4 things to know ahead of Tigers’ AAC opener
The only sure way the Memphis Tigers advance to the NCAA Tournament is “the harder way.”
So said Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway on Tuesday, referring to the need to win four games in as many days at the AAC Tournament to secure an automatic bid.
At 21-10 — with an 8-7 record against Quadrant 1 and 2 competition, but three Quad 3 losses — the Tigers are still widely projected just outside of at-large consideration.
That can change, of course, if they score three more wins — one of them presumably over Houston in the semifinals — and the number of automatic bid-stealers is kept at a minimum.
But, for now, Memphis is proceeding with one goal: removing all doubt and winning the conference tournament title.
“Neutral court, against our league, we feel like we can play against anybody,” Hardaway said.
The sixth-seeded Tigers are scheduled to take on ECU, the No. 11 seed, at 9 p.m. Thursday in the first round at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The winner moves on to face third-seeded Tulsa at 9 p.m. Friday.
Here are five things to keep an eye on ahead of Memphis’ first-round game.
ECU scuffling lately
It would be easy to look at the Pirates’ record (11-20) and conclude they’ve been scuffling for much of the season. But five of their losses in conference play were by six points or fewer, and that includes overtime losses to Cincinnati and at South Florida.
Recently, though, ECU has taken a turn. On Feb. 29, against Uconn, the Pirates lost by 21 points, and in the regularseason finale, ECU was blown out 94-62 by UCF.
Coach Joe Dooley said part of it is rebounding — the Pirates averaged 28.5 in those games, compared to their 35.6 season average — and the other he thinks has to do with his players’ morale.
“I thought, even in the close games — the Memphis game was a four-point loss, a three-point loss to Cincinnati, we beat Temple, we lose in overtime to South Florida — I thought we competed at a high level and had played better. In the last two games, we’ve been absolutely the exact opposite of what we’d been doing. I think we need to get a little bit of our spirit back.
“We have to figure that out quickly.”
Health of the Tigers
Memphis, like most teams this time of year, is banged up.
Besides freshman forward D.J. Jeffries, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in late January, several Tigers are also hurting. Freshman guard Damion Baugh left last week’s game against Wichita State after aggravating a thumb injury.
Baugh played 18 minutes in the regular-season finale against Houston, scoring one point and grabbing two rebounds.
Sophomore guard Alex Lomax temporarily left the game against Houston with what appeared to be a knee injury. Sophomore forward Lance Thomas also had to come out of the game against the Cougars briefly with a knee issue.
Freshman center Malcolm Dandridge has been limited lately as he’s still somewhat hampered in his recovery from major knee surgery last spring. Hardaway said Lomax would like to rest Tuesday and Wednesday, “but it’s not to the point where he can’t play. So it’s just kind of being precautionary.”
He added Baugh “is still hurting, but he’s been playing,” and indicated Thomas and Dandridge are fine.
“Chris Simmons, who is our head trainer, he does a great job of taking everything he can take on the road,” Hardaway said. “From the stim machines to the sleeves so that you can ice your knees and relax. And they just have to get rest. Hydrate and get a bunch of rest.”
Optimistic, confident outlook
Memphis has never won a league tournament by winning four games in consecutive days.
But that’s not stopping Hardaway from feeling good about his Tigers’ chances.
“It’s a first time for everything,” he said. “What you have to do is take one day at a time.”
What else?
“Got to have some luck,” he said. “Got to hope there’s no injuries — no knickknack going on to the next day. Got to stay out of foul trouble. Got to do everything right to win four games in a row.
“It’s not impossible, because it’s been done before. Maybe not by our school, but it’s been done before and it can be done again.”
Tigers jelling?
Dooley brought his Pirates to Fedexforum on Feb. 19 and lost 77-73.
In that game, Memphis committed just 13 turnovers — below its season average of 16.5. Dooley said that is the No. 1 thing he’s noticed about the Tigers over the past month.
“I think one of the things they’re doing is they’re more comfortable because they’ve played together longer,” he said. “Not just since (they played) us. But I think the familiarity from playing together, getting a little bit of chemistry, knowing where the ball is going, who is getting it and when. They seem to be playing a little bit more fluid and little bit more connected.”
In its last 10 games, Memphis is committing 14.6 turnovers a game.