2017–18 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 2017–18 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season , the 97th season of Tiger basketball, the second under head coach Tubby Smith , and the fifth as members of the American Athletic Conference . They played their home games at the FedEx Forum . They finished the season 21–13, 10–8 in AAC play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Tulsa in the AAC tournament before losing to Cincinnati in the semifinals.
On March 14, 2018, the school fired head coach Tubby Smith after two years.[ 1] [ 2] On March 20, the school hired former Memphis player and NBA star Penny Hardaway as coach.[ 3] [ 4]
Previous season
The Tigers finished the 2016–17 season 19–13, 9–9 in AAC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament to UCF .[ 5] Despite having 19 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.
Offseason
Departures
Following the 2016–17 season, Dedric Lawson, K.J. Lawson, and Markel Crawford, the Tigers' three leading scorers and rebounders, announced they would transfer from Memphis.[ 6]
Incoming transfers
2017 recruiting class
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Victor Enoh PF
Decatur, Georgia
Greenforest Christian Academy
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
Oct 7, 2016
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
David Nickelberry SF
Orlando, Florida
Windermere Prep
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
202 lb (92 kg)
Apr 6, 2017
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jamal Johnson SG
Birmingham, Alabama
Spain Park HS
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Nov 9, 2016
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Overall recruiting rankings:
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:
2018 recruiting class
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Alex Lomax PG
Memphis, TN
East HS
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
189 lb (86 kg)
Apr 4, 2018
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 80
Ryan Boyce SF
Memphis, TN
East High School
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Oct 13, 2017
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: NR
Tyler Harris PG
Memphis, TN
Cordova HS
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
155 lb (70 kg)
Apr 13, 2018
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 80
Antwann Jones SG
Orlando, FL
Oak Ridge HS
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Apr 15, 2018
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 81
Jayden Hardaway SG
Memphis, TN
IMG Academy (FL)
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Apr 3, 2018
Star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
David Wingett SG
Winnebago, NE
Bull City Prep (NC)
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
May 9, 2018
Star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
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:
Roster
2017–18 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
F
0
Kyvon Davenport
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Jr
East Hall HS /Georgia Highlands
Gainesville, Georgia
G
1
Jamal Johnson
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Fr
Spain Park HS
Birmingham, Alabama
G/F
2
Jimario Rivers
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
193 lb (88 kg)
Sr
Kenwood HS /SW Tennessee CC
Clarksville, Tennessee
G
3
Jeremiah Martin
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Jr
Mitchell HS
Memphis, Tennessee
G/F
4
Raynere Thornton
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
Jr
Marietta HS /Gordon State
Marietta, Georgia
G
5
Kareem Brewton
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Jr
Shiloh HS /Eastern Florida State
Claxton, Georgia
F
10
Mike Parks
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
270 lb (122 kg)
Jr
Richmond Heights HS /SW Mississippi CC
Cleveland, Ohio
G
11
Jonathan Bins
5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)
150 lb (68 kg)
So
Germantown HS
Memphis, Tennessee
F
12
Victor Enoh
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
Fr
Greenforest Christian Academy
Decatur, Georgia
G
15
David Nickelberry
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
202 lb (92 kg)
Fr
Windermere Prep
Orlando, Florida
F
23
Karim Sameh Azab
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
290 lb (132 kg)
So
Hales Franciscan HS
Giza, Egypt
G
30
Kytrel Williams
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
207 lb (94 kg)
Sr
Harding Academy /Motlow State CC
Memphis, Tennessee
F
32
Alex Moffatt
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
223 lb (101 kg)
Sr
Fayette Academy /Shawnee State
Somerville, Tennessee
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Nov 2, 2017 *7:00 pm
LeMoyne–Owen
W 101–78
FedEx Forum Memphis, TN
