Where Memphis basketball sits in AP Top 25 after narrow ECU win

Memphis basketball is in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 for the third consecutive week.

The Tigers (13-3, 3-0 AAC) are up to No. 18 in Monday’s updated poll after being No. 19 a week ago. This is Memphis’ best ranking since losing to Arkansas State as the No. 16 team last month.

Penny Hardaway’s club comes off a sluggish outing against East Carolina on Saturday. The Tigers beat the Pirates 74-70 at FedExForum despite blowing an 18-point lead and getting outscored 46-36 in the second half—where they also committed 10 turnovers (16 for the game) and allowed two 7-0 runs in the first seven minutes. ECU additionally took the rebounding battle 40-36.

Stellar performances from guards PJ Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter ultimately prevented Memphis from suffering a Quad 4 loss. Haggerty recorded a game-high 25 points, 4 rebounds and a steal while shooting 43.7% from the field and 10-of-10 at the free-throw line. The 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore scored 19 in the second half alone, and closed the game with 4 foul shots in the final 61 seconds.

Hunter, meanwhile, totaled 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a block. But he also shot 4-for-13 overall and gave up 4 turnovers. The 6-foot senior expressed frustration with both himself and his teammates to reporters postgame.

“[We keep] falling back into that hole of letting up [and] getting comfortable coming out in the second half. We just gotta keep putting our foot on, and not letting up,” he said. “I think it’s frustrating for us as players, because we know what that can lead to. Whether it’s them coming back, tying the game, we gotta fight extra hard throughout the whole game.”

Hardaway also acknowledges that Memphis’ showing vs. the Pirates wasn’t good enough.

Besides Thursday’s visit to Temple (6 p.m., ESPN2), the Tigers’ last 15 regular-season games are all against Quad 3 and 4 opponents. Too many hiccups in this stretch can severely damage Memphis’ strong NCAA Tournament resume—nine Quad 1 and 2 wins—or even negate it altogether.

Hardaway knows this better than most, since last year’s Tigers missed the Big Dance with four Quad 3 and 4 defeats in American Athletic Conference (AAC) play. That’s why he says Memphis must be on high-alert moving forward.

“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. “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.”

Advanced metrics weren’t impressed by Memphis’ rugged victory. The Tigers dropped to No. 33 in KenPom, No. 36 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) and No. 41 in Bart Torvik. They were 28th, 32nd and 37th in the respective computers before Saturday’s tipoff.

Other human polls are much kinder to Memphis, though. CBS Sports personality and Grind City Media host Gary Parrish has the Tigers at No. 15 in his Top 25 and 1. Field of 68 host Jeff Goodman currently ranks them No. 11.