The Memphis men's basketball team opened exhibition play with a 99-75 loss against No. 14 Arkansas and former Memphis coach John Calipari at FedExForum Monday night in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip-Off Classic.
Head coach Penny Hardaway and the Tigers welcomed 15 newcomers to the program this season, in a complete overhaul of the roster. The story of the night, however, was the return of John Calipari, along with 30 of his former Memphis players, who received a standing ovation before the game.
"The players that came back loved it," said Calipari. "Now, they're even more connected to this city and this program."
In classic Hardaway fashion, the Tigers had a few surprises in the starting lineup. Ashton Hardaway, Penny's son, and Curtis Givens III, a Memphis native, both started alongside Dug McDaniel, Sincere Parker, and Aaron Bradshaw.
Memphis jumped ahead early, leading 10-6 at the first media timeout, thanks to an and-one layup from Sincere Parker.
The Tigers kept looking the aggressor with a quick 5-0 run capped off by a Curtis Givens III steal and layup to force Coach Cal to burn a timeout.
Memphis continued to bring energy defensively going into the under-12, and the Tigers extended their lead to 22-11.
"I think what you saw in the first twelve minutes of the game is who we are going to be," said Memphis coach Penny Hardaway. "I really do."
At the under-eight, the score was 28-14, and Memphis continued to pull away from the Razorbacks. Meleek Thomas stemmed the tide for Arkansas, hitting a pair of threes to force a Memphis timeout and cut the lead to 31-20 Tigers.
The Razorbacks pushed back towards the end of the first half, upping their own defensive intensity and cutting the lead to 38-33 at the under-four media timeout.
Arkansas kept clawing, taking the lead for themselves at 42-40, but Memphis closed the half on a 5-0 run to go into halftime at 45-42. Between the two teams, there were 27 fouls committed in the first period.
Memphis scored the first 6 points of the second half, but Arkansas immediately responded with an 11-0 run after Memphis guard Dug McDaniel left the game with a lower leg injury.
McDaniel returned, but the run continued, forcing a Penny Hardaway timeout. With 13:51 to go, Arkansas had turned a 15 point first half deficit into a 7 point second half lead.
Things continued to trend against the Tigers, as Memphis' scoring stalled and the Tigers picked up nine fouls in the first nine minutes of the second half.
The Hogs outscored Memphis 57-30 in the second half to cap off the blowout 99-75 victory.
"The last five minutes, to me, it was embarrassing," Hardaway said.
For St. Jude and both coaches however, this event was more than a basketball game. It was a representation of the good in Memphis.
"In this city, if people come together, they can solve whatever problem they want," Calipari said.
The Tigers return to action Thursday, when they will travel to Atlanta to play Auburn in their second and final exhibition game.
I'm a senior journalism major with a sports media concentration. I have been at the Daily Helmsman for three years now, including two years as the sports editor.
