2021–22 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

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2021–22 Memphis Tigers men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record22–11 (13–5 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFedExForum
(Capacity: 18,119)
Seasons
2021–22 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 Houston † 15 – 3   .833 32 – 6   .842
SMU 13 – 4   .765 24 – 9   .727
Memphis 13 – 5   .722 22 – 11   .667
Temple 10 – 7   .588 17 – 12   .586
Tulane 10 – 8   .556 14 – 15   .483
UCF 9 – 9   .500 18 – 12   .600
Wichita State 6 – 9   .400 15 – 13   .536
Cincinnati 7 – 11   .389 18 – 15   .545
East Carolina 6 – 11   .353 15 – 15   .500
Tulsa 4 – 14   .222 11 – 20   .355
South Florida 3 – 15   .167 8 – 23   .258
† 2022 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2021–22 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers were led by fourth-year head coach Penny Hardaway. The team played their home games at FedExForum as members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 22–11, 13–5 in AAC Play to finish in 3rd place. They defeated UCF and SMU to advance to the championship game of the AAC tournament where they lost to Houston. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the West Region, where they defeated Boise State in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Gonzaga.

Previous season[edit]

The Tigers finished the 2020–21 season 20–8, 11–4 in AAC play, finishing in third place. They entered as the No. 3 seed in the AAC tournament, where they would lose to No. 2 seed Houston in the semifinals. They were selected as a No. 1 seed in the NIT. The Tigers would go on to win the tournament, their second overall, and first since 2002.

Offseason[edit]

On June 11, 2021, speculation emerged that Penny Hardaway was a candidate for multiple head coaching jobs in the NBA including his former team, the Orlando Magic.[1] On June 28, reports emerged that Hardaway had in fact interviewed and emerged as a top candidate for the vacant head coaching job.[2] Two days later, via Instagram, Hardaway confirmed he was not leaving the University of Memphis, and reports emerged that Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown had accepted an offer to be his assistant.[3]

Departing players[edit]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
D. J. Jeffries 0 F 6'7" 215 Sophomore Olive Branch, MS Transferred to Mississippi State[4]
Isaiah Stokes 4 F 6'8" 250 RS Sophomore Memphis, TN Dismissed from team
Boogie Ellis 5 G 6'3" 180 Sophomore San Diego, CA Transferred to USC[5]
Damion Baugh 10 G 6'3" 185 Sophomore Nashville, TN Transferred to TCU[6]
Jordan Nesbitt 14 G 6'6" 185 Freshman St. Louis, MO Transferred to Saint Louis[7]
Lance Thomas 15 F 6'9" 224 Junior Norcross, GA Transferred to South Alabama (mid-season)[8]
Ahmad Rand 20 F 6'8" 180 Junior Lincolnton, GA Transferred to Oregon State (mid-season)[9]
Moussa Cissé 32 C 6'10" 220 Freshman Conakry, Guinea Transferred to Oklahoma State[10]

Incoming transfers[edit]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Earl Timberlake 0 G 6'6" 220 Sophomore Washington, D.C. Transferred from Miami (Florida). Timberlake will have four years of remaining eligibility.[11]
Chandler Lawson 4 F 6'7" 215 Junior Memphis, TN Transferred from Oregon. Lawson will have three years of remaining eligibility.[12]
Tyler Harris 14 G 5'9" 148 Senior Memphis, TN Walk–on; transferred from Iowa State. Harris will have two years of remaining eligibility.[13]

2021 recruiting class[edit]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Emoni Bates*
SF 		Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsi Prep Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) August 25, 2021[14] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 98
Jalen Duren*
C 		New Castle, Delaware Montverde Academy (FL) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (100 kg) 8/6/21[15] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 97
Josh Minott
SF 		Boca Raton, Florida Saint Andrew's School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 08/08/20[16] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Johnathan Lawson
SF 		Memphis, Tennessee Wooddale High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 4/22/21[17] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Sam Onu
C 		Malvern, Pennsylvania The Phelps School 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 10/13/20[18] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 81
John Camden
SF 		Downingtown, Pennsylvania Brewster Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 09/30/20[19] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 79
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 1  247Sports: 1
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Memphis 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  • "2021 Memphis Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  • "2021 Memphis Tigers Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021.

*Originally class of 2022, but reclassified to 2021.[20]

Preseason[edit]

AAC preseason media poll[edit]

On October 13, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[21]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Houston 98 (8)
2 Memphis 92 (3)
3 SMU 77
4 Wichita State 76
5 UCF 66
6 Cincinnati 52
7 Tulsa 43
8 Temple 37
T-9 South Florida 25
T-9 Tulane 25
11 East Carolina 14

Preseason Awards[edit]

  • AAC Preseason Rookie of the Year - Jalen Duren
  • AAC Preseason All-Conference First Team - Jalen Duren
  • AAC Preseason All-Conference First Team - Landers Nolley II
  • AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team - Emoni Bates
  • AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team - DeAndre Williams

Roster[edit]

2021–22 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Earl Timberlake 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Miami (FL) Washington, D.C.
F 1 Emoni Bates 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Ypsi Prep Academy Ypsilanti, MI
C 2 Jalen Duren 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr Montverde Academy (FL) New Castle, DE
G 3 Landers Nolley II 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 208 lb (94 kg) RS Jr Virginia Tech Fairburn, GA
F 4 Chandler Lawson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Oregon Memphis, TN
G 5 Johnathan Lawson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Wooddale HS Memphis, TN
G 10 Alex Lomax 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Sr East HS Memphis, TN
G 11 Lester Quiñones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Jr IMG Academy Brentwood, NY
F 12 DeAndre Williams 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Evansville Houston, TX
G 14 Tyler Harris (W) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 148 lb (67 kg) Sr Iowa State Memphis, TN
F 15 John Camden 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Fr Brewster Academy Downingtown, PA
F 20 Josh Minott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Saint Andrew's School Boca Raton, FL
C 23 Malcolm Dandridge 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr East HS Memphis, TN
G 25 Jayden Hardaway (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 209 lb (95 kg) RS Jr IMG Academy Memphis, TN
G 30 Conor Glennon (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 172 lb (78 kg) So Brother Rice HS Chicago, IL
G 31 Tadarius Jacobs (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Bartlett HS Memphis, TN
C 55 Sam Onu 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 270 lb (122 kg) Fr The Phelps School Malvern, PA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • (T) Transferred
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 25, 2021

