As the summer winds down and the excitement surrounding the upcoming men’s basketball season ramps up, the pieces to the puzzle become much clearer.
After quickly constructing a new-look roster that features eight new faces, head coach Penny Hardaway and the rest of the Tigers turn their attention to who they’ll be competing against once it’s time to take the floor in November. While the official schedule has not been finalized, Hardaway insists he’s open to any challengers.
“It’s also scary to teams to play us home-and-home because they feel like we’re going to be pretty good, but we’re up to all that,” Hardaway said. “We’re open to anyone that wants to do that because we want to see our guys compete.”
Although the public focus so much on the new names and the constant cycle of recruiting rumors, the Memphis Tigers also have a wealth of experience already in tow.
The Tigers feature returning seniors such as Kyvon Davenport, Raynere Thornton, Kareem Brewton Jr., Mike Parks Jr. and native Memphian Jeremiah Martin. In addition to a potential starting five with senior leadership at every position, the roster also includes new players. While much of the hype has centered around the addition of a pair of guards in Alex Lomax and Tyler Harris, some of the less-heralded freshmen players could be poised for a breakout season.
Antwann Jones, who originally committed to Texas A&M, signed with the Tigers last April. A consensus four-star prospect, Jones combines a college-ready frame with the versatility to finish at the rim and play multiple positions and could potentially see big-time minutes in his first season.
Another addition that could have a big impact on the team this year is David Wingett, a forward who spent a postgraduate year playing in Durham, North Carolina, refining his skills. Wingett’s three-point stroke is what grabbed the attention of coaches around the country, but his shooting ability isn’t the only tool in his bag. He can run the floor and defend multiple positions — a trait that is highly sought after in the way the game is played today.
While the full official schedule has yet to be announced, the American Athletic Conference has announced who the Tigers’ in-conference opponents will be.
This year, the Tigers will play home and away games against conference juggernauts Cincinnati, Central Florida and Wichita State. They will also receive a visit from the University of Connecticut, who appears to be on the rise after a coaching change that replaced Kevin Ollie with Dan Hurley.
While the conference schedule can be somewhat predictable, it’s the non-conference opponents that will grab the attention of fans and national media alike.
Memphis and Tennessee will renew their basketball rivalry Dec. 15 at the FedEx Forum. For Sam McCadams, a senior manager who has been working with the team since his freshman year, the news of the series returning is huge.
“It’s great to have a true rival game back on the schedule,” McCadams said. “We haven’t played Tennessee since our last year in the Conference USA in the 2012-2013 season.”
Both Tennessee Tech and South Dakota State have been confirmed as early season home games for the Tigers, and the UAB Blazers will even be making the trip from Birmingham Dec. 8 for a showdown, resuming a former Conference USA rivalry that has always been closely contested.
Away from the friendly confines of the Forum, the Tigers are slated to face LSU in Baton Rouge Nov. 13 as part of the agreement that saw LSU travel to Memphis last season. Memphis has also been announced as a participant in this year’s Advocare Invitational in Orlando, beginning on Nov. 22, featuring a stacked field that includes Oklahoma State, with whom the Tigers have had battles in the recent past, Florida State, LSU and reigning national champion Villanova.
In one of the more intriguing games of the non-conference slate, the Tigers will be taking on Texas Tech in Miami on Dec. 1 as part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame series.
With the majority of the dates, opponents and locations finalized, fans and students alike can now envision what this year’s basketball schedule will look like. In an off-season that has brought anticipation and excitement back to the city and the program, it is now time for the results on the floor to speak for themselves.
