Memphis dropped another must-win game to SMU, getting blown out 106-79. This eliminates their hopes of making the NCAA tournament unless they win the conference tournament.
“We haven’t been a team in a long time,” said Coach Penny Hardaway postgame. “I’m fighting for the school and the city. Right now, everybody’s not pulling the rope in the same direction.”
Memphis did not show up defensively, and, most strikingly, they were not prepared at all for the toughness and physicality of SMU.
SMU quickly jumped out to a 15-5 lead. They kept the momentum throughout the rest of the game.
The Tigers made a brief push, cutting the Mustangs’ lead to 29-20, but SMU responded with a 14-3 run.
At the half, SMU led 58-36. Memphis fought back at points in the second half but never got the game close. Ricardo Wright led the way for SMU with 26 points off the bench.
SMU walk-on Jackson Young, who had scored three points all season, hit a deep three to cap off a dominant performance for the home team at Moody Coliseum.
Rebounding was a massive issue in the first half for the Tigers. Memphis allowed 14 offensive rebounds and was outrebounded 26 to 9. For the game, they were outrebounded 40 to 29. Turnovers were also a problem once again; they gave the ball up 19 times in the game.
David Jones and Nae’Qwan Tomlin were the only bright spots in the game for the Tigers. Jones tried his best to will the Tigers back into the game. He had 33 points along with 10 rebounds and shot 12 for 22 from the field. Tomlin had 17 points and shot 6 for 8 from the field.
Jahvon Quinerly once again struggled mightily and often seemed to not want to be there. He finished with 9 points, 5 assists and 5 turnovers. Effort was a recurring question for the entire team with many players taking plays off and allowing wide open threes and dunks.
“It’s difficult to keep everyone on this team happy,” said Hardaway. “And when they’re not happy, they shut down.”
Joe Cooper, the son of former Tiger Rodney Newsome, got his first run in a Memphis uniform, showing some refreshing energy and effort in the second half.
With hopes of an at-large bid and a first-round bye in the AAC tournament out of the question, Memphis looks to gain momentum in the rest of the season heading into the conference tournament. They will most likely have to win the conference championship to keep their season alive. This team has the talent to win four games in four days in Fort Worth next month, it's just a question of how much they want it.
“We don’t do this at Memphis,” said Hardaway. “We don’t go out like this.”
The Tigers return home to FedExForum on Wednesday to host the second place Charlotte 49ers. The game will be at 7 P.M. CT on ESPN+.
