The Tigers inch closer to leaving bubble status after fourth consecutive win

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

The Memphis Tigers are now 16-5 overall and 6-2 in American Athletic Conference (AAC) play after another two-win week with victories at Cincinnati and home against SMU. Their four-game winning streak has helped the Tigers jump from 43 to 40 in the NET rankings and from 37 to 35 in the KenPom rankings. The rise of the Temple Owls has helped the Tigers resume as their win on the road at Temple upgraded from a Quad 3 win to a Quad 2 win.

In ESPN’s latest Bracketology (released on 1/27/23), Joe Lunardi still has the Tigers on the bubble in the “Last Four Byes,” but he moved the Tigers up the seed line from the No. 11 seed to the No. 10 seed in the West (Las Vegas) region.

Next up, the Memphis Tigers will visit the Tulsa Golden Hurricane Sunday afternoon in what will be a Quad 4 game as the Golden Hurricane are currently ranked 286th in the NET rankings. Also, Tulsa is dead last in the AAC standings with a 5-14 record overall including 1-7 in conference play.

The task is simple for Memphis this weekend, in the words of Al Davis, “Just win baby.” Memphis remains undefeated against the weakest competition on their schedule as evidenced by their combined 9-0 record in Quad 3 and 4 games. The matchup at Tulsa presents the Tigers with an opportunity to get to a .500 record on the road and keep pace with the top of the AAC standings. The Tigers have the opportunity to get off of the bubble sooner rather than later.