RECAP: Memphis holds off Michigan to advance to Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals.

Memphis basketball took care of business in Penny Hardaway’s return.

The Tigers (4-0) defeated Michigan (3-2) to open the Battle 4 Atlantis in The Bahamas. Memphis, which won 71-67, now moves on to the tournament semifinals and will face either Arkansas or Stanford tomorrow (4 p.m., ESPN).

Memphis had its worst offensive output of the season, but was still relatively efficient. The Tigers shot 43.9% from the field and made 10 of their 24 attempts from behind the 3-point line. They also had three double-digit scorers in Ashton Hardaway (17), David Jones (11) and Caleb Mills (10).

But Memphis also played very well defensively. The Tigers held Michigan to 39% shooting, forced 18 turnovers, compiled 9 steals and 8 blocks. Thirteen of those turnovers came in the first half, where Michigan shot just 11-of-29 from the field and scored only 12 points in the paint despite 10 offensive rebounds. The Tigers won the game despite losing the total rebounding battle 50-28.

The Wolverines were ranked No. 37 in KenPom heading into Wednesday’s game, meaning this currently projects as a Quad 1 win for Memphis. The Tigers also own a road victory over Missouri, but Mizzou dropped to No. 87 with a home loss to Jackson State last Sunday.

Here are some takeaways from Memphis’ fourth win of the season.

Each Hardaway makes a difference, especially Ashton.

Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway–in his sixth season at the helm—made his season debut against the Wolverines Wednesday. He missed the first three games of the 2023-24 campaign due to an NCAA-levied suspension. The former NBA All-Star oversaw Memphis’ biggest win of the season.

Freshman wing Ashton Hardaway made a monumental impact in the first half, scoring 8 points and shooting 2-of-3 from 3-point range. His explosion continued in the second half, and he ended up leading the Tigers with 17 points and 2 rebounds. The youngest Hardaway also made 5 of his 7 attempts from beyond the arc. Memphis has struggled to get scoring out of its reserves in the early portion of the season, so the Carson, Calif. native having these kinds of outputs would be a welcome sight for the Tigers.

Senior guard Jayden Hardaway also made his mark with 5 points in the first half on 2-of-2 shooting.

Tigers shut down Dug McDaniel.

Memphis had every reason to fear the 5-foot-11 sophomore heading into this game.

The Washington D.C. native averaged 21 points, 6.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game this season while shooting 52.6% from the field and 41.4% from 3-point range in Michigan’s first four contests. He recorded 26 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds in the Wolverines’ 89-73 win at St. John’s. McDaniel has all the makings to be one of college basketball’s breakout stars this year.

The Tigers, however, shut him down at nearly every turn. He scored nothing and missed all five of his shot attempts in the first half. It hardly got any better in the second half either. McDaniel missed 10 more shots, and only finished with 13 points after catching fire in the game’s final minutes.

In fact, the only Wolverines Memphis consistently had any trouble with was Alabama transfer Nimari Burnett and Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua. Nkamhoua, who was dropped to the floor by a Mills step-back in the first half, led Michigan with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Nkamhoua fouled out with 2:39 left to play. Burnett had 16 points and 9 rebounds on 4-of-6 perimeter shooting. Center Tarris Reed chipped in 8 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

Memphis withstands a Michigan comeback.

The Tigers led Wednesday’s game by as much as 16 in the second half, but Michigan soon stormed back with a 25-13 run to cut Memphis’ lead to 59-58 with 4:12 left in the game.

But then Memphis clamped down, holding the Wolverines to just three field goals in the game’s final six minutes. Jones, a St. John’s transfer, slammed the door on Michigan’s hopes with a step-back 3-pointer with 1:38 left to play, followed by a steal and two made free throws with 1:07 showing on the clock.

Or so we thought.

A McDaniel layup cut the lead to 5 with 27 seconds left, and then a Tray Jackson 3-pointer made it a 69-67 game with 10 seconds to play. But the Tigers then broke the Wolverine press and Jones made two more free throws to seal the deal.