Memphis will play its final game of the regular season Sunday afternoon, and it will be an important matchup with conference tournament implications.
The Tigers are currently sitting in 10th place, but they hold only a one-game lead over Rice and ECU with one game remaining for all three. The American only invites the top 10 teams to its conference tournament, so Sunday’s slate will be important for all three teams to see who makes it to Birmingham.
The easiest outcome for Memphis would be to beat Tulane on Sunday. The win would take Penny Hardaway’s team to 8-10 in conference play, and they would make the tournament and the 10th and final seed.
With a loss, it gets interesting. The Pirates play on the road against UAB, while Rice will host UTSA.
The Blazers are 1-7 at home this season, so ECU will have a chance to pull an upset on the road, and with a win over UAB and a Memphis loss, the Pirates would sneak into the 10th seed via the tie-break.
If Memphis loses and both ECU and Rice win, the three become a “mini-conference”, according to the American tie-breaker rules, and the Pirates would become the 10th seed with a 2-1 record against the other two.
If Memphis wins, it’s in, but if Hardaway’s team loses, they’ll be paying close attention to the end of the game in Birmingham, which starts an hour after the Tigers are set to tip off against the Green Wave.
The final seed in the conference is the only one still in question after Temple, who sits ahead of Memphis, clinched a spot in the conference tournament after a 29-point win over Tulane on Thursday. While nine teams have already clinched a spot, there will be a lot to play for on Sunday, as most of the seeding has yet to be set.
The American changed its conference tournament this season, and the top two seeds receive byes to the semifinals on Saturday. South Florida clinched the No. 1 seed with a win over the Tigers on Thursday, but both Tulsa and Wichita State are looking to snatch the No. 2 seed.
10 of the 12 teams will be in action on Sunday, and it should be interesting to see how the bracket plays out before the top 10 teams head to Birmingham in a few days.