RECAP: Memphis outlasts Arkansas in Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals

Memphis basketball is headed to the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship.

The Tigers (5-0) defeated No. 20 Arkansas (4-2) in the tournament semifinals 84-79 to advance to the championship game. Memphis will face Villanova tomorrow afternoon (2:30 p.m., ESPN).

Memphis lit the Razorbacks up offensively, shooting 49% from the field and 33% from 3-point range. The Tigers compiled 9 offensive rebounds, 22 bench points and 14 assists. Defensively, the Tigers forced 17 turnovers, compiled 9 steals and blocked 7 shots. Arkansas shot 47% from the floor and 39% from the perimeter.

This win more or less guarantees Memphis’ spot in next week’s AP Top 25 poll after the Tigers received more votes than any other unranked team in each of the past two weeks. Arkansas was ranked No. 35 in KenPom heading into this game, mean this also projects as a second consecutive Quad 1 win for the Tigers. Penny Hardaway’s team defeated No. 41 Michigan Wednesday.

Here are some takeaways from the Tigers’ fifth win of the season.

David Jones’ monumental performance

The ever-reliable St. John’s transfer is officially approaching unfair territory.

As he’s already done so many times this season, Jones came through when Memphis needed him the most. He shot perfectly from the field in the first half—6-of-6 to be exact—and scored 17 points and 3 rebounds, including his second buzzer-beating 3-pointer in three games to give Memphis a 42-37 lead at halftime.

Memphis G/F David Jones (@DeiviJones23) is absolutely COOKING Arkansas. In the first half, he had:

17 PTS
6-6 FG
3-3 3PT
🔥🔥

DJ has stepped up in a big way today. Looks like a totally different player than yesterday. Calm and aggressive.@BluffCity_Media | #GTG🐅 pic.twitter.com/XtcodV2lCm

— Hitmen Hoops Media (@HitmenHoops) November 24, 2023

Jones took his game to another level in the second half. He scored another 17 points on 4-of-8 shooting while making 8 of his 10 free throw attempts. He finished the game with 36 points while shooting 10-for-14 from the field 4-of-8 from 3-point range, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

Quite a nice bounce-back from his sluggish outing against Michigan Wednesday, to say the least.

A true back-and-forth affair

The Tigers and Razorbacks traded blows with one another throughout the evening.

There were 13 lead changes alone in the first half. Memphis made 15 shots in the period compared to Arkansas’ 11. The Tigers turned the ball over 9 times compared to the Razorbacks’ 6. And Hardaway’s team was 5-of-15 from 3-point range while Musselman’s team was 4-of-10.

In the second half, Memphis made 11 shots compared to Arkansas’ 15. The Tigers turned the ball over 7 times compared to 9 turnovers for the Razorbacks. The difference, however, is Memphis took the lead with 17:43 left and never looked back.

How former Tiger Chandler Lawson looked against Memphis

Lawson surprisingly transferred from Memphis to Arkansas this past summer. He recorded 9 point, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks in the Razorbacks’ win over Stanford Wednesday.

The 6-foot-8 forward, who’s made three starts this season, wasn’t as much of a factor against Memphis. Lawson finished the contest with 5 points and 3 rebounds in just 11 minutes.

Temple transfer and former teammate of Nick Jourdain Khalif Battle scored 21 points but played just 30 minutes due to being in foul trouble. He fouled out with 8 seconds left. Battle is Arkansas’ second leading scorer.

Jourdain was Memphis’ second leading scorer Thursday with 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks on 5-of-5 shooting, along with tons of other crucial plays that won’t show up on the stat sheet.