2021–22 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers were led by fourth-year head coach Penny Hardaway. The team played their home games at FedExForum as members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 22–11, 13–5 in AAC Play to finish in 3rd place. They defeated UCF and SMU to advance to the championship game of the AAC tournament where they lost to Houston. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the West Region, where they defeated Boise State in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Gonzaga.

2021–22 Memphis Tigers men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Record	22–11 (13–5 AAC)
Head coach	Penny Hardaway (4th season)
Assistant coaches	Larry Brown Cody Toppert
Home arena	FedExForum (Capacity: 18,119)
Seasons ← 2020–21 2022–23 →

2021–22 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 15 Houston †	15	–	3		.833			32	–	6		.842
SMU	13	–	4		.765			24	–	9		.727
Memphis	13	–	5		.722			22	–	11		.667
Temple	10	–	7		.588			17	–	12		.586
Tulane	10	–	8		.556			14	–	15		.483
UCF	9	–	9		.500			18	–	12		.600
Wichita State	6	–	9		.400			15	–	13		.536
Cincinnati	7	–	11		.389			18	–	15		.545
East Carolina	6	–	11		.353			15	–	15		.500
Tulsa	4	–	14		.222			11	–	20		.355
South Florida	3	–	15		.167			8	–	23		.258
† 2022 AAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2020–21 season 20–8, 11–4 in AAC play, finishing in third place. They entered as the No. 3 seed in the AAC tournament, where they would lose to No. 2 seed Houston in the semifinals. They were selected as a No. 1 seed in the NIT. The Tigers would go on to win the tournament, their second overall, and first since 2002.

Offseason

On June 11, 2021, speculation emerged that Penny Hardaway was a candidate for multiple head coaching jobs in the NBA including his former team, the Orlando Magic.^[1] On June 28, reports emerged that Hardaway had in fact interviewed and emerged as a top candidate for the vacant head coaching job.^[2] Two days later, via Instagram, Hardaway confirmed he was not leaving the University of Memphis, and reports emerged that Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown had accepted an offer to be his assistant.^[3]

Departing players

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
D. J. Jeffries	0	F	6'7"	215	Sophomore	Olive Branch, MS	Transferred to Mississippi State[4]
Isaiah Stokes	4	F	6'8"	250	RS Sophomore	Memphis, TN	Dismissed from team
Boogie Ellis	5	G	6'3"	180	Sophomore	San Diego, CA	Transferred to USC[5]
Damion Baugh	10	G	6'3"	185	Sophomore	Nashville, TN	Transferred to TCU[6]
Jordan Nesbitt	14	G	6'6"	185	Freshman	St. Louis, MO	Transferred to Saint Louis[7]
Lance Thomas	15	F	6'9"	224	Junior	Norcross, GA	Transferred to South Alabama (mid-season)[8]
Ahmad Rand	20	F	6'8"	180	Junior	Lincolnton, GA	Transferred to Oregon State (mid-season)[9]
Moussa Cissé	32	C	6'10"	220	Freshman	Conakry, Guinea	Transferred to Oklahoma State[10]

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Earl Timberlake	0	G	6'6"	220	Sophomore	Washington, D.C.	Transferred from Miami (Florida). Timberlake will have four years of remaining eligibility.[11]
Chandler Lawson	4	F	6'7"	215	Junior	Memphis, TN	Transferred from Oregon. Lawson will have three years of remaining eligibility.[12]
Tyler Harris	14	G	5'9"	148	Senior	Memphis, TN	Walk–on; transferred from Iowa State. Harris will have two years of remaining eligibility.[13]

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Emoni Bates* SF	Ypsilanti, Michigan	Ypsi Prep Academy	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	August 25, 2021[14]
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 98
Jalen Duren* C	New Castle, Delaware	Montverde Academy (FL)	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	8/6/21[15]
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 97
Josh Minott SF	Boca Raton, Florida	Saint Andrew's School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	08/08/20[16]
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 84
Johnathan Lawson SF	Memphis, Tennessee	Wooddale High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	4/22/21[17]
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 84
Sam Onu C	Malvern, Pennsylvania	The Phelps School	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	10/13/20[18]
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 81
John Camden SF	Downingtown, Pennsylvania	Brewster Academy	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	09/30/20[19]
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 1  247Sports: 1
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Memphis 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021. "2021 Memphis Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021. "2021 Memphis Tigers Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021.

