RECAP: Memphis basketball gets demolished at SMU

It’s AAC tourney or bust for Memphis basketball.

The Tigers’ at-large bid hopes for this year’s NCAA Tournament are all but gone after getting demolished at SMU 106-79 Sunday afternoon. Penny Hardaway’s team (18-8, 7-6 AAC) has now lost six of its last nine games, and will remain at No. 7 in the American.

The contest was a complete disaster for Memphis, which shot 48% from the field and 45% from 3-point range. The Tigers forced 15 turnovers, including 10 steals, while also compiling 9 assists and 6 blocks. They also grabbed 11 offensive rebounds. David Jones led Memphis with 33 points and 10 rebounds on 12-for-22 shooting. Nae’Qwan Tomlin chipped in 17 points and 3 rebounds.

The Mustangs (19-7, 10-3 AAC) shot 57% on their field goal attempts and 40% on their 3-point tries. They also totaled 28 assists, 19 forced turnovers, 11 steals and 5 blocks. Ricardo Wright (26), Zhuric Phelps (18), Samuell Williamson (18), Chuck Harris (10) and Tyreek Smith (10) all scored in double figures.

Memphis now hopes to use its final five regular season games to gain ground in the AAC standings. The Tigers must finish top-4 in the league to receive a two-day bye to the conference tournament’s quarterfinals. If they don’t, they’ll have to win four games in four days inside Dickies Arena to advance to the Big Dance. Hardaway’s club will host Charlotte on Wednesday night (7 p.m., ESPN+).

Here are some takeaways from Memphis’ humiliating loss.

Mustangs dominate the boards.

SMU outrebounded Memphis 43-35 and racked up 19 offensive boards in last month’s matchup at FedExForum, which the Tigers won 62-59.

The U of M’s problems on the glass were even worse this time around. The Mustangs nabbed 26 total rebounds in the first half compared to just 9 for the Tigers. Rob Lanier’s team also grabbed 14 offensive boards in the game’s first 20 minutes. Williamson, Phelps, B.J. Edwards and Keon Ambrose-Hylton each got at least 2 offensive rebounds before halftime.

The Tigers actually outrebounded the Mustangs 20-14 in the second half, and got 8 offensive boards opposed to just 3 for SMU. Lanier’s club won the total battle 40-29 while scoring 23 second-chance points.

SMU lights up the 3-point line.

The Mustangs were just the 6th-best perimeter shooting team in the AAC heading in Sunday’s game, but that simply didn’t matter against Memphis.

The Tigers’ atrocious 3-point defense reared its ugly head once again. And Lanier’s team rung in deep bomb after deep bomb, which helped it cruise to a 58-36 halftime lead. The Mustangs hit eight 3-pointers in the opening period, include four from Wright. The 6-foot-4 guard finished the half with a team-high 18 points, and even beat the buzzer with his fourth 3-pointer to send his team to the locker room.

He knocked in two more 3-pointers in the second half to finish with 26 points on 6-for-8 perimeter shooting. The Mustangs shot 40% from beyond the arc for the game.

Early substitutions solve nothing for the Tigers.

Hardaway’s trademark substitutions—once again—were a colossal failure.

The Tigers started Jahvon Quinerly, Jones, Jaykwon Walton, Nick Jourdain and Malcolm Dandridge against the Mustangs. But Jayden Hardaway and Tomlin quickly subbed in after a minute and 15 seconds. Carl Cherenfant and Jonathan Pierre came in for Jones and Walton just over two minutes later. Jayhlon Young and Jordan Brown entered the game two minutes after that. Ashton Hardaway and even Joe Cooper also saw action in a game where the Tigers looked totally deflated.

Memphis ultimately used 11 players in less than eight minutes, which set it in motion for a disastrous outing. The Mustangs already held a 20-12 advantage once the sixth-year coach’s hot potato cooled off, and things only got worse from there.

SMU outscored the Tigers 38-24 in the final 13:10 of the first half, and had already forced 9 turnovers by halftime. Memphis only lost the second half 48-43, but the damage was already done at intermission.