Tracking the Tigers NCAA tournament resume

Throughout the rest of the season, Bluff City Media will track Memphis’ NCAA tournament resume on a weekly basis. Using the NET rankings, KenPom rankings and ESPN bracketology, we will keep you updated on where the Tigers are ranked.

Following Memphis’ 96-89 loss at Tulane on Sunday the Tigers fell to 11-4 overall with a 1-3 record on the road. That loss led the Tigers to fall from 59 to 62 in the NET rankings and they are currently ranked 36 in the KenPom rankings. 

As disappointing as that loss was for the Tigers, the win pushed Tulane up to 135 in the NET rankings which made it a Quad 2 loss instead of a Quad 3 loss. That small detail is the difference between a bad loss and a manageable loss for the Tigers’ NCAA tournament resume.

In ESPNs latest Bracketology, Joe Lunardi has the Tigers projected as a No. 8 seed in the Midwest (Kansas City) region, dropping from their previous No. 7 seed projection. The Tigers were a No. 9 seed last season.

Next up, Memphis hosts East Carolina in a Quad 4 game as the Pirates are currently ranked 167 in the NET rankings. These are the kind of games the Tigers need to win consistently to avoid bubble territory on selection Sunday as most of their conference games will be between Quad 2-4 games.