For Memphis coach Penny Hardaway, Sunday’s 77-68 win at Charlotte was more like it.
Chagrined that his team was clobbered 49-25 on the boards on Jan. 16 in an 88-81 upset loss at Temple, Hardaway demanded more toughness from his players. For at least one game, he got it, as the Tigers earned a 42-28 rebounding advantage.
He hopes to see more of that on Thursday night when No. 24 Memphis hosts struggling Wichita State in another American Athletic Conference contest.
“It’s on the players,” Hardaway said before the game at Charlotte. “All we want them to do is fight and be tough. Everything else will even itself out.”
And more often than not, it figures to work out for the Tigers (14-4, 4-1 AAC). They led 41-25 at halftime, permitting just three second-chance points to the 49ers in the opening 20 minutes, and kept the Temple setback from becoming multiple losses.
That already is a sign in the right direction from last season. Memphis was ranked and rolling when it squandered a big second-half lead and lost at home to South Florida. That started a major skid that denied the Tigers the NCAA Tournament bid that seemed a sure thing in late January.
A similar occurrence this season would be surprising. Memphis has the most talent in the league and a schedule it should handle. It’s projected as a double-digit favorite in most of its remaining games but could also land back on the bubble with a couple of losses. It has no Quad 1 games remaining.
PJ Haggerty, who scored 18 in Sunday’s win, is leading the way offensively at 22.1 points per game. Tyrese Hunter adds 15.1 points per game, while Wichita State transfer Colby Rogers and Dain Dainja each chip in 11.7.
Rogers’ old team comes into this one riding the struggle bus with four losses in its first five AAC games, including a 75-72 setback Saturday night against East Carolina. R.J. Felton ended the Shockers’ hopes of back-to-back wins by canning a 3-pointer as time expired.
That was fitting because poor perimeter defense hurt Wichita State (11-7, 1-4) all night long. The Pirates entered the night as one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in Division I but found their form from deep, going 11 of 23.
“From the beginning, we’ve got to make them feel uncomfortable,” guard Justin Hill said of East Carolina’s success from long range. “If you hit some in the beginning, you’re more likely to hit some later on. If we set the tone in the beginning, maybe they don’t hit those shots later on.”
Xavier Bell is pacing the Shockers with 14.8 points, while Hill scores 13.6 and Corey Washington adds 13.5. Center Quincy Ballard is good for 10.7 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds.
Wichita State got off to a 6-0 start but has struggled to get stops since then, permitting at least 80 points six times in the past 12 games.
Memphis owns a 20-13 lead in the all-time series, although the Shockers snapped an eight-game losing streak last March in the AAC tournament.
–Field Level Media
