Two games into conference play, coach Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers find themselves in position to comfortably be a single-digit seed in the NCAA tournament.
The Tigers have amassed an NCAA-leading 10 Quadrant 1 and 2 victories up to this point, running a rotation of 6 key players (Haggerty, Hunter, Rogers, Jourdain, Dainja, Cisse) who average more than 11.5 minutes per game.
While this rotation has a clear pecking order and has worked admirably so far, the Tigers two transfer frontcourt players, Dain Dainja and Moussa Cisse, have had to split time with each other.
Each of these bigs has had their games of dominance this season. Moussa Cisse won American Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors after his 13-point, 11 rebound performance against Ole Miss. Dain Dainja can take over a game offensively as seen in the second half of Memphis’ blowout victory at FAU where he scored 16 points after picking up his fourth foul.
At the midway point in the season, maximizing the minutes of these two big men is the simplest way to make a deep run in March.
Through 15 games, Dain Dainja is +34, meaning Memphis has outscored their opponents by 34 points when he is on the court this season, averaging 11.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per contest.
Cisse is +36 on the season, putting up 5.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in 18.1 minutes a game.
At first glance, the conclusion is simple. Dainja provides more scoring, while Cisse is a more effective defender, but the two players are both positives on the court.
Dainja is a skilled offensive big man. He can hit a hook from both sides, dribble the ball on occasion, and has a good eye for passing for a big. Similarly to Colby Rogers, when he hits his first shot, he has the ability to go on a heater.
He has struggled at times with turnovers, particularly when teams have double-teamed him in the post and has gotten into foul trouble against physical opponents.
Cisse is an elite rim-protector. His offensive game is much more limited, but he is a strong communicator and can run a good pick-and-roll.
Despite his defensive prowess, Cisse also has struggled with foul trouble at times and his lack of offensive skill can be exploited by defenses.
Both Tigers make key contributions, but so far this season, each player has found success against different types of opponents.
Diving Deeper: Effectiveness by Quadrant
Memphis has played six Quad 1 games, six Quad 2 games, and three Quad 3+4 games this year.
In Quadrant 1 contests, Dain Dainja is –23. He has only put up a positive +/- in two Quadrant 1 games: a +2 against Ole Miss and a +2 against Auburn.
Moussa Cisse is +17 in Quad 1 games with only two negative +/- games against Mississippi State and Auburn in Quad 1.
Where Dain has been most effective is Quadrant 2 contests. Dainja is +42 in these games, averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Cisse is a net 0 in Quad 2, meaning the Tigers play their opponents to a tie in his 105 minutes against Quad 2 competition this season.
In Quadrants 3 and 4, Cisse is +16 to Dainja’s +15. Both players have made a positive impact in the easiest games on the Tigers’ schedule.
Diving Deeper: Opponent Quality per KenPom
While the NCAA’s Quadrant system provides an interesting comparison, KenPom’s offensive and defensive efficiency metrics provide more data.
Dain Dainja is –15 in six games against KenPom top-50 defenses and –16 in six games against KenPom top-50 offenses. Four of these opponents are top-50 in both metrics and Dainja is –16 in those four games.
Moussa Cisse is +8 against KenPom top-50 defenses and +9 against top-50 offenses. In games against teams with top-50 offenses and defenses, Cisse is +8.
What to Make of it
Against the best teams on the schedule, Moussa Cisse has been more effective for Memphis than Dain Dainja to this point in the season.
However, against Quadrant 2 opponents (30-75 at home, 75-135 away) Dain Dainja has been more effective through 15 games.
In American Athletic Conference play, the Tigers have one Quadrant 2 game left on the schedule, a road tilt with Temple on January 16. All of the 15 other games left on their schedule are in either Quadrant 3 or 4.
Through three Quadrant 3 and 4 games, both players average +5 or better.
Memphis will be favored in every game left on the schedule, and both bigs have a track record of success against opponents of AAC quality.
Tiger fans are aware of how quickly a season can come to an end in March. The AAC schedule provides an opportunity for the coaching staff to experiment with lineups and situations, but developing a clear understanding of when to utilize Moussa Cisse and Dain Dainja can help take Memphis back to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009.