Schedule and results[edit]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 24, 2021*
4:00 p.m. 		No. 12 LeMoyne–Owen W 105–57  –
  20 – Quiñones   7 – Timberlake   7 – Tied  FedExForum (10,925)
Memphis, TN
October 31, 2021*
1:00 p.m. 		No. 12 Lane W 88–49  –
  18 – Nolley II   6 – Duren   4 – Nolley II  FedExForum (10,741)
Memphis, TN
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 12 Tennessee Tech W 89–65  1–0
  17 – Bates   7 – Quiñones   4 – Tied  FedExForum (12,928)
Memphis, TN
November 13, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 12 North Carolina Central W 90–51  2–0
  15 – Bates   10 – Duren   6 – Timberlake  FedExForum (12,893)
Memphis, TN
November 16, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 11 Saint Louis W 90–74  3–0
  18 – Harris   10 – Nolley II   4 – Tied  FedExForum (13,302)
Memphis, TN
November 19, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 11 Western Kentucky W 74–62  4–0
  22 – Duren   19 – Duren   4 – Lomax  FedExForum (13,375)
Memphis, TN
November 24, 2021*
8:30 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 9 vs. Virginia Tech
NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal 		W 69–61  5–0
  16 – Williams   10 – Williams   3 – Nolley II  Barclays Center (2,804)
Brooklyn, NY
November 26, 2021*
8:30 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 9 vs. Iowa State
NIT Season Tip-Off championship 		L 59–78  5–1
  12 – Bates   6 – Tied   3 – Lomax  Barclays Center (2,655)
Brooklyn, NY
December 1, 2021*
6:15 p.m., SECN 		No. 18 at Georgia
American/SEC Alliance 		L 79–82  5–2
  17 – Nolley II   8 – Williams   5 – Quiñones  Stegeman Coliseum (8,629)
Athens, GA
December 4, 2021*
11:00 a.m., ESPN2 		No. 18 at Ole Miss L 63–67  5–3
  13 – Williams   5 – Timberlake   3 – Nolley II  SJB Pavilion (8,629)
Oxford, MS
December 10, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Murray State L 72–74  5–4
  15 – Harris   5 – Tied   4 – Harris  FedExForum (13,607)
Memphis, TN
December 14, 2021*
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 6 Alabama W 92–78  6–4
  20 – Williams   6 – Duren   6 – Tied  FedExForum (15,266)
Memphis, TN
December 18, 2021*
11:00 a.m., ESPN2 		vs. No. 18 Tennessee
Nashville Showcase 		Canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Memphis program [22] Bridgestone Arena (–)
Nashville, TN
December 21, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Alabama State Canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Memphis program FedExForum (–)
Memphis, TN
AAC regular season
December 29, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Tulane L 84–85  6–5
(0–1) 		 19 – Nolley II   8 – Timberlake   6 – Timberlake  Devlin Fieldhouse (1,705)
New Orleans, LA
January 1, 2022
11:00 a.m., CBS 		at Wichita State W 82–64  7–5
(1–1) 		 15 – Minott   7 – Williams   4 – Williams  Charles Koch Arena (8,751)
Wichita, KS
January 4, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Tulsa W 67–64  8–5
(2–1) 		 12 – Tied   11 – Minott   5 – Minott  FedExForum (12,863)
Memphis, TN
January 9, 2022
2:30 p.m., ABC 		Cincinnati
Rivalry 		W 87–80  9–5
(3–1) 		 20 – Harris   10 – Minott   6 – Bates  FedExForum (14,502)
Memphis, TN
January 12, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UCF L 64–74  9–6
(3–2) 		 15 – Harris   7 – Bates   6 – Nolley II  Addition Financial Arena (6,163)
Orlando, FL
January 15, 2022
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at East Carolina L 71–72  9–7
(3–3) 		 15 – Duren   9 – Duren   7 – Harris  Williams Arena (5,107)
Greenville, NC
January 20, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		SMU L 62–70  9–8
(3–4) 		 17 – Harris   9 – Duren   5 – Lomax  FedExForum (13,723)
Memphis, TN
January 23, 2022
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Tulsa W 83–81  10–8
(4–4) 		 24 – Harris   9 – Minott   7 – Lomax  Reynolds Center (3,524)
Tulsa, OK
January 27, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		East Carolina W 71–54  11–8
(5–4) 		 17 – Quinones   12 – Minott   5 – Timberlake  FedExForum (13,418)
Memphis, TN
February 5, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		UCF W 88–60  12–8
(6–4) 		 16 – Minott   10 – Duren   5 – Harris  FedExForum (15,280)
Memphis, TN
February 9, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Tulane W 80–69  13–8
(7–4) 		 15 – Duren   13 – Williams   5 – Lomax  FedExForum (13,685)
Memphis, TN
February 12, 2022
2:30 p.m., ABC 		at No. 6 Houston W 69–59  14–8
(8–4) 		 20 – Nolley II   11 – Duren   6 – Lomax  Fertitta Center (7,450)
Houston, TX
February 15, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Cincinnati
Previously scheduled for Feb. 3rd 		W 81–74  15–8
(9–4) 		 15 – Harris   8 – Williams   9 – Lomax  Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
February 20, 2022
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		at SMU L 57–73  15–9
(9–5) 		 13 – Quinones   7 – Williams   5 – Lomax  Moody Coliseum (5,657)
University Park, TX
February 24, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Temple W 78–64  16–9
(10–5) 		 22 – Duren   9 – Williams   6 – Lomax  FedExForum (14,013)
Memphis, TN
February 27, 2022
1:30 p.m., ESPN 		Wichita State W 81–57  17–9
(11–5) 		 22 – Nolley II   7 – Duren   4 – Lomax  FedExForum (14,147)
Memphis, TN
March 3, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at South Florida W 73–64  18–9
(12–5) 		 16 – Duren   10 – Duren   5 – Nolley II  Yuengling Center (3,186)
Tampa, FL
March 6, 2022
11:00 a.m., CBS 		No. 14 Houston W 75–61  19–9
(13–5) 		 15 – Harris   8 – Duren   3 – Nolley II  FedExForum (17,946)
Memphis, TN
AAC Tournament
March 11, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		(3) vs. (6) UCF
Quarterfinals 		W 85–69  20–9
  22 – Quinones   20 – Duren   7 – Lomax  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 12, 2022
4:36 p.m., ESPN2 		(3) vs. (2) SMU
Semifinals 		W 70–63  21–9
  12 – Tied   10 – Williams   3 – Tied  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 13, 2022
2:15 p.m., ESPN 		(3) vs. (1) No. 18 Houston
Championship 		L 53–71  21–10
  14 – Duren   10 – Duren   4 – Tied  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
NCAA tournament
March 17, 2022*
12:45 p.m., TNT 		(9 W) vs. (8 W) No. 23 Boise State
First Round 		W 64–53  22–10
  14 – Williams   11 – Duren   5 – Lomax  Moda Center 
Portland, OR
March 19, 2022*
8:40 p.m., TBS 		(9 W) vs. (1 W) No. 1 Gonzaga
Second Round 		L 78–82  22–11
  14 – Williams   7 – Tied   5 – Lomax  Moda Center (17,907)
Portland, OR
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[23]