*Originally class of 2022, but reclassified to 2021.^[20]

Preseason

AAC preseason media poll

On October 13, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards^[21]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Houston	98 (8)
2	Memphis	92 (3)
3	SMU	77
4	Wichita State	76
5	UCF	66
6	Cincinnati	52
7	Tulsa	43
8	Temple	37
T-9	South Florida	25
T-9	Tulane	25
11	East Carolina	14

Preseason Awards

• AAC Preseason Rookie of the Year - Jalen Duren
• AAC Preseason All-Conference First Team - Jalen Duren
• AAC Preseason All-Conference First Team - Landers Nolley II
• AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team - Emoni Bates
• AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team - DeAndre Williams

Roster

2021–22 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Earl Timberlake 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Miami (FL) Washington, D.C. F 1 Emoni Bates 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Ypsi Prep Academy Ypsilanti, MI C 2 Jalen Duren 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr Montverde Academy (FL) New Castle, DE G 3 Landers Nolley II 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 208 lb (94 kg) RS Jr Virginia Tech Fairburn, GA F 4 Chandler Lawson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Oregon Memphis, TN G 5 Johnathan Lawson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Wooddale HS Memphis, TN G 10 Alex Lomax 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Sr East HS Memphis, TN G 11 Lester Quiñones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Jr IMG Academy Brentwood, NY F 12 DeAndre Williams 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Evansville Houston, TX G 14 Tyler Harris (W) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 148 lb (67 kg) Sr Iowa State Memphis, TN F 15 John Camden 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Fr Brewster Academy Downingtown, PA F 20 Josh Minott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Saint Andrew's School Boca Raton, FL C 23 Malcolm Dandridge 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr East HS Memphis, TN G 25 Jayden Hardaway (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 209 lb (95 kg) RS Jr IMG Academy Memphis, TN G 30 Conor Glennon (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 172 lb (78 kg) So Brother Rice HS Chicago, IL G 31 Tadarius Jacobs (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Bartlett HS Memphis, TN C 55 Sam Onu 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 270 lb (122 kg) Fr The Phelps School Malvern, PA	Head coach Penny Hardaway (Memphis) Assistant coach(es) Larry Brown (North Carolina) Cody Toppert (Cornell) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on (T) Transferred Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: August 25, 2021

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 24, 2021* 4:00 p.m.	No. 12	LeMoyne–Owen	W 105–57	–	20 – Quiñones	7 – Timberlake	7 – Tied	FedExForum (10,925) Memphis, TN
October 31, 2021* 1:00 p.m.	No. 12	Lane	W 88–49	–	18 – Nolley II	6 – Duren	4 – Nolley II	FedExForum (10,741) Memphis, TN
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 12	Tennessee Tech	W 89–65	1–0	17 – Bates	7 – Quiñones	4 – Tied	FedExForum (12,928) Memphis, TN
November 13, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 12	North Carolina Central	W 90–51	2–0	15 – Bates	10 – Duren	6 – Timberlake	FedExForum (12,893) Memphis, TN
November 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 11	Saint Louis	W 90–74	3–0	18 – Harris	10 – Nolley II	4 – Tied	FedExForum (13,302) Memphis, TN
November 19, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	No. 11	Western Kentucky	W 74–62	4–0	22 – Duren	19 – Duren	4 – Lomax	FedExForum (13,375) Memphis, TN
November 24, 2021* 8:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 9	vs. Virginia Tech NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal	W 69–61	5–0	16 – Williams	10 – Williams	3 – Nolley II	Barclays Center (2,804) Brooklyn, NY
November 26, 2021* 8:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 9	vs. Iowa State NIT Season Tip-Off championship	L 59–78	5–1	12 – Bates	6 – Tied	3 – Lomax	Barclays Center (2,655) Brooklyn, NY
December 1, 2021* 6:15 p.m., SECN	No. 18	at Georgia American/SEC Alliance	L 79–82	5–2	17 – Nolley II	8 – Williams	5 – Quiñones	Stegeman Coliseum (8,629) Athens, GA
December 4, 2021* 11:00 a.m., ESPN2	No. 18	at Ole Miss	L 63–67	5–3	13 – Williams	5 – Timberlake	3 – Nolley II	SJB Pavilion (8,629) Oxford, MS
December 10, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Murray State	L 72–74	5–4	15 – Harris	5 – Tied	4 – Harris	FedExForum (13,607) Memphis, TN
December 14, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2		No. 6 Alabama	W 92–78	6–4	20 – Williams	6 – Duren	6 – Tied	FedExForum (15,266) Memphis, TN
December 18, 2021* 11:00 a.m., ESPN2		vs. No. 18 Tennessee Nashville Showcase	Canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Memphis program [22]					Bridgestone Arena (–) Nashville, TN
December 21, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Alabama State	Canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Memphis program					FedExForum (–) Memphis, TN
AAC regular season
December 29, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Tulane	L 84–85	6–5 (0–1)	19 – Nolley II	8 – Timberlake	6 – Timberlake	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,705) New Orleans, LA
January 1, 2022 11:00 a.m., CBS		at Wichita State	W 82–64	7–5 (1–1)	15 – Minott	7 – Williams	4 – Williams	Charles Koch Arena (8,751) Wichita, KS
January 4, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU		Tulsa	W 67–64	8–5 (2–1)	12 – Tied	11 – Minott	5 – Minott	FedExForum (12,863) Memphis, TN
January 9, 2022 2:30 p.m., ABC		Cincinnati Rivalry	W 87–80	9–5 (3–1)	20 – Harris	10 – Minott	6 – Bates	FedExForum (14,502) Memphis, TN
January 12, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at UCF	L 64–74	9–6 (3–2)	15 – Harris	7 – Bates	6 – Nolley II	Addition Financial Arena (6,163) Orlando, FL
January 15, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN+		at East Carolina	L 71–72	9–7 (3–3)	15 – Duren	9 – Duren	7 – Harris	Williams Arena (5,107) Greenville, NC
January 20, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2		SMU	L 62–70	9–8 (3–4)	17 – Harris	9 – Duren	5 – Lomax	FedExForum (13,723) Memphis, TN
January 23, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN		at Tulsa	W 83–81	10–8 (4–4)	24 – Harris	9 – Minott	7 – Lomax	Reynolds Center (3,524) Tulsa, OK
January 27, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2		East Carolina	W 71–54	11–8 (5–4)	17 – Quinones	12 – Minott	5 – Timberlake	FedExForum (13,418) Memphis, TN
February 5, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2		UCF	W 88–60	12–8 (6–4)	16 – Minott	10 – Duren	5 – Harris	FedExForum (15,280) Memphis, TN
February 9, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Tulane	W 80–69	13–8 (7–4)	15 – Duren	13 – Williams	5 – Lomax	FedExForum (13,685) Memphis, TN
February 12, 2022 2:30 p.m., ABC		at No. 6 Houston	W 69–59	14–8 (8–4)	20 – Nolley II	11 – Duren	6 – Lomax	Fertitta Center (7,450) Houston, TX
February 15, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Cincinnati Previously scheduled for Feb. 3rd	W 81–74	15–8 (9–4)	15 – Harris	8 – Williams	9 – Lomax	Fifth Third Arena  Cincinnati, OH
February 20, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN		at SMU	L 57–73	15–9 (9–5)	13 – Quinones	7 – Williams	5 – Lomax	Moody Coliseum (5,657) University Park, TX
February 24, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2		Temple	W 78–64	16–9 (10–5)	22 – Duren	9 – Williams	6 – Lomax	FedExForum (14,013) Memphis, TN
February 27, 2022 1:30 p.m., ESPN		Wichita State	W 81–57	17–9 (11–5)	22 – Nolley II	7 – Duren	4 – Lomax	FedExForum (14,147) Memphis, TN
March 3, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU		at South Florida	W 73–64	18–9 (12–5)	16 – Duren	10 – Duren	5 – Nolley II	Yuengling Center (3,186) Tampa, FL
March 6, 2022 11:00 a.m., CBS		No. 14 Houston	W 75–61	19–9 (13–5)	15 – Harris	8 – Duren	3 – Nolley II	FedExForum (17,946) Memphis, TN
AAC Tournament
March 11, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU	(3)	vs. (6) UCF Quarterfinals	W 85–69	20–9	22 – Quinones	20 – Duren	7 – Lomax	Dickies Arena  Fort Worth, TX
March 12, 2022 4:36 p.m., ESPN2	(3)	vs. (2) SMU Semifinals	W 70–63	21–9	12 – Tied	10 – Williams	3 – Tied	Dickies Arena  Fort Worth, TX
March 13, 2022 2:15 p.m., ESPN	(3)	vs. (1) No. 18 Houston Championship	L 53–71	21–10	14 – Duren	10 – Duren	4 – Tied	Dickies Arena  Fort Worth, TX
NCAA tournament
March 17, 2022* 12:45 p.m., TNT	(9 W)	vs. (8 W) No. 23 Boise State First Round	W 64–53	22–10	14 – Williams	11 – Duren	5 – Lomax	Moda Center  Portland, OR
March 19, 2022* 8:40 p.m., TBS	(9 W)	vs. (1 W) No. 1 Gonzaga Second Round	L 78–82	22–11	14 – Williams	7 – Tied	5 – Lomax	Moda Center (17,907) Portland, OR
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Central Time.

