Memphis dropped its fourth game in a row Sunday against UAB, and it now sits in a tie for seventh place in the American Conference. The American has been interesting this season, and it still feels like anyone can win the conference with just two weeks remaining in the regular season.
The American is debuting a new conference format this season, only inviting the top 10 teams to Birmingham. The top two seeds will receive byes to the semifinals on Saturday, March 14, while the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds will start in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 13.
Currently, the Tigers sits in a tie for seventh place, but if the season ended today, they would have the tie-breaker over Temple, which they beat in the lone matchup on January 14. If the Memphis finishes in seventh place, it will play the No. 10 seed, currently FAU, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11.
Penny Hardaway’s team would be forced to win five games in five days to win the conference tournament and clinch the automatic qualifier spot for the American.
While the Tigers sit in seventh place right now, they are only a game out of fifth place and 1.5 games out of fourth place. With four games left, it’s not out of the question for Memphis to move up, but three of the final four games are against teams that Hardaway’s team has already lost to.
South Florida leads the conference with an 11-3 record in American play, and they have a 1.5 game lead over Tulsa and Wichita State, who both sit at 10-5. Three teams, UAB, Charlotte and Tulane, sit with six losses in conference play, but the Blazers have a half-game advantage.
North Texas, FAU, Rice, ECU and UTSA are the only four teams with more conference losses than the Tigers, and if the season ended today, Rice, ECU and UTSA will miss the conference tournament.