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    • Memphis basketball uneven in exhibition loss to UNC, more overreactions
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    Memphis basketball uneven in exhibition loss to UNC, more overreactions

    Idris Bevan Posted on

    Penny Hardaway doesn’t expect his new Memphis basketball team to perform at its best in October, the seventh-year coach said after Tuesday’s 84-76 loss to North Carolina.

    “We tried not to play sets. We tried not to really show much,” Hardaway said. “We didn’t play Memphis basketball tonight.”

    But as the Tigers begin preparations for their next preseason benefit game against Alabama on October 28 (7 p.m.) in Huntsville, Ala., now seems like the perfect time to throw caution to the wind and rely on it Some concrete conclusions can be drawn from our findings as seen on FedExForum.

    Here are five observations and overreactions.

    The severity has increased dramatically compared to last season

    The Tigers had Tyrese Hunter in the starting lineup and PJ Haggerty in the backfield.

    The Tigers replaced Baraka Okojie — a surprise considering he was out all summer with left shoulder surgery and was only cleared for contact practice about a week ago — and freshman Jared Harris off the bench.

    And the results were encouraging – particularly in terms of robustness. For weeks, Hardaway has said that Memphis’ identity depends largely on how tough its players are. Hunter, Haggerty, Okojie and Harris proved it.

    Against a top-10 team from the previous season, the foursome combined for 38 points and 17 rebounds (nine from Haggerty alone). Hunter, Okojie and Harris combined for nine steals (eight between Okojie and Harris).

    Is this group on the same level as Kendric Davis, Alex Lomax and Damaria Franklin, who were instrumental in leading the Tigers to a 26-win season in 2022-23? We’re not going quite that far yet.

    But this version of the Tigers — particularly the backcourt — appears to be exponentially tougher than last season.

    Dain Dainja fights

    The transfer to Illinois arrived in Memphis with great promise and has caused a lot of excitement in recent weeks.

    But the big man had a tough performance against the Tar Heels. He made a nifty play and shot on the Tigers’ first possession of the game, but was only able to score three points the rest of the game. He was 1 of 6 from the free throw line. Although he contributed three blocks, he only had two rebounds. All in 18 minutes.

    “Yeah, Dain didn’t have a great night,” Hardaway said. “We’ll see that he gets back on his feet in the next game.”

    Baraka Okojie will be an All-AAC performer

    Okojie only had one point. But he has also strengthened in other areas.

    He had three rebounds, four assists and four steals in 16 minutes. As a reminder, the George Mason transfer and sophomore had less than a week of full practice time with his new team.

    PENNY HARDAWAY: Memphis basketball coach talks fans’ frustration, an anonymous letter and more

    Is he an AAC Sixth Man of the Year candidate? He could already be the frontrunner.

    When shooting, distance could be an issue

    One of the bigger question marks on these Tigers’ minds all season revolved around whether they have enough perimeter shooting on the roster.

    Colby Rogers and PJ Carter are both above average from 3-point range. But aside from Nicholas Jourdain, who is a low-volume 3-point shooter, no one else has shown much consistency in their college careers.

    It was shown on Tuesday. Memphis was 5 of 23 from beyond the arc, and Rogers made two of them. Hunter, Haggerty and Carter had the other three.

    The Tigers shot a respectable 42.9% from the field. Maybe what Hardaway said about the team not playing sets played a role in that. If not, it could be a wild ride.

    Memphis Basketball will win the AAC

    How about overreacting after a loss in October?

    Here’s the deal: There is no Seth Trimbles (who had 33 points in RJ Davis’ absence) in the AAC. There is no Elliot Cadeau (11 points, 13 assists). There may not even be Jalen Washingtons (17 points, six rebounds).

    Plus, Memphis will absolutely get better — and the Tigers weren’t bad at all on Tuesday.

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

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    Idris Bevan
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