Memphis basketball is on the road for the second time in American Athletic Conference (AAC) play.
The No. 18 Tigers (13-3, 3-0 AAC) visit Temple (10-6, 2-1 AAC) at the Liacourus Center in Philadelphia on Thursday (6 p.m., ESPN2).
The Owls—currently No. 124 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET)—represent Memphis’ last projected Quad 2 opportunity in the regular season. The Tigers’ other remaining AAC games are in Quads 3 and 4, so Thursday is probably their last real chance to boost their NCAA Tournament resume—nine combined Quad 1 and 2 wins—before March’s conference tournament.
Memphis’ reputation won’t take a big hit if it unexpectedly falls at Temple. But coach Penny Hardaway still wants the Tigers on high-alert moving forward, especially after last Saturday’s affair with East Carolina almost became a Quad 4 loss.
“I just know how hard it is to win. And when you’re expected to win, it’s even harder, especially with a brand new team. Even though we’ve beaten some really good teams this year, teams in our conference are just gonna play above and beyond. And we gotta know that,” he said postgame. “But I do worry, because you’re supposed to win every game. They’re putting us as the favorite. As a coach, that’s a ton of pressure. But that’s what you want, because you’re labeled the big dog of the conference.”
Here’s what to expect when the Tigers take on Adam Fisher’s club.
Nick Jourdain returns to Temple
Jourdain grew up in Clifton, New Jersey—approximately one hour and 35 minutes from Philadelphia—and began his college basketball career at Temple.
The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 5.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks over three campaigns with the Owls before transferring to Memphis last season. He recorded 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and a block on 55% shooting during his first return to Temple last February, which the Tigers won 84-77.
Jourdain totaled 6 or less points and 2 or more turnovers in each of his last three games, but perhaps another matchup with his old crew can help him return to form.
Hardaway wants Memphis to press more
Hardaway knows full-court pressure is Memphis’ best defensive asset.
It caused the majority of East Carolina’s 18 turnovers last weekend. It also helped the Tigers generate 16 giveaways against North Texas earlier this month.
Memphis can’t lean on its press as often as Hardaway wants to, though, since its short rotation can’t sustain that aggression for long. PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers—Memphis’ top-3 scorers—all play at least 31.4 minutes per game. Haggerty (22.4 points per contest) averages 36.3 minutes, which is the eighth-most in Division I.
The Tigers rank No. 359 in bench minutes, according to KenPom, and give just six players—Haggerty, Hunter, Rogers, Jourdain, Dain Dainja and Moussa Cisse—at least 18.8 minutes per game. Hardaway aims to expand his arsenal and subsequently apply more defensive pressure in future outings.
“When you’re playing PJ, Tyrese and Colby 36-37 minutes, it’s tough. But if they were playing around 29-30, you could do it for the majority of the game—at least 50% of the game—because teams can’t handle the pressure,” Hardaway said during his weekly radio show Monday. “Right now, it’s probably 30% of the game. We want to get it to 50 and—hopefully by March—60.”
Memphis took some steps in the right direction against ECU. Haggerty and Hunter still played 35 and 31 minutes respectively, but Rogers trimmed down to 20 (albeit with 5 personal fouls). Midseason transfer Dante Harris logged 21, and PJ Carter was in for 14.
What Temple brings to the table
Temple is on track to improve in Fisher’s second season after finishing 16-20 a year ago.
But the Owls (0-3 in Quad 2) are still one of many AAC teams lacking a quality win. They’re currently No. 121 in KenPom and No. 138 in Bart Torvik. KenPom also slots Temple at No. 141 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 135 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
New Mexico transfer Jamal Mashburn Jr. is the nation’s No. 10 scorer. The 6-foot-2 guard averages 20.7 points while shooting 43.1% overall and 44.4% on 3-pointers. Mashburn has notched 20 or more points 11 times, and hasn’t scored less than 12 in a game this year.
Howard transfer Steve Settle III is in his second campaign with Temple. The 6-foot-10 forward puts up 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest while shooting 44.8% on field goals and 39.3% from 3-point range. Settle has compiled three double-doubles this season.
Quante Berry does a little bit of everything for Temple—especially in recent outings. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a steal in AAC play so far. Berry has also scored double-digit points in four consecutive games.
Other players to watch for are 6-foot-6 guard Zion Stanford (10.7 points and 3.5 rebounds), 6-foot-8 forward Elijah Gray (8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds) and 6-foot-4 guard Shane Dezonie (7.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals).
The Prediction
Memphis takes care of business in Philadelphia.
The Tigers will surely get the Owls’ best shot, but Thursday’s white-out won’t be enough for the latter to score an upset.
Expect Hardaway’s team to add another Quad 2 victory.