Tigers give fans a taste of how good it can be after win
The whistle blew, the foul was called, Alex Lomax’s floater went through the hoop and Penny Hardaway snarled. Yes, snarled.
He whirled around toward the Fedexforum crowd, kicked his leg into the air, pumped his fist like he was throwing a punch to the body in a boxing match, and snarled.
Not a mean kind of snarl.
It was a heat-of-the-moment snarl born out of brute competitiveness, the sort of snarl he instinctively punctuated by shouting, “Let’s go!” It was the sort of snarl Hardaway might have used if he were still playing, the sort of snarl we’ve rarely seen from him as a coach.
“Now that we’ve put ourselves in a hole, I’m more animated now,” he said. “Understanding how important these wins are, it’s coming out naturally.”
The Memphis team Hardaway coached Thursday night, the one that beat Wichita State, 68-60, in a mustwin matchup, had the same sort of bite.
For the last home game of this tumultuous, topsy-turvy season, the Tigers gave their boisterous Fedexforum crowd one last taste of how good they can still be and how intriguing the next 10 days could become.
Because the version of Memphis that showed up and dismantled Wichita State appears to be a team capable of winning the American Athletic Conference tournament next week in Fort Worth, Texas.
So forget about what ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi said during Thursday’s halftime show. Forget that he thinks the Tigers are no longer be capable of earning an at large berth to the NCAA tournament even if they win at Houston to close the regular season Sunday.
Forget about what Hardaway said after the game, too. Forget that he believes a win at Houston, which would give Memphis a first-round bye in the conference tournament, should be enough to put the Tigers in the NCAA tournament.
Forget even about what Wednesday’s buzzkill of an announcement by the NCAA could mean moving forward. Forget that Memphis basketball’s looming infractions case might have serious repercussions for the program.
The attention was back on the basketball again largely because this was the finest performance the Tigers have put on this season. Given the circumstances, given everything that’s happened and all the distractions and ob
stacles these players have endured, it felt like a remarkable achievement.
“It really hasn’t gotten the best of us,” Hardaway said, “and that’s saying a lot.”
So Thursday was even more satisfying than that home win over Houston a couple weeks ago. It was more emotional and fulfilling because it combined superior effort with superior talent and super execution.
Guard Tyler Harris was incredible, canning five 3-pointers from outrageous distances en route to a season-high 19 points. Freshman Precious Achiuwa, likely playing his last home game as a Memphis Tiger at Fedexforum, had his 17th doubledouble of the season (14 points, 16 rebounds).
The defense, as usual, was suffocating. The offense, meanwhile, looked unusually crisp.
The Tigers committed a season-low seven turnovers, and just one after halftime. It was startling how well they played at times simply because they didn’t give the ball away to the other team every third possession like they have more often than not this season.
“Coming into next game,” guard Tyler Harris declared, “we’re going to have a little swagger about ourselves.”
Which, of course, could be a blessing or a curse for this group. Their trademark, unfortunately, has been volatility, be it self-inflicted or the result of outside forces. For the past few months, every encouraging win has seemingly been accompanied by a discouraging loss.
But Hardaway never snarled in those previous wins. He didn’t yell like he did Thursday night. He wasn’t as demonstrative, either.
Whether it was because of the desperation of the moment, or the corner this program has been backed into by the NCAA, the entire team looked as fearsome as ever staring down the most perilous situation it has faced.
“We’re going to keep going no matter what,” Hardaway responded when asked what statement he felt the Tigers made against Wichita State. “We’re going to keep pushing. This is a family and we’ve supported each other through everything that we’ve gone through this year, so we’re not going to stop right now.”
If Memphis plays like it did Thursday, the bet here is it won’t be stopped. Not by anyone in this league, at least.
You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto