2018–19 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the 98th season of Tiger basketball, the first under head coach Penny Hardaway, and the sixth as members of the American Athletic Conference. They played their home games at the FedEx Forum. They finished the season 22–14, 11–7 in AAC play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Tulane and UCF to advance to the semifinals of the AAC tournament where they lost to Houston. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated San Diego in the first round before losing in the second round to Creighton.

2018–19 Memphis Tigers men's basketball
NIT, Second Round
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Record	22–14 (11–7 AAC)
Head coach	Penny Hardaway (1st season)
Assistant coaches	Tony Madlock Mike Miller Sam Mitchell
Home arena	FedExForum
Seasons ← 2017–18 2019–20 →

2018–19 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 11 Houston	16	–	2		.889			33	–	4		.892
No. 22 Cincinnati †	14	–	4		.778			28	–	7		.800
Temple	13	–	5		.722			23	–	10		.697
UCF	13	–	5		.722			24	–	9		.727
Memphis	11	–	7		.611			22	–	14		.611
Wichita State	10	–	8		.556			22	–	15		.595
Tulsa	8	–	10		.444			18	–	14		.563
South Florida	8	–	10		.444			24	–	14		.632
UConn	6	–	12		.333			16	–	17		.485
SMU	6	–	12		.333			15	–	17		.469
East Carolina	3	–	15		.167			10	–	21		.323
Tulane	0	–	18		.000			4	–	27		.129
† 2019 AAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2017–18 season 21–13, 10–8 in AAC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated Tulsa in the AAC tournament before losing to Cincinnati in the semifinals. Despite having 21 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament for the second time.

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]

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Jamal Johnson	1	G	6'4	180	Sophomore	Birmingham, AL	Transferred to Auburn
Jimario Rivers	2	G/F	6'8	193	Senior	Clarksville, TN	Graduated
Malik Rhodes	11	G	6'2	180	Junior	Cincinnati, OH	Transferred to Cal State San Bernardino
David Nickelberry	15	G	6'7	202	Sophomore	Orlando, FL	Transferred to Trinty Valley CC
Karim Sameh Azab	23	F	6'11	290	Sophomore	Giza, Egypt	Deceased^[5]
Kytrel Williams	30	G	6'3	207	Senior	Memphis, TN	Graduated
Alex Moffatt	32	F	6'5	223	Senior	Somerville, TN	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Num	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Isaiah Maurice	14	F/C	6'10"	225	Junior	Durham, NC	Junior college transferred from South Plains College.
Lance Thomas	15	F	6'8"	210	Sophomore	Norcross, GA	Transferred from Louisville. Under NCAA transfer rules, Thomas will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Alex Lomax PG	Memphis, TN	Memphis East HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	Apr 4, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Ryan Boyce SF	Memphis, TN	Memphis East HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jun 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Tyler Harris PG	Memphis, TN	Cordova HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	Apr 13, 2018
	Recruiting 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
	Recruiting 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
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     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
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 79
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 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Malcolm Dandridge C	Memphis, TN	East HS	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	May 2, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 83
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

