Zach's Breakdown: Three reasons why Memphis lost at home to Tennessee

The Memphis Tigers fell just short in their 102-92 home loss against the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday. After a rough start that saw them go into the halftime break trailing 50-35, the Tigers answered with a 57-point second half featuring an improved shooting percentage and eight made three-pointers. Despite performing admirably in the underdog role, there were a few factors on both sides that ultimately swayed this one in favor of the Vols. 

Free throw shooting 

Both teams shot above the 80 percent mark from the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes with Memphis going 14-17 and Tennessee finishing 13-16, respectively, but upon returning from the break, the Vols were able to get to the line at will. Tennessee went 25-29 from the line while Memphis only attempted six and converted three.

For the game, the officials whistled for a foul call 57 times and eight players total from both teams had four or more personals called against them. In such an intense rivalry game like this one, in-game adjustments are pivotal for any team’s hopes at success and the decision to switch into zone was one that paid off for the Vols.

“That was more because of foul trouble,†head coach Rick Barnes said. “We’re going to mix it up. I wouldn’t say we put a great deal of time into our zone, but we’re getting better with it.â€

The star players got going for one side, and it wasn’t Memphis.  

Heading into this week, a lot of attention was directed towards Tennessee’s star tandem of Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield. The two were as advertised, with Williams contributing a solid 19-point, 4 rebound and 5 assist effort to go along with Schofield’s team-high 29 points and 11 rebounds. On the other side, the Tigers did not receive the same result from their key pieces.

 Outside of a game-high 31 points for Kyvon Davenport that included a 26-point second half explosion, senior guard Jeremiah Martin was held to only eight points on 2-13 shooting. Likewise, freshman Tyler Harris had one of his worst games as a Tiger, as he finished 1-9 from beyond the arc and 3-for-12 overall to finish with 10 points.

“Tyler had some great looks today,†Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway said. “I thought he was going to get off to a great night after he got fouled on the first three-pointer that he took, but he just couldn’t get it to go down. Maybe he was too anxious or wanted to do so well so badly in a big game. He’s a freshman. We lean on him for a lot. This is just one of the games I know he wants back if he could replay it.â€Â 

Out rebounded on the defensive glass 

Ranked No. 3 in the nation, one of Tennessee’s main strengths all season had been their size and experience in Barnes’ system. Early on, the Volunteers overwhelmed with their physicality inside the paint and they never looked back. Although Memphis did grab more offensive boards than their opponent by a margin of 18-11, the defensive rebounding statistics tell the story here. The visitors controlled the glass by a margin of 31-16 on defense and 42-34 total. In such a tightly-contested matchup, simple statistics like rebounds carry a lot of weight in deciding who ends up the winner.  

In the first chapter of this cross-state rivalry since Josh Pastner’s time as head coach, the atmosphere inside FedEx Forum was electric, and it was apparent that the fan base has once again invested into the future of the program.

“We appreciate everyone who is along for the ride and seeing our journey in what we are trying to build here at the school,†Hardaway said. “We’ll be there sooner than later.â€Â Â 

Despite entering as the underdog, the Memphis Tigers played well against one of the best teams in the nation, in front of a capacity crowd of 18,528 strong, but when the stakes are raised and the margin for error is slim, fundamental facets of the game such as free throws and rebounds are pivotal in helping the Memphis Tigers legitimize their hopes of once again returning to being classified as college basketball’s elite.