing their lead back up to 57-45. The game remained in this same flow for the rest of the afternoon. The Maroon & White couldn’t put together and allowed way too many open shots that the Tigers knocked down.

Texas A&M gave a valiant effort near the end of the game, but the combination of David Jones and Jahvon Quinerly was too much to overcome. Jones finished with 29 points and Quinerly with 24 points en route to an 81-75 win over the Aggies.

Below are the Aggie critical contributors from the game:

Manny Obaseki: 21 points

Wade Taylor IV: 9 points / 8 assists

Andersson Garica: 6 points / 14 rebounds

NOTE: Tyrece Radford (8 points / 2 rebounds) returned after missing multiple games.

Texas A&M will return next weekend to take on the No.3 ranked Houston Cougars in the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

No. 21 Texas A&M to host the Memphis Tiger at Reed Arena on Sunday afternoon

The Aggie Basketball team host the Memphis Tigers at Reed Arena on Wednesday

No. 21 Texas A&M will face Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers at Reed Arena on Sunday at 3 PM CST.

After a dominating win over DePaul, the Aggies will face a stiffer test against the Tigers. For the first time this season, Texas A&M’s three-point shot started to drop, putting extreme pressure on the Blue Demons last Wednesday. They shot over 60% overall in the first half and hit a season-high 14 three-pointers in the game.

Memphis is coming off an 85-80 overtime win against VCU, where the Tigers’ David Jones and Jahvon Quinerly combined for a total of 43 points. They currently average 79.5 points per game and shoot .351 from beyond the arc.

The teams have met 10 times, with Memphis holding a 4-6 edge and are on a three-game winning streak over the Aggies. the most recent game was an 83-79 loss last year, where Wade Taylor IV led all scorers with 25.

PLAYERS to watch:

Wade Taylor IV – 18 PTS / 4.6 AST / 2 STL

Henry Coleman – 14.3 PTS / 9.1 TOT

How to watch:

TV: ESPN 2

Play-by-play: John Schriffen

Color Commentary: Jon Crispin

How to Listen:

TAMU Sports Network: WTAW 1620AM, WTAW 94.5FM (local)

Web: 12thman.com

App: 12th Man Mobile App

Play-by-Play: Andrew Monaco / Dr. John Thornton

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Photo gallery: Arkansas’ 84-79 loss to Memphis in Battle 4 Atlantis

Here are the best photos from Arkansas’ 84-79 loss to Memphis in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament on Thursday evening.

Arkansas was playing Memphis for the first time in over 20 years on Thanksgiving Day, and for a while it resembled the type of game that fans of the programs remember from the teams’ heyday in the 1990s.

Ultimately the Tigers (5-0) prevailed and will play Villanova in the championship tomorrow afternoon.

The Razorbacks are relegated to the third place game, where they will face a familiar opponent in North Carolina, who it has faced in multiple NCAA Tournaments and in a preseason tournament like this in recent years.

Here are some of the best photos from the Bad Boy Mowers semifinal showdown between Penny Hardaway’s Tigers and Eric Musselman’s Hogs.

Memphis-Arkansas basketball series needs to happen

Arkansas and Memphis used to meet every year in basketball. It hasn’t happened in 20 years, but there is talk of ramping it back up.

Arkansas basketball hasn’t played Memphis since January 3, 2003, after playing every year from 1991 to that season.

A 72-67 loss to John Calipari’s Tigers in that 2003 meeting was the last time the two teams met on the hardwood.

Calipari was quoted as saying at the time that continuing to play Arkansas was keeping them a “regional program” instead of a national program that he envisioned them being.

It couldn’t have been the fact that Arkansas had won five of the previous six meetings and had won important recruiting battles for the previous decade in Memphis.

There is a chance that Arkansas could face Memphis, now coached by legendary former player Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway, in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament next week.

The Razorbacks would need to beat Stanford and have Memphis beat Michigan, or both teams could lose their first game and meet in the consolation bracket.

Apparently, Hardaway and Arkansas coach Eric Musselman have had preliminary talks about resuming a regular season matchup.

Fans would love it, and the players would too.

NCAA suspends Penny Hardaway for three games following NCAA violations.

Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway has been suspended the first three games of the Tigers’ 2023-2024 season.

When the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team starts their 2023-2024 season next November, it will be without head coach Penny Hardaway for the program’s first three games.

The NCAA announced on Wednesday that Hardaway has been suspended for the first three games of the season due to NCAA violations. According to a report released by the NCAA, Hardaway made two in-person home visits with a prospective prospect prior to the time it was permissible to do so including one visit that was posted online by the family of the recruit which was brought to the attention of the NCAA. After a self-investigation, Memphis self-reported the violation.

