The Daily Helmsman sports writers Jon Bell, Thomas Simpson and Mohamed Bah answer six questions about the upcoming Memphis Tigers basketball season in our first roundtable discussion.
1. Which transfer do you expect to make the biggest impact?
Jon Bell: The transfer from Baylor, Chad Rykhoek. He is one of the few big men on the team, and everyone has been very impressed with him so far. He has the ability to be the Tigers’ second best player.
Thomas Simpson: The Tigers were near the bottom of the league in three-point shooting last season and lost their top shooter, Avery Woodson, to transfer. I expect Christian Kessee, who hit 88 threes for Coppin State last season, to make a Ricky Tarrant- like impact this season with double digit scoring.
Mohamed Bah: I really see Karim Azab having a great year for the Tigers. Azab is a big presence down low who can really move his feet and disturb shots.
2. Outside of Dedric Lawson, who will be the Tigers best player?
Bell: I just mentioned that Rykhoek has a chance, but I’ll go with Markel Crawford. He is a redshirt junior who has been at Memphis for a while. Tubby Smith praised him as an emerging leader, and I think that he will have to be the main scoring option from the wing.
Simpson: Dedric’s brother, K.J., injured his Achilles early last season and played in only 10 games, posting 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. The elder Lawson was a top 50 recruit coming in last year and, with Tubby Smith’s ability to get the most out of players, has the potential to be a dangerous weapon for the Tigers with his slashing ability and rebounding.
Bah: I believe that Markel Crawford will have a great season. What I really like most about his game, is that his defense is something we don’t really see at his position.
3. Which player do you expect to have a breakout season?
Bell: I know that Dedric Lawson was our best player a year ago and that he is a conference co-player of the year, but I think that he improves tremendously. I think he can put up numbers that make him a lock for a first round draft pick, and possibly a lottery pick.
Simpson: Markel Crawford struggled with consistency and saw his minutes go down last season. However, he received praise from Josh Pastner as the best defender on the team several times throughout his career and is on CBS Sports’ top 20 breakout players entering the season. If he can find a rhythm, he could become Memphis’ best two-way player.
Bah: Chad Rykhoek will have a great year for Memphis. What I like most about him is he has a tremendous ability to score for his size.
4. Do you expect the Tigers to make the postseason? If so, what tournament and how far will they go?
Bell: Never underestimate Tubby Smith’s ability to get the most out of his teams. I think that they will make the big dance, as an 8 or 9 seed, and advance to the round of 32.
Simpson: Tubby has gotten to the big dance with much less talent before, but he inherits a rough situation with only 10 scholarship players and one double digit scorer returning, albeit this year’s preseason AAC co-player of the year. I expect Memphis to be on the bubble towards the end, but slipping into the NIT in Tubby’s first season.
Bah: I believe Memphis, with this roster, could make it to the NCAA Tournament. They will probably get knocked out in the first round.
5. Give me one prediction that you haven’t heard anyone else make.
Bell: Christian Kessee will lead the AAC in three-point shooting. He was a shooter at Coppin State University and put up great numbers. But he was relied on as the team’s leading scorer, and he will not have to do that now. He will have the chance to play off guys like Markel and Dedric who will get him open looks.
Simpson: Jimario Rivers will be Memphis’ best defender. Rivers comes in as a wiry, athletic combo forward, and I believe he will use his length and athleticism to cause problems with opposing players.
Bah: I believe this team will have a better home record than they had last year. They will also win more than 60 percent of home games, in my opinion.
6. How many games do you expect the Tigers to win this season?
Bell: I think the Tigers will win about 22 games on the season, not including the conference tournament. The schedule is not stacked with many unwinnable games, but they will have to take advantage of the games they are favored in..
Simpson: The Tigers enter this season with a fairly easy non-conference schedule, with their toughest possible match-up against Austin Nichols and No. 7 ranked Virginia. However, the conference will be tough as Memphis was chosen to finish fifth in the league. I can see the team grabbing 20 wins.
Bah: Truth be told, out of 32 games, I see them winning 19. I like how Tubby has recruited a lot of players who are not only physical but can score as well.
