Memphis in a Nutshell
Coach Penny Hardaway took over the Tigers program in 2018 and has maintained a 133-61 record throughout his tenure with them. He has been able to advance to 2 NCAA tournament appearances, however Hardaway hasn’t been able to get over the hump of winning in March but this may be the year everything can change for the Memphis Tigers program.
The Electrifying Transfer from Tulsa
Coach Hardaway and the Tigers went all in with the transfer portal and picked up 8 transfers in 2024. None of them bigger than star guard transfer from Tulsa, Pj Haggerty. Haggerty averaged 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists a game for the Golden Hurricanes last year. Haggerty was also a third team all AAC selection and the AAC freshman of the year. He had an all-time Freshman year and hit the portal as a consensus top 5 transfer. Hardaway knew what Haggerty could do for the program and found a way to lock in the top transfer and it has paid dividends to say the least. PJ Haggerty’s averages this year have narrowly surpassed his own from last year with 22.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.1 steals a game which has led this Tigers team to a 9-2 record to start the year. His biggest game this year came against #2 ranked Auburn where he put up 27 points with 9 rebounds on 11/20 shooting from the field. He has led this team so far and there’s no doubt he can continue to do so throughout the year.
Hardaway’s Sneaky Portal Pickups
Haggerty has led the way but not without help. Hardaway’s made serious moves in the portal. The biggest contributions so far for the Tigers are Moussa Cisse from Ole Miss, Tyrese Hunter from Texas, Dain Dainja from Illinois, and Colby Rogers from Wichita State. This core 4 along with Haggerty has been an unstoppable force offensively in college basketball. The Tigers are averaging 79.5 points per game and are shooting 41.86% from behind the arc which is top-3 in college basketball. These transfers have all had significant impacts so far this season. The front court of Dainja and Cisse have made waves with Dainja’s offensive post game and Cisse’s rim protection. Then you look at the backcourt of Hunter and Rogers who have both produced tremendously in big time games. Hunter scored 26 points on 7 three pointers leading the team to victory in OT against a scary UConn program. Rogers had a 22 point game on 9/14 shooting which led the team to an 87-82 OT victory against top ranked Clemson. This group has made serious changes that make it very tough not to consider them a top team this year.
March Madness Disruptor?
The Memphis Tigers have won some massive games so far this year. The Tigers knocked off #11 ranked Uconn 99-97 giving them there first loss of the season. They have also come away with big time wins against #20 ranked Michigan State and #25 ranked Clemson. The Tigers have shown up so far this season and there is no signs of slowing down especially in the AAC conference. Hardaway made his out of conference schedule difficult this year to compensate for being in a weaker conference. The toughest team’s they’ll face in conference play is 8-3 Wichita State and 7-3 North Texas, which are some very solid mid-major team’s, but with how Memphis has looked so far, I see no signs of them slowing down. The Memphis Tigers have a serious chance to be one of the scarier team’s come March.
