Since the formation of the American Athletic Conference, Memphis Basketball has yet to win the AAC Tournament. Memphis would be close far too many times but could never finish. However, since taking over as Head Coach, Penny Hardaway wanted to win the American Athletic Tournament; Sunday, that dream came true for him and the Tigers Basketball program. As the final seconds ticked away on the 75-65 Championship win over Houston, Memphis fans in attendance at Dickies Arena, echos of Whoop That Trick rang out like a melodies melody for the ones clad in Blue and Gray. Head Coach Penny Hardaway and his Memphis Basketball program had just delivered the city of Memphis with a Championship for the first time since 2013.

As those final seconds ticked away on the clock of the Memphis Championship, emotions started to fill Head Coach Penny Hardaway due to fulfilling a promise to his city by winning Memphis a championship. A kid from Binghampton, Penny Hardaway, has given everything he has to the city of Memphis. Penny Hardaway ingrained in his boys that they were to deliver Memphis a glimmer of hope by winning the city a Championship. Following the Selection Show on Sunday, pictures started to swirl around social media circles of Coach Hardaway cradling the trophy with tears of joy filling his eyes. He had done what he came to Memphis to do. He won the city a Championship.

However, as magical as that American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship feels, the end goal for the 2022-2023 Memphis Tigers has always been to win and bring a National Championship home to the city of Memphis, a first for the program. For a Memphis ravaged with unluckiness, this Memphis Basketball program has taken Memphis by the heartstrings and given the 901 a glimmer of hope as the 901 prepares for a run at an NCAA Tournament National Championship. Everywhere you go in the city, people are excited about Memphis Tigers Basketball. With that win on Sunday, something is brewing in the 901 that words alone fail to describe.

Memphis may not win an NCAA Tournament National Championship this season, but you can’t deny that Memphis has something to hold on to during March that could forever change the landscape of Memphis as a city. Often in college basketball, you hear people talking about peaking at the right moment. Heading into the 2023 season, Memphis Basketball is one of those teams. Memphis has the pieces to compete with any team in college basketball.

Memphis will need to play Memphis Basketball and control what they can control in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. There will be a moment during this potential run when Head Coach Penny Hardaway will have to calm his guys down, but the talent is there on the Memphis Basketball roster to make a deep run in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Memphis will open its NCAA Tournament as the 8th seed in the East Regional with an opening-round game on Friday evening against the 9th-seeded Florida Atlantic Owls. A win and Head Coach Penny Hardaway and his Tigers would have a date on Sunday with the one seed, Purdue Boilermakers. If Memphis were to get past the opening weekend, the Tigers could meet Tennessee in the Sweet 16.