“The suspension shall be served during the first three games of the regular season in the 2023-24 academic year,” the report says. “During the period of suspension, the head coach is prohibited from performing all coaching and recruiting activities and may not have any contact with members of his men’s basketball staff, student-athletes or prospective student-athletes.”

This past season, Memphis went 26-9 including 13-5 in American Athletic Conference play while earning a second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament after missing each tournament from 2015 through 2021. The program will be entering its sixth season under Penny Hardaway next fall. Through his first five seasons with the program, he has collected a 111-52 record, winning 20+ games in each season.

Louisville gets commitment from top New York PG Ty-Laur Johnson

Former Memphis commit and top-ranked New York point guard Ty-Laur Johnson announces commitment to Louisville.

They make point guards just a little bit different in New York City. Louisville is getting the best of them, at least in the 2023 class.

This morning on Instagram, Our Savior Lutheran (NY) four-star point guard Ty-Laur Johnson announced his commitment to Louisville. Johnson had previously been committed to Penny Hardaway’s Memphis program.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CsjSS-qOL7c/?hl=en

Jamie Shaw’s scouting report on Johnson (6-foot-0, 160 pounds) from On3 mentions the flair and alpha-mentality you would expect from a Bronx point as well as his ability to finish at the rim.

“Johnson is a true point guard who plays with a sense of flair… He is a quick-on-quick guard with a tight handle, able to get to his spots in the half-court. Johnson is an alpha, confident player with the ball in his hands… He has no problem getting anywhere he wants on the court, and he has an array of finishes in the paint. He is strong off of two feet, and he can finish from a number of angles around the basket.”

Johnson is coming off a sensational season in the Overtime Elite league. He averaged 18.4 points, 5.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Here are highlights from one of his best games.

Johnson also had offers from Creighton, DePaul, Mississippi State, NC State, St. John’s and VCU. Going by the 247Sports composite rankings, he is the top prospect overall in the state of New York, No. 12 among point guards and No. 77 nationally.

That makes six members of Louisville’s 2023 class (not including their three transfers). The highest-ranked is Combine Academy (NC) five-star small forward Trentyn Flowers. Together, this group ranks No. 5 nationally.

More basketball stories

Watch: Georgetown gets commitment from 4-star center

LeBron James’ other son Bryce transferring from Sierra Canyon

Why Penny Hardaway tossed a water bottle across the court in Memphis’ loss to FAU

Penny Hardaway has to chill

Fairleigh Dickinson wasn’t the only school out there pulling off upsets on Friday in the men’s NCAA tournament. Florida Atlantic held things down against Penny Hardaway’s Memphis team, too.

Well, OK. Maybe this one isn’t really something we should categorize as an “upset” — Memphis was only an 8-seed and FAU was a 9-seed.

But, still, this was a pretty stunning loss when you consider the talent that Memphis has and the potential path the team had in front of it going to the Sweet 16.

FAU took all of that away on Friday with a win. Even before the final buzzer, though, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway was clearly pretty miffed about it.

He absolutely chucked a water bottle across the court after the loss.

This feels a bit out of character for Hardaway, who is normally very chill. He’s had his moments, to be sure, just as every coach does.

There’s a reason for this. The game actually came with a bit of controversy. Hardaway tried to call a timeout after the Tigers scooped up a loose ball with about five seconds left on the clock. Memphis had a one-point lead in the moment.

Officials didn’t award the timeout, though, and it led to a jump ball with the possession arrow going to FAU. The Owls had one last possession and it led to this game-winning layup from Nicholas Boyd. 

So, yeah. It’s easy to see why Hardaway was so upset. He still shouldn’t have thrown that bottle, though. Hopefully, it didn’t hit anyone.

Texas basketball might need to act fast for one transfer portal center

Texas may have to contend with Providence and Memphis to land one transfer portal big man.

College basketball free agency is underway just before the NCAA Tournament. It appears two Tournament participants are targeting TCU transfer center Eddie Lampkin for next season.

It would appear Providence head coach Ed Cooley and Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway are working to bring Lampkin to their respective teams. Albeit, it’s fair to question to which team Ed Cooley is recruiting Lampkin.

Cooley has been rumored as a possibility to fill the head coaching vacancy for the legendary basketball program at Georgetown. Regardless of where he coaches, Cooley has a strong pitch that will be difficult to beat.

It’s apparent that Texas will need bigs next season. The Longhorns could bring back Dylan Mitchell to pair with elite Duncanville talent Ron Holland. Even so, neither would give the team the defensive post presence it needs.

With Dylan Disu’s return uncertain and Christian Bishop departing, Texas could use a taller player or two through the transfer portal. Whether or not Lampkin is a priority, that position is a pressing need.

Texas’ search for post players will be worth monitoring over the summer.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3003″ ]

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3006″ ]

[pickup_prop id=”32282″]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]