MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Tigers have demonstrated real resilience over the course of this season, and that resilience is being rewarded with its first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament selection in eight years.
Memphis will enter the tournament as a No. 9 seed, playing its first round game against No. 8 Boise State Thursday, March 17, in Portland, Oregon.
The team, which began the season ranked in the AP top-15 with high expectations, looked lost at times early on, going 9-8 and watching its tournament aspirations slip away.
After a 70-62 home loss to SMU on January 20, head coach Penny Hardaway let out a now-infamous rant in the postgame press conference, voicing his frustration over the portrayal of his team in the media as one that doesn’t work hard or play together.
Since then, the Tigers have gone 12-2, including two conference wins against nationally ranked Houston.
That run propelled the team from being far on the outside of the tournament picture to being securely in it.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Memphis as a No. 8 seed entering the AAC championship game, and the Tigers only fell to the No. 9 spot despite the 71-53 loss to Houston.
Houston beat the Tigers to secure their second consecutive American Athletic Conference championship. They will enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed.
The Tigers are going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014, which has been a major goal for Penny Hardaway, who took over as head coach in 2018 to turn the program around.