The biggest story in Memphis athletics this year has likely been the downfall of the men’s basketball program, but while the men have struggled heavily in the spotlight, another basketball team on campus has quietly surged into prominence in the later half of the season.
After a rocky 9-9 start to the season, the Memphis women’s basketball team has won nine of its last 11 games, vaulting to a fourth place finish in the American Athletic Conference ahead of the conference tournament in Uncasville, Connecticut, this weekend.
“I can remember specifically talking to the team about giving up big runs, and I think they finally just kinda put their foot down and said ‘enough is enough, we’re capable of stopping big runs and staying in the game,’ and I think they did that,” coach Melissa McFerrin said.
The 18-11 record marks the most successful season for the women’s team since a 2011-12 campaign that saw them win 26 games. For the Tigers this season, perhaps more impressive than the number of victories is the quality of the wins and the way they’ve been earned.
In January, Memphis was able to knockoff then-No. 15 ranked USF in overtime, 88-87. The Tigers have also played remarkably well in close games this season, with a perfect record of 7-0 in games decided by five points or less, including a 100-97 win over Temple that required five overtimes, matching the longest game in NCAA women’s basketball history.
“We simply have an incredible amount of experience on the floor late in games, and I think their mentality and emotions, they keep them in check — they don’t seem to get overwhelmed with the moments,” McFerrin said. “Obviously we can all say things about doing late-game situations and those are things they know from the past three and four years, but at the end of the day you still have to have the players perform at the moments, and that’s why we win close games.”
With the Tigers locking up the fourth seed for the AAC tournament, the team has a first round bye and will play fifth-seeded Tulane (20-10, 11-7 AAC) on Saturday. Memphis faced the Green Wave one time this season, with McFerrin’s squad taking an 83-67 victory at Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Jan. 3. Tulane enters the tournament having lost two of its last three games.
If the Tigers are able to defeat the Green Wave for a second time in 2016, they’ll move on to the semifinals where they will most likely face No. 1 UConn. The Huskies are 29-0 this season, and while the program has a history of pummeling nearly every team on the schedule they’ve been especially dominant this season.
No. 5 Maryland and No. 2 Notre Dame played UConn closer than any other teams this season, and both still lost by 10 points. It hasn’t been unusual for the Huskies to destroy teams by 40 points or more. Memphis played the nation’s top team twice in the regular season, falling 86-46 on the road and 83-40 at home.
“UConn is in our conference, and we can all lament that fact as they did in the Big East all those years. But the fact of the matter is nobody is going to feel sorry for us,” McFerrin said. “When we played UConn at their place we made it our goal to get back to see them again. We’re getting our wish. Some might call us crazy for having that wish, but that’s what we decided we want to do, and we’re going to approach it like we do every other game with the confidence level and the commitment to try to win a basketball game.”
Following the conference tournament, the Tigers are currently sitting outside the NCAA Tournament picture according to ESPN.com’s bracketology, but would likely play in the postseason in the WNIT. If Memphis is selected, it will be the school’s first WNIT appearance since the 2012-13 season.
But before Memphis can think about UConn or postseason play, the Tigers have to take care of business against a 20-win Tulane team first. Tipoff between Memphis and Tulane is set for 11 p.m. in Uncasville, Connecticut, and the game will be streamed online via ESPN3.
A potential matchup with UConn awaits Memphis if it advances in the American Athletic Conference Tournament. The No. 1 Huskies (29-0) are undefeated this season.
