Fresh off clinching at least a share of the regular season AAC crown, the 16th-ranked Memphis Tigers would welcome the South Florida Bulls to the FedEx Forum on Friday night to secure the outright championship before next week’s AAC Tournament in Ft. Worth.

As it went in the first matchup with the Bulls, the first half was a dog fight with the Tigers struggling to find separation with South Florida before going to the halftime break with a 35-35 tie.

As halftime gave way to the second half of the play, so did the Tigers’ offensive woes, as they raced out to a ten-point 58-48 lead at the under-12 media timeout. With 9:05 on the game clock, a timeout from USF following a Tyrese Hunter three-pointer would see the Memphis lead extend to 65-50. At the under-8 media timeout, the Memphis lead had extended to 12, with the Tigers holding a 67-55 advantage over the USF Bulls. As the final media timeout rolled around, the Tigers had extended the lead to 75-60 over the Bulls.

Dain Dainja and PJ Haggerty led the way in scoring for the Tigers with a combined forty points. Each scored 20, with Tyrese Hunter bringing up the rear with 16 of his own. Moussa Cisse finished with six points but had four massive blocks in the 84-68 win over USF.

In what might have seemed an impossible task at times, the coaching job that Coach Penny Hardaway has done this season for his school, the University Of Memphis, is nothing short of amazing. For the first time since 2008, there’s a buzz around the 901 that hasn’t been there in years. Memphis fans are optimistic that this month could bring the city at least one championship, with the AAC Tournament title being the first goal. The Tigers could find themselves dancing late into March and even making a run at a Final Four for the first time since that 2008 season. If nothing else, Coach Hardaway and this 2024-2025 will go down as one of the most beloved groups in the history of Memphis Basketball. They haven’t been perfect, but they won’t. Memphis Basketball this season brought hope back to the city and the program. A lot will depend on the draw in the NCAA Tournament, but the Tigers have shown throughout the season that they can compete and beat anybody in the country.

We’ll have an idea about who the Tigers will play next Friday after Sunday, but the Tigers will be the first game on Friday in Ft. Worth, with a tip slated for noon on ESPN2.

Photo Credits- Memphis Basketball on X