Memphis lost its first-round game of the American Conference tournament in a 12-point loss to Tulane. After two close games during the regular season, the Green Wave were in complete control on Wednesday and handed the Tigers their fifth double-digit loss since February 12.
Penny Hardaway went with a different lineup for the conference tournament, but his starters were already trailing when they hit the court for the opening tip-off. Memphis was hit with a technical foul prior to the start of the game for not turning in their lineup before the deadline.
Tulane took an eight-point lead into the break before extending its lead to double digits with 13:24 remaining in the game. The Green Wave cruised after that and never led by less than 10 points over the final 11:46 of the game.
The Tigers struggled to shoot the ball, and Hardaway only played eight players in the first-round matchup. Memphis gave up 81 points and allowed Tulane to shoot 35.5 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from deep.
Rowan Brumbaugh was a difference maker for Ron Hunter’s team, and he led all scorers with 35 points and eight rebounds.
Tigers struggle to make shots
Shooting has been an issue for Memphis all season, but it plagued Hardaway’s team in a must-win game. The Tigers shot 36.1 percent from the field, only 22.7 percent from deep and 69 percent from the free-throw line.
Hardaway shortened the rotation to only eight players, and four players finished the game in double figures. While half the guys that played scored 10 or more points, the efficiency wasn’t there, and Dug McDaniel, Zach Davis and Curtis Givens III combined to shoot 35.3 percent from the field.
Sincere Parker, who entered the game a little banged up, only played 14 minutes and went 0-for-7 from the field. Quante Berry, who led the team in scoring in the matchup on Sunday, only scored eight points and went 3-for-7 from the field before fouling out.
Three-point shooting was the difference maker
While the Tigers struggled to shoot the ball, Tulane found a lot of success behind the arc. The Green Wave only shot 36.1 percent from the field, but they made 14 three-pointers, shooting 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Brumbaugh went 5-for-8 from deep, while Curtis Williams Jr. and Scotty Middleton combined for six made threes. Tulane entered the game outside of the top 250 in three-point shooting in the country, but it had plenty of open looks against the Tigers.
On the other side, Memphis struggled to make shots, shooting 22.7 percent from three-point range, and only made three three-pointers in the second half.
The offseason begins for Memphis
The loss wrapped up the season with a 13-19 record, and now the Tigers will enter a very important offseason. All signs point to Hardaway returning for a ninth season, but there are plenty of questions to answer when it comes to roster and staff.
Some have called for the addition of a general manager, and it appears there will be significant changes to the coaching staff.
Eight players have eligibility remaining, and it will be interesting to see how many players return and who enters the transfer portal. Last offseason, Hardaway replaced all 15 players, and it’ll be interesting to see if the head coach takes a similar approach or if he looks to retain some pieces.