Tigers not lacking in ‘optimism’ despite loss to North Carolina

Tuesday night’s Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic could’ve gone better for Memphis basketball.

Memphis would’ve preferred to not commit 22 turnovers, including 15 in the second half. It likely didn’t plan on trailing by as many as 15 points to a North Carolina team playing without All-American guard RJ Davis. UNC forward Seth Trimble, who’s never scored more than 12 points, dropping 33 on the Tigers’ defense probably left a sour taste in Penny Hardaway’s mouth.

Losing to Hubert Davis’ Tar Heels 84-76 at FedExForum—in Memphis’ first (exhibition) game together nonetheless—is definitely less than ideal.

But Hardaway and Co. made it clear they’re taking it all in stride postgame.

“I’m not trying to be the best team in October. I’ve learned my lesson on that,” Hardaway said. “[North Carolina] has a culture, and we’re trying to build a culture. So, this game to me helps us out tremendously because this is teaching tape for us. It should light a fire into our guys like it does me to wanna get better and understand where we need to get better.”

Tuesday’s game definitely had a big-fight feel to it.

St. Jude campaigned the event for weeks as an opportunity for the City of Memphis to help turn it into something bigger, like a possible in-season tournament in future years. A blue blood like North Carolina and a defending champion in South Carolina (women) were both in the building. And if nothing else, this was Memphis’ first on-court action since its embarrassing tilt to Wichita State in last season’s American Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament.

But it’s still just an exhibition at the end of the day. Memphis, though it played with much heart and tenacity, treated it as such. Ole Miss transfer Moussa Cisse didn’t suit up thanks to a groin injury. Texas transfer and lead guard Tyrese Hunter sat out the final five minutes despite Memphis cutting UNC’s lead to six points with three minutes to play.

Simply put, the Tigers didn’t throw their full arsenal at the Tar Heels.

“I just kinda left the game up to the guys,” Hardaway said. “We tried not to run any sets. We tried not to really show much. I just allowed the guys to get out there and play…We didn’t play Memphis basketball tonight…Our style is totally different than what we played tonight because we’re gonna be more disruptive. We’re gonna press more.

“At the end of the day, this was what we call a non-negotiable game—meaning we were gonna see how well we communicated, how well we can get in the gaps, how well we can sprint back, how well we can play pick-and-roll. We didn’t grade well in [any] of those areas, so we have to get back to work. But when we’re playing the style of play that we’ve been doing in practice every day, we’re a totally different team.”

Tulsa transfer guard PJ Haggerty is expected to be one of the key pieces that gets Memphis back to the NCAA Tournament. He showed why Tuesday, finishing with 24 points, 9 rebounds (2 offensive) and 3 assists on 8-for-14 shooting (6-for-7 in the second half).

The 6-foot-3 sophomore, who also committed 5 turnovers, seems confident the Tigers’ natural chemistry and raw talent will translate to victories in the near future.

“The wins will come,” Haggerty said.

Davis, who enters his fourth season as North Carolina’s head coach, wholeheartedly agrees.

“[Memphis is] a team with new players, a lot of transfers, one returning player that played in the rotation last year (Nick Jourdain). And for them to play as a team tonight, alongside with their talent, it’s a team that definitely is gonna be an NCAA Tournament team,” he said. “Their quickness, their athleticism, their ability to score, versatility on the defensive end, their athleticism to be able to rebound, so they’re gonna have a terrific season.”

Transfer guard Colby Rogers, who helped the Wichita State end Memphis’ season last year, saw everything the Tigers did wrong in 2023-24 firsthand. He saw the Tigers’ lack of cohesion or effort. He saw their discombobulation.

He knew they lost their optimism last season, partially because he took much of it from them.

And despite Memphis’ loss Tuesday, neither he nor anyone else on this year’s team plan on losing theirs.

“I think it’s a great learning experience for us. Fortunately, the game doesn’t count, so I think it’s a good test to see where we’re at and where we can be,” Rogers said. “I haven’t lost [any] optimism about the season. If anything, I’m even more excited.”