Memphis basketball jumps in AP Top 25 after wins over FAU, North Texas

Memphis basketball retained its spot in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 for the first time this season Monday.

The Tigers (12-3, 2-0 AAC) are up to No. 19 in this week’s poll after being ranked No. 21 last week. Memphis blew out Florida Atlantic for a Quad 2 win on Thursday and narrowly beat North Texas for a Quad 3 win on Sunday.

Memphis now owns nine Quad 1 and 2 victories (No. 1 in Division I), but coach Penny Hardaway is still a bit weary after it nearly lost to the Mean Green inside FedExForum.

The Tigers already lost a Quad 3 game at home to Arkansas State this year. They host Quad 4 opponent East Carolina on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN+).

“There has to be a care factor from everybody. It takes a full unit. We have to have that shared vision,” Hardaway said. “Whatever we do, everybody has to be all-in, 100% on. There can’t be one person going, ‘Why are we doing this? We shouldn’t be doing that.’ It needs to be rowing the boat in the same direction.

“When you do that, you can go to the next game and be professional.”

Other human polls are upping the Tigers’ stock too. CBS Sports personality and Grind City Media host Gary Parrish bumped Memphis to No. 17 in his Top 25 and 1. Field of 68 host and longtime college basketball reporter Jeff Goodman has Memphis at No. 12 in his rankings.

Computer metrics, however, didn’t let Memphis’ scare against UNT slide. The Tigers are down to No. 31 in KenPom, No. 34 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) and No. 38 in Bart Torvik.

But those numbers can improve if Memphis handles business in its final 16 American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season games—14 of which are in Quads 3 and 4.