Memphis came up short in its first road test at Ole Miss Tuesday night at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford, losing to the Rebels 83-77. Coach Penny Hardaway's Tigers showed fight, but they could not string together enough stops to complete a comeback.
Memphis had some glaring deficiencies, but they also showed some flashes of what they could be. Here are some takeaways from the first loss of the season:
Foul Trouble
The Memphis front court struggled with foul trouble against San Francisco, with Aaron Bradshaw fouling out in just eight minutes, and that problem plagued the team yet again Tuesday in Oxford.
This game, it was Thierno Sylla who fouled out of the game in 18 minutes of play. Julius Thedford also fouled out for the Tigers in just 11 minutes, while Zach Davis picked up 4 fouls in 14 minutes.
Lack of Production from Bigs
For the second consecutive game, Memphis' leading rebounder was a guard. This game, it was the smallest man on the court in 5-foot-11 Dug McDaniel who finished with seven boards.
The best stat line produced by a Memphis big was Sylla's three points and five rebounds. The Tigers have a lot of bigs, but they will need at least one to emerge as a real threat if they want to pick up some wins in their brutal non-conference schedule.
Curtis Givens III and Ashton Hardaway
Two of the bright spots for the Tigers came in the performances of two players with strong Memphis ties. Curtis Givens III led the for Memphis with 20 points, including 15 in the second half. He struggled offensively in game one and in the Tigers' exhibitions but showed why coach Hardaway has him in the starting lineup.
Speaking of Hardaway, the coach's kid, Ashton Hardaway, scored 16 points on 7-11 shooting and added four assists. Memphis continues to exhibit that any of their guards/wings can be the leading scorer on any given night.
Turnovers
Memphis did not win the turnover battle in this game, but they only turned the ball over seven times, their fewest in a game since Feb. 25, 2024 against FAU. They also assisted on 20 of their 28 made field goals.
Historically, Memphis teams under Hardaway have turned the ball over at one of the highest clips in the country, so a low turnover performance in a road game against an SEC opponent is an encouraging development.
On the flip side though, the Tigers were only able to force seven Ole Miss turnovers. Memphis' constant ball pressure's goal is to disrupt the opponent's offense and create takeaways, but the Rebels handled the pressure with ease.
"We did almost everything perfect," Hardaway said. "We just have to defend the ball more.”
From the 11:36 mark in the first half to the 6:00 minute mark in the second half, a stretch of over 25 minutes, Ole Miss did not turn the ball over at all. The Tigers will need more from their defense to compete with some of the elite teams on their schedule.
A Look Ahead to What's Next
The Tigers will be back at FedExForum Sunday afternoon to take on a familiar face in Josh Pastner and his UNLV Runnin' Rebels.
Pastner's tenure at UNLV has not gotten off to a great start. His team is 1-2 with losses at home to UT Martin and Montana. The most recent of which was a 102-93 loss.
"When you score 93 points you've got to win the game," Pastner said after the Montana loss. "I was really disappointed with what we did defensively."
Those losses do not necessarily reflect the quality of the team, however. Pastner has three players in Mason Abittan, Myles Che and Emmanuel Stephen, who have yet to play this season. Isaac Williamson scored 11 points in his season debut against Montana Tuesday.
It will be UNLV's first road game of the campaign, and the Tigers will be hungry to bounce back after a frustrating loss Tuesday. Memphis will be a sizable favorite when the ball tips at 4 p.m. Sunday at FedExForum. The game will be streamed on ESPN.
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.
