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    • Final result, highlights of the exhibition
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    Final result, highlights of the exhibition

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Memphis basketball took the fight to Alabama on Monday, but it wasn’t enough to win.

    Despite a late charge, the Tigers lost 96-88 to Alabama in the Rocket City Classic at sold-out Propst Arena less than a week after losing to North Carolina.

    Memphis, playing without the injured Tyreek Smith (ankle), never led against the Crimson Tide, who enter the season viewed by many as a potential national championship contender. Alabama led by as many as 21 points. The Tigers fought back and cut the deficit to six points with 1:06 to play.

    But the Crimson Tide, which beat Wake Forest by 21 points in its other exhibition game and even led by 21 points on Monday, held off Memphis down the stretch.

    In an exhibition game in which fouls were counted but foul-outs were not forced and both teams combined for more than 80 free throw attempts, Alabama’s preseason All-American point guard Mark Sears scored 20 points. The Crimson Tide were missing starters Chris Youngblood, Grant Nelson and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. due to injuries.

    PJ Haggerty, who led Memphis with 24 points in the loss to North Carolina, led the Tigers again, this time with 32 points.

    But it wasn’t enough to overcome a dismal first half. Memphis shot just 27.8% from the field and missed all seven of its 3-point attempts. The Tigers only made one three-pointer in the game.

    Memphis welcomes Missouri to FedExForum on Monday (7 p.m. CT, ESPN+) for its regular-season opener.

    Watch Memphis Basketball vs. Alabama Live on ESPN+ (Subscribe Today)

    Memphis Basketball vs. Alabama score updates

    There are only two preseason games and both were against top-tier opponents (North Carolina and Alabama). But is it time to worry about the Tigers’ 3-point shooting?

    Memphis was 5 of 23 from beyond the arc against the Tar Heels. With 7:55 left in the game against Alabama, Hardaway’s team was just 1 for 12 from deep.

    Memphis true freshman Jared Harris, who started against Alabama, continues to impress for the Tigers.

    In the second half, he showed off his athleticism with this highlight slam.

    Memphis big man Dain Dainja had a bad night in an exhibition loss to North Carolina on October 15th. The Illinois transfer showed improvement against Alabama. Dainja was one of the Tigers’ few bright spots in the first half, having 9 points and four rebounds in the first 25 minutes of play. That included a monster dunk in the first half.

    Mark Sears led the Crimson Tide with 13 points in the first half as Alabama took a 49-29 halftime lead against Memphis.

    The Tigers got seven points from Dain Dainja in the first half, but the rest of the team struggled. PJ Haggerty and Colby Rogers combined to score on just two of their 15 total field goal attempts. Memphis also went without a three-pointer in the first half (on seven attempts), while Alabama made six three-pointers.

    Memphis got off to a slow start offensively, hitting just one of its first nine attempts from the field. Since then, the Tigers are 7 of 19. Part of the problem, however, is that none of Memphis’ shots have fallen beyond the 3-point line, while Alabama has made five 3-pointers so far. The Crimson Tide led 35-25 with 3:48 left in the first half.

    Moussa Cisse, the 2021 Memphis AAC Freshman of the Year, is back with the Tigers. And back to the ground.

    After sitting out the game against North Carolina on Oct. 15 with a groin injury, Cisse came on as a substitute early Monday. In his first five minutes before returning to the bench, Cisse had two points, two blocks and one rebound.

    Mark Sears, All-American point guard at Alabama, is off to a good start. He had a 6-point lead on two 3-pointers that gave the Crimson Tide an early 11-4 lead.

    Alabama leads Memphis 5-4 at the first media timeout with 15:47 left in the first half. Both teams play fast and show a lot of intensity. The Tigers had four steals in the first four-plus minutes. The Crimson Tide dominated the boards and outscored Hardaway’s team 9-4 in the early stages. Four of those rebounds are offensive boards.

    Derrion Reid, Clifford Omoruyi, Mark Sears, Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway will replace Nate Oats in the starting lineup.

    True freshman guard Jared Harris will be in the Tigers’ starting lineup against the Crimson Tide. He replaces senior Colby Rogers. Harris had four points and four steals against North Carolina on Oct. 15, while Rogers made 11 on 3-of-13 shooting. Memphis’ remaining starters are Tyrese Hunter, PJ Haggerty, Nicholas Jourdain and Dain Dainja.

    Memphis basketball forward Tyreek Smith will miss Monday’s exhibition game against Alabama due to injury.

    During the pregame radio show at Propst Arena, Tigers play-by-play man Dave Woloshin said Smith would not play after recently suffering an ankle injury during practice. Smith traveled to Huntsville with the Tigers and has been riding a stationary bike since the media was allowed into Propst Arena.

    What time does Memphis basketball play Alabama today?

    • Date: Monday, October 28th
    • Time: 7pm CT
    • Location: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama

    What channel is the Memphis vs. Alabama basketball game on today?

    TV channels: N/A

    Streaming: ESPN+

    Radio: 98.9-FM The Roar (Dave Woloshin, play-by-play; Matt Dillon, color analyst)

    Memphis vs. Alabama is streaming live on ESPN+.

    Injury updates for Memphis Basketball vs. Alabama

    Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said last week that center Moussa Cisse, who missed the team’s exhibition game against North Carolina with a groin injury, “will play” against the Crimson Tide.

    Grant Nelson, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Chris Youngblood and Aiden Sherrell missed Alabama’s exhibition win over Wake Forest on Oct. 18. According to Jon Rothstein, Nelson, Wrightsell and Sherrell are ruled out for Monday’s game. It’s unclear whether Youngblood will play or not.

    Upcoming Memphis basketball schedule

    Always central

    • November 4th: vs. Missouri (7 p.m., ESPN+, FedExForum)
    • November 9th: at UNLV (5 p.m., Mountain West Network)
    • November 15th: vs. Ohio (TBD, FedExForum)
    • November 21st: vs. San Francisco (9 p.m. at Chase Center in San Francisco)
    • November 25th: vs. UConn (1:30 p.m., Maui Invitational, ESPN2)

    Buy Memphis basketball tickets for this season via StubHub

    Upcoming Alabama basketball schedule

    Always central

    • November 4th: vs. UNC Asheville (8 p.m., ESPNU)
    • November 8th: vs. Arkansas State (7 p.m., SEC Network+)
    • November 11th: vs. McNeese State (6 p.m., SEC Network)
    • November 15th: at Purdue (6 p.m., Peacock)
    • November 20th: vs. Illinois (8 p.m., SEC Network)

    Memphis basketball news

    Reach or follow sportswriter Jason Munz at [email protected] @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

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    Eira Gwyneth
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