Memphis stays hot to earn NIT title

FRISCO, Texas — The University of Memphis men’s basketball program has its first title with Penny Hardaway as coach, and these young Tigers could be set up for more.

Boogie Ellis scored 23 points and Memphis never trailed after a fast start to beat Mississippi State 77-64 in the National Invitation Tournament championship game Sunday, wrapping up Hardaway’s third season coaching his alma mater with a trophy after the Tigers just missed out on their first NCAA tournament berth since 2013-14.

“We want to win championships, and the NIT is just a start,” Hardaway said.

With no seniors on the roster, the Tigers won 11 of their last 13 games. The only setbacks in that span were a pair of one-possession losses six days apart against American Athletic Conference rival Houston, which has reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA tourney as a No. 2 seed.

“If this group wants to stay together, we’ll be really dangerous. We’ll be very dangerous because now we know the system,” Hardaway said. “The guys for the first time this year, they know how I coach, they know what I’m expecting, they know what the culture is and they know what we have to buy into for us to be champions next year at the next level.”

Landers Nolley II opened the second half with a jumper and a 3-pointer that put Memphis (20-8) ahead to stay on the way to winning college basketball’s oldest national tourney for the second time, with the Tigers’ first NIT title in 2002. Nolley was one of three sophomore starters for his team, which filled out its first five with a freshman and a junior.

“We had a goal of cutting the nets down in the NCAA tournament, but I do feel like we should’ve been there,” sophomore guard Lester Quinones said. “But I feel like this was kind of a message to just show them that we kind of deserved to be there.”

After winning the 2002 NIT, Memphis made the NCAA field six of the next seven seasons, losing in overtime to Kansas in the 2008 championship game.

Memphis led this NIT finale 13-0 after less than 7 1/2 minutes before missing 11 shots in a row and 21 of 26 before halftime. Mississippi State (18-15) tied the game at 33 when Andersson Garcia had a steal at midcourt and drove for a layup to beat the buzzer at the end of the half.