2018–19 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) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Georgia Highlands Gainesville, Georgia G 1 Tyler Harris 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Fr Cordova High School Memphis, Tennessee G 2 Alex Lomax 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr East HS Memphis, Tennessee G 3 Jeremiah Martin 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Mitchell High School Memphis, Tennessee G/F 4 Raynere Thornton 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Gordon State Marietta, Georgia G 5 Kareem Brewton Jr. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Eastern Florida State Claxton, Georgia F 10 Mike Parks 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Sr SW Mississippi CC Cleveland, Ohio G 11 Antwann Jones 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Oak Ridge High School Orlando, Florida F 12 Victor Enoh 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So Greenforest Christian Academy Decatur, Georgia F 14 Isaiah Maurice 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 224 lb (102 kg) Jr South Plains JC Durham, North Carolina F 15 Lance Thomas   6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 224 lb (102 kg) So Louisville Norcross, Georgia G 25 Jayden Hardaway   6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr IMG Academy Memphis, Tennessee G 30 Evin Olds (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Harding Academy Memphis, Tennessee G 32 Ryan Boyce   6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr East HS Memphis, Tennessee G/F 50 David Wingett 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Bull City Prep Winnebago, Nebraska	Head coach Penny Hardaway (Memphis) Assistant coach(es) Tony Madlock (Memphis) Mike Miller (Florida) Sam Mitchell (Mercer) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 25, 2018* 7:00 pm		LeMoyne–Owen	W 120–66		26 – Harris	10 – Brewton Jr.	9 – Lomax	FedEx Forum (6,373) Memphis, TN
November 2, 2018* 7:00 pm		Christian Brothers	W 95–68		24 – Martin	8 – Maurice	8 – Lomax	FedEx Forum (14,004) Memphis, TN
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Tennessee Tech	W 76–61	1–0	30 – Davenport	10 – Davenport	4 – Lomax	FedEx Forum (15,231) Memphis, TN
November 13, 2018* 6:00 pm, SECN		at No. 22 LSU AdvoCare Invitational non-bracket game	L 76–85	1–1	20 – Harris	6 – Parks Jr.	4 – Lomax	Maravich Center (9,295) Baton Rouge, LA
November 17, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Yale	W 109–102 ^2OT	2–1	22 – Harris	8 – Davenport	5 – Martin	FedEx Fourm (14,656) Memphis, TN
November 22, 2018* 2:30 pm, ESPN2		vs. Oklahoma State AdvoCare Invitational quarterfinals	L 64–84	2–2	14 – Harris	6 – Tied	5 – Martin	HP Field House (2,964) Lake Buena Vista, FL
November 23, 2018* 1:00 pm, ESPN3		vs. Canisius AdvoCare Invitational	W 71–63	3–2	16 – Davenport	10 – Davenport	5 – Lomax	HP Field House (2,672) Lake Buena Vista, FL
November 25, 2018* 5:30pm, ESPNU		vs. College of Charleston AdvoCare Invitational	L 75–78	3–3	25 – Harris	11 – Tied	4 – Martin	HP Field House (1,933) Lake Buena Vista, FL
December 1, 2018* 1:30 pm, ESPNU		vs. No. 20 Texas Tech HoopHall Miami Invitational	L 67–78	3–4	17 – Harris	8 – Lomax	4 – Martin	American Airlines Arena  Miami, FL
December 4, 2018* 7:00 pm, WLMT/ESPN3		South Dakota State	W 88–80	4–4	22 – Tied	9 – Thornton	4 – Tied	FedEx Forum (13,583) Memphis, TN
December 8, 2018* 12:00 pm, ESPN3		UAB	W 94–76	5–4	24 – Harris	8 – Davenport	5 – Tied	FedEx Forum (14,652) Memphis, TN
December 15, 2018* 11:00 am, ESPN2		No. 3 Tennessee	L 92–102	5–5	31 – Davenport	11 – Davenport	6 – Martin	FedEx Forum (18,528) Memphis, TN
December 19, 2018* 7:00 pm, WLMT/ESPN3		Little Rock	W 99–89	6–5	22 – Martin	15 – Davenport	6 – Tied	FedEx Forum (13,599) Memphis, TN
December 22, 2018* 2:00 pm, ESPN3		Tennessee State	W 99–41	7–5	14 – Martin	12 – Davenport	5 – Jones	FedEx Forum (15,378) Memphis, TN
December 29, 2018* 12:00 pm, ESPN3		Florida A&M	W 96–65	8–5	22 – Martin	7 – Tied	8 – Martin	FedEx Forum (14,201) Memphis, TN
AAC regular season
January 3, 2019 8:30 pm, CBSSN		Wichita State	W 85–74	9–5 (1–0)	25 – Davenport	8 – Lomax	5 – Lomax	FedEx Forum (15,068) Memphis, TN
January 6, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPNews		at No. 19 Houston	L 77–90	9–6 (1–1)	25 – Brewton Jr.	7 – Thornton	4 – Lomax	Fertitta Center (7,039) Houston, TX
January 10, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPNU		East Carolina	W 78–72	10–6 (2–1)	16 – Harris	11 – Davenport	3 – Tied	FedEx Forum (14,622) Memphis, TN
January 13, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPNU		at Tulane	W 83–79	11–6 (3–1)	27 – Martin	8 – Thornton	3 – Tied	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,105) New Orleans, LA
January 19, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPNU		SMU Saturday Showcase	W 83–61	12–6 (4–1)	20 – Brewton Jr.	14 – Thornton	11 – Martin	FedEx Forum (16,673) Memphis, TN
January 24, 2019 6:00 pm, CBSSN		at Temple	L 76–85	12–7 (4–2)	28 – Martin	9 – Davenport	3 – Tied	Liacouras Center (5,364) Philadelphia, PA
January 27, 2019 3:00 pm, CBSSN		UCF	W 77–57	13–7 (5–2)	14 – Harris	11 – Thornton	7 – Martin	FedEx Forum (17,046) Memphis, TN
January 30, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNews		at Tulsa	L 79–95	13–8 (5–3)	18 – Harris	14 – Davenport	6 – Martin	Reynolds Center (4,018) Tulsa, OK
February 2, 2019 11:00 am, ESPNU		at South Florida	L 78–84	13–9 (5–4)	41 – Martin	10 – Thornton	4 – Harris	Yuengling Center (4,573) Tampa, FL
February 7, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2		No. 25 Cincinnati	L 64–69	13–10 (5–5)	26 – Martin	10 – Davenport	5 – Martin	FedEx Forum (16,363) Memphis, TN
February 10, 2019 1:00 pm, CBSSN		UConn	W 78–71	14–10 (6–5)	26 – Davenport	8 – Thornton	6 – Martin	FedEx Forum (17,162) Memphis, TN
February 13, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN3		at East Carolina	W 79–69	15–10 (7–5)	31 – Martin	7 – Maurice	6 – Tied	Williams Arena (3,411) Greenville, NC
February 16, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPN2		at UCF	L 72–79	15–11 (7–6)	25 – