2019-20 Happenings around the AAC

[WuShock Reaper]

Five teams who missed the NCAA Tournament last season but could make a March Madness run in 2020 - CBS Sports

by Matt Ward
Posted: 1:00pm cst

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/five-teams-who-missed-the-ncaa-tournament-last-season-but-could-make-a-march-madness-run-in-2020/

"Here are the teams who could be make some noise in the Big Dance after missing out last season....

Which teams will fit that mold come March 2020 and which teams are capable of not only making the tournament after missing it last year, but making a run all the way to the Final Four in Atlanta? In the past nine years, we have seen five teams make the Final Four after missing the NCAA Tournament the year prior -- VCU (2011), UConn (2014), Syracuse (2016), South Carolina (2017), and Loyola-Chicago (2018). Of those teams, UConn is the only one to make it the championship game, which it ultimately won.

1. Xavier Musketeers...
2. Memphis Tigers
If we learned anything about Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway this offseason, it's that he can flat out recruit. Hardaway is bringing in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, according to 247 Sports. The Tigers finished last season with a 22-14 record overall, and went 11-7 in the American Athletic Conference. The marquee win escaped them, however, and following a strong run to the conference tournament semifinals, the Tigers earned an NIT bid, ultimately losing to Creighton in the second round.

Hardaway will welcome seven in the incoming class, which includes top-ranked James Wiseman, as well as Precious Achiuwa, Boogie Ellis, DJ Jeffries, Lester Quinones, Malcolm Dandridge and Damion Baugh. It is likely that Wiseman, Achiuwa, and Jeffries will be quickly implemented into the starting lineup, with Ellis and Baugh right there competing for starting roles. Baugh had a terrific international trip for the Tigers, and will see significant minutes as a freshman. The Tigers lose their top two scorers from last season in Jeremiah Martin and Kyvon Davenport, but will return sophomore guard Tyler Harris, who led the team, while setting a school freshman record with 79 3-pointers. Harris is the only returning player who was in the top-five in scoring for the Tigers last season.

Beyond the influx of talent, Memphis will have early opportunities to see exactly how they stack up on the national stage. The Tigers will host a much improved Georgia team, who will also have a top-10 recruiting class led by Tom Crean, while playing Tennessee, Ole Miss, Oregon and NC State as well.

Memphis is different than any other team on this list. The Tigers won't be relying on experience, because the fact is they have very little. We are used to seeing John Calipari and Mike Krzyzewski in this situation, but not Memphis. The same question remains: how quickly will the Tigers learn to play together? The Tigers will have challenging games in the non-conference, which is critical, and they will need to win a couple of those games. The AAC will also offer its share of challenges with the likes of Cincinnati, Houston, Wichita State and UConn, but wins in November and December matter, especially for young teams.

Memphis has multiple NBA-level guys in this class, especially in the frontcourt. We saw last season that it can be difficult to win with freshmen in March, but we've also seen Kentucky in 2012 and Duke in 2015 go out and win it all. If I need to pick one team on this list to make it to Atlanta, it's simple: that team is Memphis. It is one of the most talented teams in the country.

3. NC State Wolfpack...
4. Providence Friars...
5. Harvard Crimson..."

[WuShock Reaper]

NCAA Basketball Recruiting: 5 most financially efficient programs - FanSided SPorts

by Brian Rauf
Posted: 09/13/19, 6:00am cst

https://bustingbrackets.com/2019/09/13/ncaa-basketball-recruiting-5-financially-efficient-programs/

"Schools can spend big money on the NCAA basketball recruiting trail in an effort to bring in better recruits, but some are more efficient with their spending than others.

NCAA basketball recruiting is often thought to be a numbers game. If you want to land coveted recruits, especially the highest-rated ones, you’re going to have to cast a wide net because more are bound to say no than yes.

It’s become very common for schools to invest large sums annually to cast that wide net. Kentucky famously spends hundreds of thousands of dollars so that John Calipari to fly around the country in a private jet and see as many prospects as possible – and to see them multiple times. But there’s a financial reason for this, too. A program won’t make money if it doesn’t win (and often win big), and a program won’t win if it doesn’t have good players, hence the willingness for programs to spend like they do.

This is a strategy that has worked for Calipari and UK. They have yet to bring in a recruiting class that ranked outside the top two in the 247sports Composite Rankings since he took over, which has paid dividends on the basketball court in the form of seven Elite Eight appearances, four Final Fours, and a national championship over the past decade. Kentucky’s success has also seen an actual return on their recruiting investment. They are the second most valuable program in the country, according to Forbes, and are among the nation’s top three programs in annual revenue.

However – and you’ve probably picked up on this by now – not every school spends at the same Kentucky does, and some still find a way to bring in quality recruiting classes. Which programs have been the most efficient with their spending on the recruiting trail? Here are the top five: *Spending amounts come via NCAA Financial Reports from the 2018 fiscal year, obtained by Stadium. Recruiting class rankings are based on the 2019 247sports Composite.*

5) Washington Huskies, Spending: $216,323 - 2019 Recruiting Ranking: 11th...
4) Oregon Ducks, Spending: $286,799 - 2019 Recruiting Ranking: 4th...
3) Arizona Wildcats, Spending: $228,087 - 2019 Recruiting Ranking: 6th...
2) North Carolina Tar Heels, Spending: $159,501 - 2019 Recruiting Ranking: 9th...
1) Memphis Tigers, Spending: $144,084 - 2019 Recruiting Ranking: 1st
Memphis is a program that has the ability to recruit with the big boys and has been able to in the past on a consistent basis. However, down years under Josh Pastner and Tubby Smith hurt the Tigers both on the court and on the bottom line to the point where they had been recruiting like your typical American Athletic program. Then they hired Penny Hardaway, who did everything Memphis could’ve ever wanted him to on the recruiting trail. Despite spending roughly half of what Oregon did, Hardaway landed the country’s top recruiting class – and it has a heavy Memphis flavor.

Three of the seven commitments are from the city, including James Wiseman, the nation’s top overall prospect. Even more of an advantage for Hardaway – and Memphis’ budget – was the fact that Hardaway coached Wiseman and Damion Baugh in high school. The hiring of an NBA legend like Hardaway also gave the Tigers the kind of buzz that made them the “hot” school among prospects in the 2019 class. Many considered the Tigers and that opened the door for Hardaway to do his work.

Efforts from players who had already committed to Memphis helped, too, and that is something that continued to build on itself. Wiseman played a major role in five-star forward Precious Achiuwa’s decision to join the Tigers. Boogie Ellis credited Wiseman, DJ Jeffries, and Lester Quinones with getting him to Memphis, too. All that added up to exactly $0 in Memphis’ recruiting budget.

Of course, all the excitement and energy Hardaway has helped put back into the program will surely help him out down the road. Memphis is expected to see one of the biggest leaps (if not the biggest leap) in revenue in the country, and some of that will surely be reallocated to increasing the recruiting budget.

But, for now, Memphis is the most financially efficient program when it comes to recruiting success."

[WuShock Reaper]

50 days from opening night of college basketball: 50 things to get you ready for the 2019-20 season - CBS Sports

by Matt Norlander
posted: 09/16/19, 11:00am cst

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/50-days-from-opening-night-of-college-basketball-50-things-to-get-you-ready-for-the-2019-20-season/

"Matt Norlander provides a hearty info-drop on a lot of the big-picture items to know heading into 2019-20

It's Monday, Sept. 16, which marks 50 days until we get to Tuesday, Nov. 5, the start of the 2019-20 college basketball season. I'm loving the impending fall and the beginning of football season, just as you may be, but the itch for college hoops is unavoidable at this point. Rosters have been largely finalized and almost every schedule has as well. Practices will officially be allowed to start in less than two weeks. We are ramping up.

So let's give you a taste and forecast of what the forthcoming campaign could or should bring. With 50 days to go, here are 50 facts, questions, predictions, nuggets, you name it -- just a cauldron of college hoops particulars to help hold you over and get you ready for the season....

47. If you want a general head start on what names you should know heading into 2019-20, here's an introductory list of some guys to generally be aware of in advance of November:
Jarron Cumberland, senior, Cincinnati
James Wiseman, freshman, Memphis

43. Something that's dissipated from college basketball's consciousness for now but will be interesting to follow in the coming months: does the American Athletic Conference opt to replace UConn with any program, or will it stick with its reduction of 11 programs once UConn leaves in the summer? I think it's the latter, though I've been told that a school like VCU for hoops would obviously greatly entice the American.

42. Shoutout to new Cincinnati coach John Brannen, who's yet to win a game but has already logged a huge victory for the Bearcat fanbase: he's bringing back UC's Midnight Madness. As in: actually at midnight. That is terrific, and more programs should seek to do it. Hold a free, fun event at midnight on a weekend, and you know college students will show up.

41. Will any coach have more attention on him in 2019-20 than Penny Hardaway? Probably not. The Memphis Tigers bring in the No. 1 recruiting class and will have a schedule that begs Memphis to win 24 games, minimum, before postseason play. But something tells me it's not going to be so easy. Somehow, we'll try to work in Tigers talk on the Eye on College Basketball Podcast.

29. Speaking of the NET, a little birdie told me that the first version of the rankings will be released in mid-December, as opposed to right around the time of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Last year's debut version brought on flammable (and regrettable) criticism. This year, the first rankings figure to make more sense, as they'll have hundreds more games worth of data.

27. One team I like to triple its win total from a season ago: Tulane. Former Georgia State coach Ron Hunter is now in charge of the Green Wave. No, this won't be an NCAA Tournament team, but expect positive dividends. The team only won four games last season. Twelve dubs or bust!

22. New coaches at new spots who will make the 2020 NCAA Tournament: John Brannen (Cincinnati), ...

17. I want to highlight some high-level nonconference tilts to be aware of (aside from the aforementioned Champions Classic) in November and December. Keep in mind there will be even more top-25 matchups that materialize in bracket play in exempt events. We just don't know how or if which ones will happen. All the games below feature at least one team in the current CBS Sports Top 25 and 1, and many feature two:
Nov. 12: Memphis vs. Oregon (Phil Knight Invitational)
Dec. 7: Cincinnati at Xavier
Dec. 14: Memphis at Tennessee
Dec. 21: VCU at Wichita State

12. Might as well take some shots at what teams are going to win the Major 7 conferences. We'll start with the American: I'll fade the presumptive pick, Memphis, and go with Cincinnati behind potential All-American Jarron Cumberland. More people are going to realize how good of a coach John Brannen is as well.

4. There are 13 teams that have made the NCAA Tournament the past four seasons. I expect at least 11 of the 13 to get back again in 2020 and really, all 13 making it wouldn't be a stunner: Cincinnati,...

1. We are 180 days -- so almost a half-year -- away from Selection Sunday. There is so much we'll learn, be shocked by, be celebratory of, be appalled at, be duped with between now and then. All too many people reduce college basketball by saying that March is the only month that matters in the sport. No. No, no, no. It's the month that matters most, but its regular season is pretty great and has gotten even better in the past half-decade. The games listed above prove that. We've just, as a sports-watching society, put less and less emphasis on regular-season play outside of the sport of football, which necessitates and urgency due to game tonnage. College basketball's regular season has strengthened in the past 10 years. We'll again find this to be true 50 days from now -- and in that four months that follow after we tip off."

[WuShock Reaper]

50 Days Until Tip-off: 50 Reasons to be Excited about Cincinnati Basketball - SB Nation
.
By Mike Schneid
Sep 17, 2019, 7:35am EDT

https://www.downthedrive.com/2019/9/17/20869303/50-days-until-tip-off-50-reasons-to-be-excited-about-cincinnati-basketball

"Bearcats open the 2019-20 season at Ohio State on November 6th

50 days from today, the Cincinnati Bearcats face Ohio State in basketball Here are 50 reasons to be excited for the new college basketball season.

Coaching transition
1. Mick Cronin is gone.
2. Slow, boring offense is gone.
3. Lame excuses for why Cincinnati lost is gone....

Schedule
13. Chance to beat Memphis for the 7th straight time and 11th time in 13 chances. Tigers have Final Four aspirations and will be ranked pre-season top 15.
14. Final games vs UConn, who has been a fun rivalry for Cincinnati. Huskies will depart for Big East in 2020. Cincinnati has won 7 straight and 9 of 10....
17. Avenging last year’s regular season sweep from Houston.
19. Maintaining last year’s dominance over Wichita State (3-0 in 2018-19 and 4 wins in a row).

Returning players
20. Return of 2019 AAC Player of the Year Jarron Cumberland.
21. Cumberland averaged 18.8 ppg in 2018-19.
22. He is 637 points away from becoming the third ever player at UC to score 2,000 career points (Oscar and Kilpatrick)....

New players
30. The arrival of Jarron’s cousin, Jaevin
31. Jaevin averaged 17 ppg at Oakland last season, playing 37 minutes per game.
32. Jaevin’s arrival should help push Jarron even more, gives him a legit second scoring option and obviously ensures he will be fully engaged and happy during his senior season....

Rings Season
39. Cincinnati is looking for their third consecutive AAC Tournament Championship
40. And second regular season championship in 3 years....

Miscellaneous
47. Would ESPN’s College Gameday come to campus to check out the Bearcats newly renovated arena and see Cincinnati face a top 10-15 team like Memphis?...
50. The departure of Mick Cronin."

[WuShock Reaper]

American 2019-20 Preview - Three Man Weave

by: Jim Root
posted: September 18, 2019

https://www.three-man-weave.com/3mw/...n-preview-2020

Tier 1
1. Memphis
2. Houston
3. Cincinnati

Tier 2
4. Wichita State
Outlook: It took a while, but the Gregg Marshall Effect finally took hold down the stretch last year. After the young and brand new Shockers (346th nationally in minutes continuity) opened the year 8-11, 1-6 in the American, they closed the regular season on a tear, winning 9 of their final 11 games. They also picked up two wins at the AAC Tournament and three impressive road wins in the NIT (at Furman, Clemson, and Indiana) before finally falling to Lipscomb at Madison Square Garden. During that second-half run, they more than halved their KenPom ranking (142nd to 66th) and the promising freshman guards started to blossom, giving rise to some optimism in 2019-20 despite the graduations of Markis McDuffie and Samajae Haynes-Jones.

The run was sparked on the defensive end, where Marshall’s physical man-to-man made it difficult to find quality shots. He mixed in more zone than normal (still only 8.6% of the time, though), but the key for the Shockers was their ability to switch 1 through 4 without creating obvious mismatches. McDuffie’s graduation robs them of a hyper-versatile forward, but JUCO transfer Trey Wade should help approximate his impact defensively. Marshall has made it fairly clear that the South Plains (and UTEP) product will slide into McDuff’s spot (from the program website):

“Having watched Trey all year long, we feel like he is as good as we can get at replacing the productivity of a Markis McDuffie. No one can walk in the door and be McDuffie – we don’t expect Trey to do that – but he’s got the mind, the athleticism, the strength and the skills to come in and impact our program as a forward and hopefully take us to another level.”

He'll allow the Shockers to continue switching liberally, and the three-headed sophomore back court of Jamarius Burton, Dexter Dennis, and Erik Stevenson has plenty of length and tenacity to execute that scheme, as well. One area Wade and the team’s other forwards (sophomore Rod Brown, freshman athletic dynamo DeAntoni Gordon) can improve the defense is on the glass. Marshall’s teams have ranked in the top 10 nationally in defensive rebound rate every year but two – 2015, when they ranked 37th, and last year, when they tumbled to 113th. For all of McDuffie’s strengths, he was not a ferocious rebounder, and Wade should help alleviate that issue. The team’s international center combo, Jaime Echenique (Colombia) and Asbjorn Midtgaard (Denmark), were given far too large a burden on the boards.

Playing “Grandpa” Burton at point guard (seriously, that’s his nickname) with Stevenson and Dennis on the wing should be a boost to the defense, as well. It’s a relatively small sample, but when Burton ran the team (Haynes-Jones and Ricky Torres on the bench), his large frame clearly had an impact:

This year’s team will have three more freshmen guards, but the sophomore trifecta should be the go-to lineup to get a stop.

Of those newcomers, Tyson Etienne seems a lock to earn immediate minutes given his scoring prowess and athleticism, with Grant Sherfield (shooting) and Noah Fernandes (floor general) each providing something different as a possible fifth guard in the rotation. Per 247sports, Etienne is the second-best recruit in the program’s history (shouts to Sean Ogirri) and Sherfield is fourth, so the future continues to look bright at the Roundhouse.

Another reason the Shockers took a while to get going last year: Marshall’s complicated motion offense. It takes reps to learn, another reason he’ll likely lean on the sophomores in the backcourt (especially early on), and he eventually let the offense grow more pick-and-roll heavy as it became clear the Shockers were struggling to score. Expect more off-ball cutting and screening next year, as well as Echenique, Midtgaard, and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler on the offensive glass, as all have the size to wreak havoc.

Bottom Line: Marshall once again has a talented roster in Wichita, and while it’s probably a year or two away from its peak, I’m not interested in betting against him. He’ll be a thorn in the side of the title contenders in Tier 1, and if he can coax more offense out of this group via the freshmen and some improved outside shooting, the Shockers could have an even rosier outlook. I think they’ll flirt with an NCAA bid in a deeper American, lurking in bubble land as March rolls around, and once again hitting their stride late as the youngsters gain even more experience.

5. South Florida
6. Temple
7. UConn
8. SMU

Tier 3
9. UCF
10. Tulsa

Tier 4
11. Tulane
12. East Carolina..."

[B1ShockFan]

"Did his homework" Rod Brown sophomore forward?????

[TheShocktocles]

This guy did his homework.

[Shockm]

American 2019-20 Preview - Three Man Weave

by: Jim Root
posted: September 18, 2019

https://www.three-man-weave.com/3mw/...n-preview-2020

Tier 1
1. Memphis
2. Houston
3. Cincinnati

Tier 2
4. Wichita State
Outlook: It took a while, but the Gregg Marshall Effect finally took hold down the stretch last year. After the young and brand new Shockers (346th nationally in minutes continuity) opened the year 8-11, 1-6 in the American, they closed the regular season on a tear, winning 9 of their final 11 games. They also picked up two wins at the AAC Tournament and three impressive road wins in the NIT (at Furman, Clemson, and Indiana) before finally falling to Lipscomb at Madison Square Garden. During that second-half run, they more than halved their KenPom ranking (142nd to 66th) and the promising freshman guards started to blossom, giving rise to some optimism in 2019-20 despite the graduations of Markis McDuffie and Samajae Haynes-Jones.

The run was sparked on the defensive end, where Marshall’s physical man-to-man made it difficult to find quality shots. He mixed in more zone than normal (still only 8.6% of the time, though), but the key for the Shockers was their ability to switch 1 through 4 without creating obvious mismatches. McDuffie’s graduation robs them of a hyper-versatile forward, but JUCO transfer Trey Wade should help approximate his impact defensively. Marshall has made it fairly clear that the South Plains (and UTEP) product will slide into McDuff’s spot (from the program website):

“Having watched Trey all year long, we feel like he is as good as we can get at replacing the productivity of a Markis McDuffie. No one can walk in the door and be McDuffie – we don’t expect Trey to do that – but he’s got the mind, the athleticism, the strength and the skills to come in and impact our program as a forward and hopefully take us to another level.”

He'll allow the Shockers to continue switching liberally, and the three-headed sophomore back court of Jamarius Burton, Dexter Dennis, and Erik Stevenson has plenty of length and tenacity to execute that scheme, as well. One area Wade and the team’s other forwards (sophomore Rod Brown, freshman athletic dynamo DeAntoni Gordon) can improve the defense is on the glass. Marshall’s teams have ranked in the top 10 nationally in defensive rebound rate every year but two – 2015, when they ranked 37th, and last year, when they tumbled to 113th. For all of McDuffie’s strengths, he was not a ferocious rebounder, and Wade should help alleviate that issue. The team’s international center combo, Jaime Echenique (Colombia) and Asbjorn Midtgaard (Denmark), were given far too large a burden on the boards.

Playing “Grandpa” Burton at point guard (seriously, that’s his nickname) with Stevenson and Dennis on the wing should be a boost to the defense, as well. It’s a relatively small sample, but when Burton ran the team (Haynes-Jones and Ricky Torres on the bench), his large frame clearly had an impact:

This year’s team will have three more freshmen guards, but the sophomore trifecta should be the go-to lineup to get a stop.

Of those newcomers, Tyson Etienne seems a lock to earn immediate minutes given his scoring prowess and athleticism, with Grant Sherfield (shooting) and Noah Fernandes (floor general) each providing something different as a possible fifth guard in the rotation. Per 247sports, Etienne is the second-best recruit in the program’s history (shouts to Sean Ogirri) and Sherfield is fourth, so the future continues to look bright at the Roundhouse.

Another reason the Shockers took a while to get going last year: Marshall’s complicated motion offense. It takes reps to learn, another reason he’ll likely lean on the sophomores in the backcourt (especially early on), and he eventually let the offense grow more pick-and-roll heavy as it became clear the Shockers were struggling to score. Expect more off-ball cutting and screening next year, as well as Echenique, Midtgaard, and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler on the offensive glass, as all have the size to wreak havoc.

Bottom Line: Marshall once again has a talented roster in Wichita, and while it’s probably a year or two away from its peak, I’m not interested in betting against him. He’ll be a thorn in the side of the title contenders in Tier 1, and if he can coax more offense out of this group via the freshmen and some improved outside shooting, the Shockers could have an even rosier outlook. I think they’ll flirt with an NCAA bid in a deeper American, lurking in bubble land as March rolls around, and once again hitting their stride late as the youngsters gain even more experience.

5. South Florida
6. Temple
7. UConn
8. SMU

Tier 3
9. UCF
10. Tulsa

Tier 4
11. Tulane
12. East Carolina..."

This guy did some pretty good research. Nice job

[Shocktoberfest]

This guy did some pretty good research. Nice job

Rod Brown? But yes, other than that, I agree.

[im4wsu]

I must have missed this quote regarding Trey “Having watched Trey all year long, we feel like he is as good as we can get at replacing the productivity of a Markis McDuffie. No one can walk in the door and be McDuffie – we don’t expect Trey to do that – but he’s got the mind, the athleticism, the strength and the skills to come in and impact our program as a forward and hopefully take us to another level.” Where did this come from?

[TheShocktocles]

Rod Brown? But yes, other than that, I agree.

Yeap I agree. Other than the Rod Brown name being inserted for the sophomore forward position, it was a good evaluation. In my opinion I would have given him a perfect score of 100 if he had inserted IPBC or big MO for that forward position. Go Shocks.

[TheShocktocles]

I must have missed this quote regarding Trey “Having watched Trey all year long, we feel like he is as good as we can get at replacing the productivity of a Markis McDuffie. No one can walk in the door and be McDuffie – we don’t expect Trey to do that – but he’s got the mind, the athleticism, the strength and the skills to come in and impact our program as a forward and hopefully take us to another level.” Where did this come from?

I beleive Coach said this about Tre in the article on goshockers.com on 4-19-19. It was in the story where they talked about his comittment to the shocks.

[im4wsu]

I beleive Coach said this about Tre in the article on goshockers.com on 4-19-19. It was in the story where they talked about his comittment to the shocks.

Thanks. So maybe a far cry from "making it clear that...Trey...would fall into starting lineup." Hopefully summer workouts will fortify that springtime hope!

[Shockm]

A Coach is never for sure about a recruit until they get here. However, all of the feedback I’ve heard regarding Wade was that he was mentally tough, physically tough, very athletic, mature, and he had good character. He checked off all of the boxes as a high level juco recruit that could have gone to Florida or other big time programs. What’s not to like.

[wufan]

Thanks. So maybe a far cry from "making it clear that...Trey...would fall into starting lineup." Hopefully summer workouts will fortify that springtime hope!

https://goshockers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4221

[im4wsu]

https://goshockers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4221

Thanks. But a recent article saying 3G made it "fairly clear" that he'd be starting in place of McDuffie is a far cry from 3G talking about a recruit before having him in practice being "fairly clear" that he'd be starting in place of McDuffie. Certainly that was his hope and intention when recruiting Trey, and I absolutle hope that it turns out to be the case, but the referenced quote is from a different time and situation.

