It was a feeling all too familiar for this young Memphis basketball season.
The Tigers—once again—looked and felt sluggish, unorganized and straight-up lost in the first half of Monday’s regular season opener against Missouri. Memphis had an ugly showing offensively in the opening period, shooting just 35% from the field and 28.5% from 3-point range. No Tiger scored more than 7 points before halftime.
To make matters worse, Dennis Gates’ club turned Memphis’ bad offense into arguably worse defense, finishing the first half with a 55% shooting clip, 26 points in the paint and 12 fastbreak points. Mizzou led Memphis 49-39 at the break after leading by as many as 14 points, and the Tigers’ hometown fans let their frustration be heard.
“When your hometown boos you, you deserve it, because they’re seeing a product out there that’s not competing,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway told reporters postgame. “[The boos] were loud…That’s what we needed the most, because now we know how real it really is here at home.”
Hardaway wasn’t the only one with a fire lit under him by the fans’ jeers. Point guard Tyrese Hunter was too.
The Texas transfer has been around the block time and time again throughout his college career. He’s averaged at least 10.3 points per game in three consecutive seasons. He’s a former Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2021-22. And most importantly, Hunter is 6-3 in NCAA Tournament games and has made two second-weekend appearances.
Hardaway brought the 6-foot senior to Memphis to take the Tigers to next level in multiple areas. Hunter didn’t have his best start on the court, scoring just 5 points on 1-for-5 shooting in the first half. His off-the-court leadership at halftime, however, didn’t disappoint.
“I had a talk with the guys in the locker room at halftime. ‘We here now. This ain’t no exhibition. We gotta go out there and fight. We gotta throw punches first, win every four minutes piece by piece and just keep going,'” Hunter said. “I think as being one of the leaders on this team, when I speak up, they’re gonna listen. Nobody’s got no ego, or taking it in a harsh way. They’re gonna listen up.”
PJ Haggerty is a little different, though.
He’s typically not the loudest voice or the biggest personality like Hardaway or Hunter. He usually doesn’t start games with a bolt of lighting either, and he certainly didn’t on Monday. The 6-foot-3 guard, who scored 56 combined points in Memphis’ two preseason games, dropped just 3 in the first half against Missouri.
But nothing fazed Haggerty. Not the statline. Not 14.2% shooting clip. Heck, not even the boos.
“I don’t really remember any boos,” he said.
No sound could’ve effected Haggerty once Memphis came back through the tunnel. The Tulsa transfer—just as he did against No. 9 North Carolina and No. 2 Alabama—unleashed his full arsenal on Gates’ club with 22 second-half points on 6-for-9 shooting. He also sunk all nine of his free throw attempts during the period.
“He’s a quiet spirit, but he plays aggressively. And once he gets going, man, he’s pretty dang good,” Hardaway said.
Haggerty ultimately led all scorers with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Hunter, meanwhile, also made his mark with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. That’s not to say the other Tigers didn’t come up big too, though.
Memphis outscored Mizzou 51-33 and forced 11 turnovers in the final period, including 6 in the first 10 minutes. A Hunter 3-pointer pulled the Tigers in front with 10:34 to go, and that lead was never relinquished as Memphis secured an 83-75 victory.
The manner of which Memphis won, as thrilling as it was, likely isn’t sustainable long term, and Hardaway knows that better than anyone. But beating a Missouri team ranked No. 52 in KenPom on opening night—especially because Memphis’ last real game was an embarrassing loss in the second round of its conference tournament—is better than the alternative.
A win isn’t the only thing Hardaway enjoyed Monday. He enjoyed watching Haggerty continue his rise to stardom. He enjoyed seeing Hunter provide leadership Memphis hasn’t had in two years. Most of all, he enjoyed watching a team that seemingly identifies with what Memphis Tigers basketball is all about, which is more than fortunate after how last season transpired.
So, all things considered, 2024-25 is off to a swell start.
“These games are showing us that we gotta be more prepared. We gotta be tougher from the beginning,” Hardaway said. “[But] sometimes as a coach, you like winning games where you play a bad first half and you come out in the second half and take over. So, it definitely will help us.”
Memphis plays its second regular season game at UNLV on Saturday (5 p.m., Mountain West Network).