The last Sunday of the regular season brought a do-or-die game for Coach Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers as they travelled south to take on Tulane. The stakes were simple on Sunday: win and the season continues for at least one more game, a loss and it would come down to the East Carolina and UAB game, and not just to make the NCAA Tournament but to make the conference tournament, a position that Memphis has never been in during the history of the program. Not to mention, the Tigers would be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak while trying to salvage something of the disastrous season that has plagued the Memphis basketball program. 

If do or die wasn’t enough, depending on who you talk to, Coach Penny Hardaway might have also been coaching for job on Sunday after a disater of a season that has seen over a million dollars in lost reveune, and overall during his career as Head Coach with two conference tournament championships, and only one NCAA Tournament, the Tulane game had the potential to be an end to the era. Either side of the argument is valid, but the truth is, a win on Sunday over Tulane would go a long way toward the patient levels of Tiger Nation, while offering a slight glimmer of hope for an unexpected postseason run in the American Tournament. Some will buy into the false narrative that Coach Hardaway has not been given the ample amounts of support needed, but the reality is, he and his staff have been given the best resoruces in the conference, and really some of the highest in mid-major basketball, but he’s done far less with those resources and now has to face the reality that without a win on Sunday that the season, and his future as Memphis Head Basketball Coach could both be in serious doubt. At the end of the day, the responsiblity of having success and winning basketball games falls on the shoulders of the Head Coach and at a program like Memphis if you can’t get it done in eight years then you might be the guy to contuine on into the future, at the end of the day, college basketball is a business and if you’re underperforming and losing money then tough conversations have to be had. 

Despite having their backs against the wall, Memphis would have another slow start in the first half as Tulane took a 40-31 lead to halftime. What we saw in the first half was more of the same: little to no effort on defense, leading to easy baskets and a lead for Tulane. 

As expected with this team, the season would come down to the final twenty minutes of the second half to decide the season for the Tigers. 

As the second half progressed, the Tigers’ effort did too, and they took their first lead of the game right before the under-12 media timeout, 55-51 over Tulane. Memphis would see that lead extend to 72-67 with 3:57 to play in the game. Tulane wouldn’t go down without a fight, coming within one with 47 seconds remaining off an 8-0 run from the Green Wave. Memphis led by as much as nine (80-71), and the Tigers’ effort suddenly stalled, and the Green Wave battled back to within one. Thierno Sylla would have a chance to extend the Memphis to 82-79, but made one of two to make it 81-79. Tulane would tie it up with 10 seconds, giving the Tigers the final shot in regulation to have a chance at victory. Once again, mind-boggling late-game coaching and decision-making sent the game to overtime, as the Tigers failed to hold the nine-point lead they had built. Memphis failed to score until the 2:47 mark in overtime as they cut the Tulane lead to 87-83 off a pair of free throws. Somehow, someway, Memphis found a way in overtime behind with a pair of free throws from Quante Berry to secure a 96-95 win over Tulane to send the Tigers back to the postseason with a birth in the conference tournament. 

Credit where credit is due, Coach Penny Hardaway and his staff made the adjustments needed in the second half, giving someone like Dug McDaniel the chance to take over the game and lead the Tigers to victory. Memphis needed the win in the worst way, and despite a dismal first half, the Tigers rallied and are now heading to the American Conference Tournament on Wednesday. Sure, they’ll need to win five games in five days to reach the NCAA Tournament, but at least they have the opportunity to do so. Also, everyone knows this isn’t what Memphis basketball is all about, celebrating a bid to the conference tournament, but none of that matters now as the Tigers are heading to compete for an American Conference Tournament Championship. At the end of the day, Memphis is playing in March, and nothing else matters. They’ll have to win five games in five days, but it can be done. 

Memphis will find out seeing, and the opponent, later on this afternoon, after other games from around the conference go final.  

Photo Credits- Memphis basketball on X