Riding the high of a seven-game winning streak, the 14th-ranked Memphis Tigers traveled to Tampa, Florida, for a Thursday night showdown with USF Bulls.

Knowing they would walk into the snake pit on Thursday night, where every possession mattered just a bit more. Despite the record, USF is a solid basketball team notorious for giving Coach Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers fits through the years, especially when playing Yuengling Center, not to mention, as we’ve seen throughout college baseball this season, life on the road is brutal.

Ahead of the matchup with USF, Joe Lunardi listed the Memphis Tigers as a five-seed in his NCAA Tournament predictions, with more room to jump a seed line or two with a few more wins. What Memphis needed to avoid, like the plague, was a loss to a 12-12 South Florida team.

Memphis and South Florida traded haymakers early in the first half, but as the first-half buzzer neared, the Tigers had put a buffer between them and the Bulls with a 42-27 halftime lead.

At the break, PJ Haggerty led the Tigers in scoring with twelve points, Tyrese Hunter finished the first half with eight, and Dain Dainja had nine.

As the curtain broke to the second half, the Memphis Tigers put their foot on the throttle, never looking back, cruising to an easy and dominating win over South Florida on Thursday night. The Bulls had no answer for the Tigers, as Memphis showcased once again why Coach Penny Hardaway and his program deserve the conversation of being one of the best teams in the country, even having an opportunity to compete for a Final Four.

Thursday night, the Dain Dainja, Tyrese Hunter, and PJ Haggerty combined for 53 points. Dain led the Tigers in scoring with 20, Haggerty had 18, and Hunter had 15.

With the win over South Florida, Memphis’s win streak improves to eight. Memphis’s overall record is 21-4, with an impressive 11-1 record in American Athletic play.

Something about this Memphis Tigers team continues to captivate the minds of Tiger Nation and the college basketball world. We’ve seen it all season: the Tigers have one of the most complete teams in college basketball. Along with their impressive AAC records, the Tigers hold wins over UConn, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Missouri, and Clemson in the non-conference. Despite losses to Arkansas State and Temple, the Tigers continue to do what they need to boost the NCAA Tournament resume. There’s an argument for the Tigers to play into the top two seed line once Selection Sunday rolls around. There’s no doubt that this is Coach Penny Hardaway’s best team since he’s been the Head Coach at Memphis, but this might be the most complete team the program has seen since the 2007-2008 team that reached the National Championship game under Coach John Calipari.

Memphis will remain on the road as they travel to Kansas on Sunday morning to take on the Wichita State Shockers. Memphis won the first meeting with the Shockers in January by a score of 61-53.

Photo Credits – Memphis Basketball on X