After a 120-66 throttling against LeMoyne-Owen last week with five players scoring in double digits, the Memphis men’s basketball team turns their attention to their second exhibition contest against Christian Brothers University.
With the regular season now only days away, these games serve as an opportunity for the Tigers to see how they fare before the season tips off Nov. 6 against Tennessee Tech at FedEx Forum.
“They (CBU) are definitely a team that executes their offense,” head coach Penny Hardaway said at his press conference Thursday afternoon. “LeMoyne was a running team like us. Now they’re going to make us think, slow things down and try to make us feel very uncomfortable because we don’t want to walk it up, and we don’t want to be methodical.”
Hardaway said the exhibition games were purposely scheduled to feature one opponent that plays a faster style of basketball and one that plays at a slower tempo.
In their contest against LeMoyne-Owen, Hardaway trotted out an ultra-small starting lineup featuring three guards. While many expected Hardaway to get creative with the players he put out on the floor, some were surprised to see both freshmen Alex Lomax and Tyler Harris in the starting lineup.
Ultimately, the decision paid off as Harris poured in 26 points and flashed his big-play capability which originally got fans excited back when he initially signed his letter of intent. Hardaway said he will keep the same line-up going into Friday’s match-up.
Historically, the matchup against CBU has always been lopsided in favor of Memphis. However, back in the 2014 season, the Division II Buccaneers topped their cross-town counterparts 74-70 at FedEx Forum, which was the first exhibition loss for the Tigers since 1996. While that defeat happened during then-head coach Josh Pastner’s tenure and the outlook for this team looks vastly different than it did in 2014, CBU is still not a team to be taken lightly.
The Buccaneers feature a veteran-led roster that finished with a 21-9 record last season. Forward Adam Dieball made the all-region team in 2017 and led all scorers with 17.8 points per game while also averaging 1.3 blocks per contest.
Dieball also finished first in the entire conference with his assist total of 186, or 6.2 per outing. Outside of Dieball, senior guards Brad Miller and Joe Laravie will attempt to crank up the pressure on the young Memphis backcourt.
The Tigers will have to play against CBU without their forward Mike Parks who is sitting out due to back issues. Hardaway said the team is being cautious, and there is not a timetable on Parks return.
Sources with direct knowledge of the situation told The Daily Helmsman Parks is aiming for a return against Tennessee Tech on Nov. 6, but there is a possibility he may be sidelined for another week.
As the college basketball season begins, programs across the country are setting their goals for what they hope to accomplish this year. For the Memphis Tigers, a return to competitive basketball and national relevance are what fans have been longing for. In their exhibition contest against CBU, the team will get another opportunity to showcase their potential before the regular season.