Source^[23]

Awards and honors

American Athletic Conference honors

All-AAC Awards

• Freshman of the Year: Jalen Duren

All-AAC First Team

• Jalen Duren

All-AAC Second Team

• DeAndre Williams

All-AAC Freshman Team

• Jalen Duren
• Josh Minott

Source^[24]

Rankings

See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP	12	11	9	18	RV	—	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV			Not released
Coaches	16	16^	10	19	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.

References

1. Cordner, Jason (June 11, 2021). "Penny Hardaway Draws Interest of Several NBA Teams For Head Coach". The Source. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
2. Cali, Mike (June 27, 2021). "Report: Penny Hardaway interviewed for Orlando Magic head coaching job and is a "serious candidate"". Orlando Pinstriped Post. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
3. "Penny Hardaway won't coach Magic, reportedly hires Hall of Famer Larry Brown as Memphis assistant". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
4. Coleman, Joel (April 19, 2021). "D.J. Jeffries transferring to MSU from Memphis". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
5. Kartje, Ryan (April 13, 2021). "Guard Boogie Ellis to transfer to USC from Memphis". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
6. Backus, Will (April 12, 2021). "Former Memphis basketball guard Damion Baugh announces transfer to TCU". Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
7. Durando, Stu (April 5, 2021). "Former St. Louis Christian Academy's Jordan Nesbitt will transfer to SLU". St. Louis Today. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
8. @JonRothstein (March 7, 2021). "Source: Memphis transfer Lance Thomas has committed to South Alabama. Another big transfer for Richie Riley" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
9. Daschel, Nick (January 18, 2021). "Memphis transfer forward Ahmad Rand lands at Oregon State, eligible to play next season". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
10. Givony, Jonathan (July 15, 2021). "Moussa Cisse transferring to Oklahoma State after one season of Memphis basketball". ESPN. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
11. Givony, Jonathan (April 8, 2021). "Miami Hurricanes transfer Earl Timberlake commits to Memphis Tigers". ESPN. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
12. Johnson, Steven (April 22, 2021). "Lawson brothers commit to Memphis". Daily Memphian. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
13. Munz, Jason (April 26, 2021). "Former Cordova star Tyler Harris returns to Memphis after one season at Iowa State". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
14. Munz, Jason (August 25, 2021). "Memphis basketball lands Emoni Bates, a five-star prospect compared to Kevin Durant". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
15. Munz, Jason (August 6, 2021). "Jalen Duren, the nation's No. 1 recruit, commits to Penny Hardaway and Memphis basketball". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
16. Munz, Jason (August 8, 2020). "4-star prospect Josh Minott commits to Memphis". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
17. Johnson, Steven (April 22, 2021). "Lawson brothers commit to Memphis". Daily Memphian. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
18. Munz, Jason (October 13, 2020). "Sam Ayomide Onu, 7-foot center, commits to Memphis basketball over Kansas, Seton Hall". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
19. Munz, Jason (September 30, 2020). "John Camden commits to Memphis. Will there be others for Penny Hardaway and Co. this week?". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
20. "Top recruit Jalen Duren commits to Memphis, will reclassify to 2021 class". theathletic.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
21. "Houston Selected as 2021-22 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
22. "Memphis-Tennessee Game Canceled". gotigersgo.com. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
23. "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". gotigersgo.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
24. "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". American Athletic Conference. March 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.