What to expect in No. 19 Memphis’ non-conference finale versus Austin Peay

Memphis basketball has arguably endured a tougher non-conference slate than any other men’s program in America this season.

The Tigers began this gauntlet with a road win at Missouri in their second game of the season. They then traveled to Nassau, Bahamas for this year’s Battle 4 Atlantis, in which they finished 2-1 (wins over Michigan and Arkansas) and advanced to the tournament’s championship round against Villanova. After that, Memphis played three consecutive true road games—a loss at Ole Miss and two wins at VCU and Texas A&M. Arkansas and Texas A&M were both ranked in the AP Top 25 when Memphis beat them.

Penny Hardaway’s team—from the Battle 4 Atlantis to Texas A&M—played away from FedExForum for nearly a month. It returned on Dec. 16 and defeated No. 18 Clemson in a thriller. A few days later, the Tigers crushed Virginia (ranked No. 22 in the AP poll before tip-off). And finally, Memphis beat another talented SEC foe in Vanderbilt last Saturday.

Memphis (10-2) obviously garnered a significant pedigree with its start to 2023-24. The Tigers—ranked No. 19 in the AP Top 25—own seven wins against Quad 1 and 2 opponents, tied for most in the country with No. 1 Purdue, and five wins against top-70 KenPom teams. Bracketologists Jerry Palm (CBS) and Joe Lunardi (ESPN) both project Memphis as a No. 4 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament based off its current resume.

NCAA correspondent Andy Katz ranks the Tigers No. 8 in his latest Power 36 rankings. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein has them at No. 12 in his top 45. And Gary Parrish slots Memphis at No. 9 in the CBS Sports Top 25 and 1. The Tigers are also No. 38 in the NCAA NET rankings and No. 33 in KenPom as of Thursday evening.

Memphis not only survived what most called the most important stretch of its campaign. It thrived in the midst of adversity, and subsequently gained a fast track to heights the Tigers haven’t reached in nearly two decades. Anything is possible for the U of M if it simply takes care of business in American Athletic Conference play, which begins on Jan. 4 at Tulsa.

But before the Tigers can focus on that, they must fend off Austin Peay tonight (6 p.m., ESPN+). Hardaway and Co. are 20.5-point favorites.

Here’s what to expect in Memphis basketball’s non-conference finale.

Will Nae’Qwan Tomlin further expand his role?

Tomlin made a good first impression overall against Vanderbilt last Saturday, playing 15 minutes while stacking up 8 points and 3 rebounds. He even made a 3-pointer just four seconds after checking into the game in the first half.

Welcome to Ⓜ️emphis @Nae_Ratty!!!! pic.twitter.com/1WVWuSAZm5

— Memphis Basketball (@Memphis_MBB) December 23, 2023

“I think I played OK,” Tomlin said postgame. “[There’s] still more to improve on. I haven’t played in a while, but don’t wanna make that an excuse. I just gotta stay in the gym, get conditioning back up and keep working on my game so I can help the team win.”

The Kansas State transfer had a productive year in Jerome Tang’s program last season. He averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the Wildcats while shooting 50% from the field in 2022-23. The 23-year-old was also a key contributor in Kansas State’s run to the Elite Eight, averaging 12.5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in last season’s NCAA Tournament. A graduate transfer, Tomlin started all 36 games for the Wildcats last year.

The 6-foot-10 center presumably replaces Louisiana transfer Jordan Brown, who left Memphis basketball earlier this month. Brown (19.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last season) projected as the Tigers’ best big man this year, and Memphis now hopes for Tomlin to take Brown’s place as the season goes on. In fact, the chance to fill that void on a team of the Tigers’ caliber was largely why Tomlin picked Memphis. The former junior college star should get lots of opportunities to expand his role against Austin Peay if all goes well.

“I wanted to go a team that had a chance to go to the tournament,” Tomlin said. “I knew they needed a guy because [Brown] couldn’t come back.”

Can Jaykwon Walton end his shooting slump?

Walton has struggled mightily in his last seven games.

The Wichita State transfer has shot 24% from the field and 1-of-27 from 3-point range in that stretch. He’s also missed 17 consecutive perimeter shots throughout his last four outings. The 6-foot-7 wing scored 4 points in 21 minutes against Vanderbilt while making 2 of his 10 field goal attempts and going 0-of-6 from the 3-point line.

Walton’s now averaging 8.5 points and 4 rebounds per game on 35.3% shooting this season. He averaged 14 points while shooting 53.5% from the field and 40% from 3-point range last year.

Despite this, Hardaway highlighted the 22-year-old’s toughness and perseverance instead of his statistical hiccups after the Tigers’ win over Vanderbilt. Walton did spend most of last week in a walking boot, after all.

“I thought Jaykwon was probably at 80% today,” Hardaway said. “He was limping so badly yesterday. I don’t even know how he played. I don’t know what happened, [or] how he got out there…I know he was feeling that pain.”

What Austin Peay brings to the table

Austin Peay, headed by first-year coach Corey Gipson, is off to a 7-7 start this season. The Governors are No. 229 in the NET and No. 242 in KenPom. The 42-year-old Gipson headed Northwestern State last season after being an assistant at Missouri State from 2015-2022.

DeMarcus Sharp is Austin Peay’s headliner. The 6-foot-3 guard puts up 18 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5 assists per game thus far while shooting 42.7% from the field. Defensively, he’s averaging 2.5 steals and a block this season. The fourth-year senior transferred to the Governors after previous stints under Gipson at both Missouri State and Northwestern State. Sharp has scored at least 10 points in every game this year, racking up a season-high 33 points against Sacramento State on Nov. 22.

Hansel Enmanuel, a one-armed social media phenom, also followed Gipson to Austin Peay last off-season. The 6-foot-6 guard’s journey to Division I basketball caught the attention of millions while he was in high school, and even landed him a Gatorade endorsement. He also received an offer from Memphis and included the Tigers in his final four list before committing to Northwestern State last year. Enmanuel’s averaging 2.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season on a 72.7% shooting clip.

Other players to watch out for are 6-foot-4 guard Ja’Monta Black (12.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game), 6-foot-2 guard Dez White (9.4 points and 3 rebounds per game), 5-foot-10 guard Dezi Jones (9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game), 6-foot-8 forward Sai Witt (7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game) and 6-foot-6 forward Daniel Loos (3 points and 5 rebounds per game).

Austin Peay collectively scores 67 points per game while shooting 42.6% from the field and 34.5% from beyond the arc. The Governors also average 13 forced turnovers, including 8 steals per game, while limiting themselves to just 10 turnovers per contest. Gipson’s team is one of college basketball’s worst scoring units (No. 293 in offensive efficiency), but it does rank better defensively (No. 185 in defensive efficiency).