Awards and honors[edit]

American Athletic Conference honors[edit]

All-AAC Awards[edit]

All-AAC First Team[edit]

  • Jalen Duren

All-AAC Second Team[edit]

All-AAC Freshman Team[edit]

Source[24]

Rankings[edit]

See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP1211918RV—RVRV—————————RVNot released
Coaches1616^1019RV————————————RV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Cordner, Jason (June 11, 2021). "Penny Hardaway Draws Interest of Several NBA Teams For Head Coach". The Source. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  2. ^ Cali, Mike (June 27, 2021). "Report: Penny Hardaway interviewed for Orlando Magic head coaching job and is a "serious candidate"". Orlando Pinstriped Post. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  3. ^ "Penny Hardaway won't coach Magic, reportedly hires Hall of Famer Larry Brown as Memphis assistant". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  4. ^ Coleman, Joel (April 19, 2021). "D.J. Jeffries transferring to MSU from Memphis". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Kartje, Ryan (April 13, 2021). "Guard Boogie Ellis to transfer to USC from Memphis". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  6. ^ Backus, Will (April 12, 2021). "Former Memphis basketball guard Damion Baugh announces transfer to TCU". Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Durando, Stu (April 5, 2021). "Former St. Louis Christian Academy's Jordan Nesbitt will transfer to SLU". St. Louis Today. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  8. ^ @JonRothstein (March 7, 2021). "Source: Memphis transfer Lance Thomas has committed to South Alabama. Another big transfer for Richie Riley" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Daschel, Nick (January 18, 2021). "Memphis transfer forward Ahmad Rand lands at Oregon State, eligible to play next season". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  10. ^ Givony, Jonathan (July 15, 2021). "Moussa Cisse transferring to Oklahoma State after one season of Memphis basketball". ESPN. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  11. ^ Givony, Jonathan (April 8, 2021). "Miami Hurricanes transfer Earl Timberlake commits to Memphis Tigers". ESPN. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  12. ^ Johnson, Steven (April 22, 2021). "Lawson brothers commit to Memphis". Daily Memphian. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  13. ^ Munz, Jason (April 26, 2021). "Former Cordova star Tyler Harris returns to Memphis after one season at Iowa State". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  14. ^ Munz, Jason (August 25, 2021). "Memphis basketball lands Emoni Bates, a five-star prospect compared to Kevin Durant". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  15. ^ Munz, Jason (August 6, 2021). "Jalen Duren, the nation's No. 1 recruit, commits to Penny Hardaway and Memphis basketball". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  16. ^ Munz, Jason (August 8, 2020). "4-star prospect Josh Minott commits to Memphis". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  17. ^ Johnson, Steven (April 22, 2021). "Lawson brothers commit to Memphis". Daily Memphian. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  18. ^ Munz, Jason (October 13, 2020). "Sam Ayomide Onu, 7-foot center, commits to Memphis basketball over Kansas, Seton Hall". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  19. ^ Munz, Jason (September 30, 2020). "John Camden commits to Memphis. Will there be others for Penny Hardaway and Co. this week?". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  20. ^ "Top recruit Jalen Duren commits to Memphis, will reclassify to 2021 class". theathletic.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  21. ^ "Houston Selected as 2021-22 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  22. ^ "Memphis-Tennessee Game Canceled". gotigersgo.com. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  23. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". gotigersgo.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  24. ^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". American Athletic Conference. March 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
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