[WuShock Reaper]

Memphis Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Tigers - FanSided Sports

by: Lukas Harkins
posted: 09/22/19, 3:00pm cst

https://bustingbrackets.com/2019/09/22/memphis-basketball-2019-20-season-preview-tigers/

"Memphis basketball is facing high expectations this season. How will Penny Hardaway’s core of sensational freshmen attempt to live up to the hype?

Memphis basketball looks poised for a major resurgence during this coming season. Even though the Tigers have been quite solid over the last few years, they have not been as nationally prevalent as they had been in the past. Head coach Penny Hardaway, who is entering his second full season with the program, is looking to change that very quickly. There is a tremendous buzz surrounding the Tigers right now and that is due to their elite-level recruiting. Coach Hardaway is bringing in the No. 1 overall recruiting class in the country for this year. With seven commits all ranked in the top-115, including the best player in the class, it is easy to see why fans and experts are so excited about this team. While Memphis is bound to be quite young and inexperienced as a result of this huge class, the team will also be among the most talented in the nation....

Projected Starting Lineup
Damion Baugh | G | 6-foot-3 | 180 lbs | Freshman...
Boogie Ellis | G | 6-foot-3 | 165 lbs | Freshman...
DJ Jeffries | F | 6-foot-7 | 225 lbs | Freshman...
Precious Achiuwa | F | 6-foot-9 | 225 lbs | Freshman...
James Wiseman | C | 7-foot-1 | 240 lbs | Freshman...

Key Reserves
Tyler Harris | G | 5-foot-9 | 150 lbs | Sophomore...
Alex Lomax | G | 6-foot-0 | 190 lbs | Sophomore...
Isaiah Maurice | F | 6-foot-10 | 224 lbs | Senior...
Malcolm Dandridge | F | 6-foot-9 | 250 lbs | Freshman
Lance Thomas | F | 6-foot-9 | 224 lbs | Sophomore...

Schedule Breakdown
Memphis’ non-conference schedule is not the most difficult in the country but there are definitely some challenging games. There are some “cupcakes”, but it is important to mention that this team might need some time to gel this season. They can use some lower-level games to gain that fluidity and trust. Of course, the Tigers have already competed together on their offseason trip to the Bahamas, but many of their rotation players had to sit out that tour of contests.

Here are the top battles on Memphis’ non-conference slate:

Oregon vs. Memphis on Nov. 12 in Portland
Ole Miss at Memphis on Nov. 23
NC State vs. Memphis on Nov. 28 in Brooklyn
Memphis at UAB on Dec. 7
Memphis at Tennessee on Dec. 14
Georgia at Memphis on Jan. 4

With regards to conference play, Memphis should be the overwhelming favorite in the AAC. While the league will boast a few solid teams capable of reaching the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers will be vastly superior to all in the talent department. As a result, Memphis should dominate for the majority of league play while bolstering their national ranking and potential Big Dance seed.

Houston, Cincinnati, and Wichita State seem likely to be the biggest threats to the Tigers in the conference. Memphis will play each team in the conference twice except for Temple (H), ECU (H), Tulsa (A), and UCF (A).

Season Outlook
It is no secret that Memphis is one of the most talented teams in the country. Their freshman class is absolutely astounding and should immediately take the nation by storm. They should make headlines throughout the entire year while soaring up the top-25 rankings. With that said, though, they are unproven across the board. In addition to having just a second-year head coach, underclassmen will make up almost the entire rotation....

Memphis should be one of the most fun teams to watch in the country. They are young, full of talent, will play at a fast pace, and have the ability to dominate on both ends of the floor. There will be an abundance of NBA scouts at every single game and they have a few exciting non-conference matchups that will draw plenty of national attention.

Memphis is back as a national title contender.

In the end, the Tigers should be right near the top of everyone’s list of “must-watch” teams. Coach Hardaway is well-liked across the nation and Memphis has emerged as a program capable of competing with Kentucky and Duke on the recruiting trail."