Blue Ribbon Yearbook released their college basketball preseason magazine for the 2026-27 season, and they predict Memphis will win the American and make the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers are coming off a disappointing season where they finished 13-19 and 8-10 in conference play. Penny Hardaway completely revamped his staff and roster over the offseason, so it will be a lot of new inside FedExForum.
Hardaway brought back Tony Madlock to serve as the associate head coach, and he added Trevor DeLoach, Sean Mock and Steve Wright to serve as assistants.
Both DeLoach and Mock join the program after spending time with other teams in the American Conference, while Wright joins after serving on the Missouri staff. DeLoach spent time at UTSA and Charlotte, and Mock served under Ron Hunter at Tulane.
The roster also underwent a ton of turnovers. Hardaway returns only two players from last year’s team and added nine players from the transfer portal. Blue Ribbon Yearbook predicts that one of those new additions could be in for a big year.
The preseason magazine tabs Tylik Weeks to win Newcomer of the Year and be named to the All-Conference First Team. Weeks spent last season at Southern Miss and led the team with 19.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
In addition to the nine transfers, Hardaway added three incoming freshman who all have local ties. Fred Smith Jr. and Parker Pounds both attended Briarcrest Christian School, while Cello Jackson Jr. spent time at FACS before transferring to Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida.
Hardaway used his 15th roster spot on international transfer Nemanja Popovic. The Serbian played for King Szczecin in the Polish OBL last season, and he averaged 13.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 31 games.
While Popovic is listed on Memphis’ roster, the NCAA has yet to grant him eligibility. According to multiple reports, the Tigers are confident that he will be eligible, but the timetable for a decision is unclear.
William Whorton and Julius Thedford are the only two returners, and it could be a big year for Thedford. The Memphis native averaged 8.4 points, five rebounds and 1.1 steals in 27 games, including 17 starts, and he showed that he can make an impact in multiple ways throughout a game.
Blue Ribbon predicts Wichita State and North Texas will finish behind the Tigers at two and three, respectively, and they think Hardaway will have the best backcourt and second-best frontcourt in the conference.
Memphis starts its season on November 2 against Iowa State in South Dakota. The time has yet to be announced for the opener, but it looks like it will be a primetime game, as the Sanford Pentagon is hosting host two of the “Field of 68 Marathon” games during the day.
Here's a link to purchase a copy of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook:
