Memphis basketball has one thing on its mind this weekend.
“Get-back,” Tigers guard PJ Haggerty said Wednesday. “Y’all are gonna see Sunday.”
No. 17 Memphis (19-4, 9-1 AAC) gets its much-anticipated rematch with Temple (14-9, 6-4 AAC) inside FedExForum on Sunday (1 p.m., ESPN2). The Owls handed the Tigers their only American Athletic Conference (AAC) loss in Philadelphia last month—an embarrassing display where Penny Hardaway’s club almost got outrebounded on the offensive glass alone.
To make matters worse, Temple has lost three of its last five games. That turns what was once Memphis’ lone Quad 2 defeat into its second in Quad 3, since the Owls now sit at No. 138 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET)—three spots shy of the top-135 criteria required to be considered a Quad 2 opponent on the road.
Bracketologists like ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm currently project Memphis as a top-5 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Getting swept by Temple and suffering a third Quad 3 loss in the process, however, could bring the Tigers much closer to the 9-seed line forecasted by Bart Torvik.
That doesn’t faze Hardaway, who seems as primed for payback as his players do.
“We’ll be ready Sunday,” he said.
Here’s what to expect in Memphis’ second meeting with Temple this season.
Will PJ Carter become a starter?
Carter continued his impactful play against Tulsa on Wednesday.
He didn’t score double-digit points like he did against UAB (14), Tulane (14) and Rice (19). But his 6 points on 2-of-5 perimeter shooting vs. the Golden Hurricane, coupled with his energetic play off the ball, still helped Memphis break out of its first-half slump.
Hardaway even started Carter, who’s shooting 52% from 3-point range over his last four outings, in the second half after forward Nick Jourdain was temporarily benched before intermission. The seventh-year headman later admitted that may have been more than just a wake-up call for his only returning scholarship player.
“[Carter] is putting himself in a position to be someone. That’s why I started him in the second half. He’s a threat. He has to be accounted for,” Hardaway said. “It has crossed my mind to start him, but he’s good whether he starts or not because he’s just instant offense.”
Moussa Cisse should be healthy.
The 6-foot-11 center went down early in the second half Wednesday, and Hardaway immediately had flashbacks when he grabbed his left knee.
Former Tiger Caleb Mills tore his left patella tendon at Tulsa last year, which Hardaway still maintains is a big reason Memphis missed the 2024 NCAA Tournament after a 15-2 start. Cisse’s injury apparently wasn’t nearly as severe, though, since he put weight on the knee as he hobbled to the locker room and ultimately returned to the game.
The Tigers’ best rim protector (1.5 blocks per game) is seemingly good to go for Sunday.
“Thank God…It was just déjà vu. Against Tulsa?” Hardaway said. “That was like, ‘No, Lord. Please, not like this.’”
What happened last time?
Temple humiliated Memphis on the glass in Philly, collecting 49 rebounds compared to the Tigers’ 25. Adam Fisher’s team also grabbed 22 offensive boards—just three off from matching Memphis’ total rebounding production on that end alone.
But the Tigers still had a chance to steal the game despite trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half. They cut the Owls’ lead to one possession five times in the final seven minutes. Haggerty, who scored 21 points, could’ve trimmed their deficit down to 2 with 2:26 to go. All he had to do was make two shots from the charity stripe.
Both clamped straight off the rim, though, and Temple’s Zion Stanford took advantage with a slam on the other end. Haggerty earned two more foul shots right after, but he only hit one of them. Memphis never got that close again in the final two minutes, as the Owls upped their advantage back to 9 points with 20 seconds left and eventually secured an 88-81 victory.
Temple leading scorer Jamal Mashburn Jr. torched the Tigers with 21 points, 5 rebounds (3 offensive), 4 assists and a steal. Quante Berry totaled 19 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds on 8-for-12 shooting. Shane Dezonie finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, including 5 offensive boards in the second half. Steve Settle III (11) and Stanford (10) also scored double-figure points for the Owls, who shot 47% overall and 41% from the 3-point line.
Temple has since suffered two Quad 3 losses in its last four contests, including Thursday at South Florida without Mashburn (lower body). Fisher gave the 6-foot-2 guard a “day-by-day” designation postgame, so his status for Sunday is currently unclear. The Owls have also played three consecutive overtime games—defeating Charlotte and East Carolina and losing to the Bulls.
Bart Torvik ranks Temple as the No. 207 team in the country since beating Memphis on Jan. 16, slotting it at No. 86 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 315 in adjusted defensive efficiency throughout that span. The Owls are down to No. 144 overall in KenPom too after their win over the Tigers catapulted them to No. 110.
The Prediction
Memphis runs through Temple.
The Tigers are clearly entering this one with chips on their shoulders, while the Owls are fleeting into mediocrity. Temple probably needs another monstrous rebounding effort to sweep Memphis, but that’ll be much easier said than done against a more focused group.
Fisher’s squad won the first game because it wanted it more, and Hardaway’s will win the second for the same reason.
Expect two Philadelphia sports teams to lose their Super Bowl.