Why Penny Hardaway is proud of the adversity Memphis basketball faced against SMU

For the third time in four games, it came down to the final seconds.

And for the fourth time in four games, Penny Hardaway’s Tigers played what they feel is below their standard. But Sunday’s barnburner against SMU didn’t bring the same feeling of disappointment Memphis’ games against Vanderbilt, Austin Peay or Tulsa did.

No. The Tigers actually expressed pride in how Sunday’s 62-59 win over the Mustangs went. No. 15 Memphis (13-2) could’ve played better, sure. But it also knows SMU (10-5) is more than worthy of challenging the Tigers the way it did inside FedExForum.

Rob Lanier’s team, after all, was ranked No. 39 in the NCAA NET rankings—10 spots ahead of Memphis at No. 49—and No. 6 in defensive efficiency heading into the matinee. It also beat the likes of West Virginia and Florida State by double figures earlier this season.

“SMU is an NCAA [Tournament] team,” Hardaway said postgame. “I’m not saying SMU is Purdue. But at the end of the day, they’re a really good team that should be in the NCAA Tournament. I view them that way by looking at their roster. I watched a lot of games, and I watched them today.”

Memphis had no answers for SMU’s half-court defense in the first half, shooting just 10-of-24 from the field. The Tigers even had a stretch where they went more than six minutes without making a field goal, which was only broken by a goaltending call against the Mustangs with 6:08 left in the period.

SMU outrebounded Memphis 25-9 in the game’s first 20 minutes, including 12 offensive boards. Keon Ambrose-Hylton finished the period with 4 points and 3 offensive rebounds. Ja’Heim Hudson also grabbed 3 offensive rebounds to go with his 3 first half points. Both Jalen and Tyreek Smith secured the ball twice on the offensive glass.

The Mustangs led by as much as 15 with 5:04 remaining until halftime, but Jayhlon Young’s intense play gave Memphis a small spark in the first half’s waning moments. The 6-foot-2 guard first made a fastbreak layup off a Nick Jourdain steal. He then assisted Jaykwon Walton for the latter’s first 3-pointer of the game. And Young concluded the 7-0 run by converting another bucket at the rim, cutting SMU’s lead to 30-22 with 1:45 left until the break.

“Jayhlon really deserves more minutes,” Hardaway said. “I gotta find a way to get Jayhlon back out on the court more. When he and [Jahvon Quinerly] are out there [together], they’re actually playing really well. That’s all on me. He definitely deserves more minutes. He makes winning plays when he’s out there.”

That’s as close as Memphis would get before halftime, however, as the Mustangs then closed the half on a 6-2 run and claimed a 36-24 advantage at the break.

The Tigers opened the second half on a 10-2 run to cut SMU’s 12-point intermission lead to just four at the 16:34 mark.

They then went on another 7-3 run to tie the game at 41-41 with 13:19 left. Finally, through all the missed free throws and empty offensive possessions, Memphis took its first lead of the game at 49-46 after David Jones nailed a mid-range jumper despite being fouled, plus a made free throw.

SMU later worked its way back to a tied game with 2:01 to go, the two teams having scored 58 apiece. Both schools then reached a complete standstill, with neither giving an inch defensively. Memphis kept chunking up 3-pointer after 3-pointer, while the Mustangs continuously missed opportunity after opportunity—whether it be missed free throws, jumpers clanking to the floor or layups being rejected at the rim.

The Tigers tied up the Mustangs on a blocked shot with 12 seconds to go, and the possession arrow just so happened to go their way. So Memphis had its chance to take the final shot of regulation.

Jahvon Quinerly, however, saw his chance to enact déjà vu. Just like he did Thursday at Tulsa, Quinerly sized his defender up, stepped back and drained a game-winning 3-pointer with three ticks left on the clock. And like Tulsa, SMU could not answer.

“I think I saw something that they were ranked higher than us in the NET…We kinda knew that it was gonna be a dog fight,” Quinerly said. “I was surprised actually that they didn’t deny me the ball that play with like 12 seconds left. They didn’t even bother denying me the ball.”

Hardaway blasted the Tigers after their last home game against Austin Peay on Dec. 30. He heavily criticized his team’s effort, and even claimed it played with a lack of interest. He also said Memphis has a problem with underestimating its competition.

His postgame message on Sunday, however, was a little different.

“These types of wins are more special to me because nothing was perfect about it and you still find a way to win against a really good SMU team,” Hardaway said. “I knew what kind of game it was gonna be. They’ve always played us tough, no matter what game—when [Kendric Davis] was there or whatever. So I didn’t expect anything less from them. I’m a little disappointed in some areas with us, but the second half we played was phenomenal.”

The sixth-year coach’s pride goes beyond Sunday’s 40 minutes on the court, though. It extends to his team’s ability to respond to Caleb Mills’ season-ending injury he suffered Thursday, and the Tigers’ ability to consistently win whilst still getting better— or even their ability to consistently win whilst still getting to know each other. Memphis won for the eighth straight time Sunday, even with the struggles it’s had since Dec. 23.

The reality is the Tigers may not find their best form for a while. On top of going through the traditional ebbs and flows of the season, or still gelling together like Memphis is right now, Hardaway’s team is tasked with storming through an extremely motivated league in the AAC. The U of M is the marquee game for nearly every remaining team on its regular season schedule.

It likely won’t get an off night from its opponents, or the luxury of cruising past a lower-level team whilst giving minimal effort. SMU is one of those hungry programs looking to ruin Memphis’ hopes and dreams this year, and the Tigers still trounced the Mustangs despite the latter throwing the kitchen sink towards the former. These reasons, among others, are why Hardaway claims he’s elated about Sunday’s game.

“We never said it was gonna be easy. The rest of the nation thinks it’s gonna be easy in this conference. I have so much respect for every team,” Hardaway said. “Every game is a high-major game because these kids are capable, man. They read all the clippings about us and FAU. They see the nation talk about that they’re not good…[The AAC] is more than a two-bid league. I’ll always say that. I’m not just saying it…The adversity is OK. You can learn from it, and thank God we’re learning from it while we’re winning.”

Memphis gets another AAC home game later this week when it hosts UTSA Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+).