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017 *5:30 pm, CBSSN
vs. Alabama Veterans Classic
L 70–82
0–1
Alumni Hall (3,238)Annapolis, MD
Nov 14, 2017 *7:00 pm, ESPN3
Little Rock
W 70–62
1–1
FedEx Forum (7,224)Memphis, TN
Nov 21, 2017 *7:00 pm, ESPN3
New Orleans
W 62–53
2–1
FedEx Forum (7,224)Memphis, TN
Nov 25, 2017 *5:00 pm, ESPN3
Northern Kentucky
W 76–74
3–1
FedEx Forum (5,369)Memphis, TN
Nov 30, 2017 *7:00 pm
at UAB Bartow Classic
L 56–71
3–2
Bartow Arena (4,920)Birmingham, AL
Dec 2, 2017 *4:00 pm, ESPN3
Mercer
W 83–81 2OT
4–2
FedEx Forum (4,113)Memphis, TN
Dec 5, 2017 *7:00 pm, ESPN3
Samford
W 65–64
5–2
FedEx Forum (4,702)Memphis, TN
Dec 9, 2017 *12:00 pm, ESPN3
Bryant Gotham Classic
W 90–72
6–2
FedEx Forum (4,373)Memphis, TN
Dec 12, 2017 *8:00 pm, ESPNU
Albany Gotham Classic
W 67–58
7–2
FedEx Forum (4,168)Memphis, TN
Dec 16, 2017 *11:00 am, ESPN2
vs. Louisville Gotham Classic/Rivalry
L 72–81
7–3
Madison Square Garden (6,525)New York, NY
Dec 20, 2017 *7:00 pm, ESPN3
Siena Gotham Classic
W 70–66
8–3
FedEx Forum (6,079)Memphis, TN
Dec 23, 2017 *11:00 am, ESPN3
Loyola (MD)
W 83–71
9–3
FedEx Forum (5,825)Memphis, TN
Dec 28, 2017 *8:00 pm, CBSSN
LSU
L 61–71
9–4
FedEx Forum (9,468)Memphis, TN
AAC regular season
Dec 31, 2017 3:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 21 Cincinnati
L 48–82
9–5 (0–1)
BB&T Arena (8,143)Highland Heights, KY
Jan 3, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN3
at UCF
L 56–65
9–6 (0–2)
CFE Arena (4,298)Orlando, FL
Jan 6, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPNews
Tulsa
W 76–67
10–6 (1–2)
FedEx Forum (6,004)Memphis, TN
Jan 9, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNews
Tulane
W 96–89
11–6 (2–2)
FedEx Forum (4,825)Memphis, TN
Jan 13, 2018 1:00 pm, CBSSN
at Temple
W 75–72 OT
12–6 (3–2)
Liacouras Center (6,238)Philadelphia, PA
Jan 16, 2018 8:00 pm, CBSSN
UConn
W 73–49
13–6 (4–2)
FedEx Forum (2,417)Memphis, TN
Jan 20, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU
at Tulsa
L 51–64
13–7 (4–3)
Reynolds Center (5,189)Tulsa, OK
Jan 27, 2018 5:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 9 Cincinnati
L 48–62
13–8 (4–4)
FedEx Forum (12,223)Memphis, TN
Jan 31, 2018 7:30 pm, ESPNews
at South Florida
W 86–74
14–8 (5–4)
USF Sun Dome (2,754)Tampa, FL
Feb 3, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPNews
at East Carolina
L 85–88 OT
14–9 (5–5)
Williams Arena (3,338)Greenville, NC
Feb 6, 2018 8:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 22 Wichita State
L 65–85
14–10 (5–6)
FedEx Forum (7,257)Memphis, TN
Feb 11, 2018 3:00 pm, CBSSN
UCF
L 64–68
14–11 (5–7)
FedEx Forum (7,163)Memphis, TN
Feb 14, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU
at SMU
W 70–67
15–11 (6–7)
Moody Coliseum (6,539)Dallas, TX
Feb 17, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPNU
at Tulane
W 68–63
16–11 (7–7)
Devlin Fieldhouse (1,896)New Orleans, LA
Feb 22, 2018 8:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 23 Houston
W 91–85
17–11 (8–7)
FedEx Forum (6,536)Memphis, TN
Feb 25, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPN
at UConn
W 83–79
18–11 (9–7)
Gampel Pavilion (8,574)Storrs, CT
Mar 1, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNews
South Florida
L 51–75
18–12 (9–8)
FedEx Forum (5,945)Memphis, TN
Mar 4, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPNews
East Carolina
W 90–70
19–12 (10–8)
FedEx Forum (6,474)Memphis, TN
AAC tournament
Mar 8, 2018 1:30 pm, ESPNU
(5)
vs. (12) USF First Round
W 79–77
20–12
Amway Center (7,856)Orlando, FL
Mar 9, 2018 1:17 pm, ESPN2
(5)
vs. (4) Tulsa Quarterfinals
W 67–64
21–12
Amway Center (8,491)Orlando, FL
Mar 10, 2018 12:00 pm, CBS
(5)
vs. (1) No. 8 Cincinnati Semifinals
L 60–70
21–13
Amway Center Orlando, FL
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Central Time .
References
^ "Memphis fires Tubby Smith after two seasons. Will Penny Hardaway be his successor?" . The Commercial Appeal . Retrieved March 16, 2018 .
^ Rainwater, Ben (March 15, 2018). "Tubby Smith fired as Memphis basketball coach" . WHBQ . Retrieved March 16, 2018 .
^ "Penny Hardaway expected to be named new Memphis Tigers basketball coach" . The Commercial Appeal . Retrieved March 16, 2018 .
^ "Memphis introduces Penny Hardaway, flips entire program in less than 24 hours" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved March 21, 2018 .
^ Romero, Iliana Limón. "UCF throttles Memphis, advances to AAC Tournament semifinals" . OrlandoSentinel.com . Retrieved August 2, 2017 .
^ "How Tubby Smith made a gigantic mess of Memphis' program in just one year" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved April 26, 2017 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA Final Four appearances in italics
Information related to 2017–18 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team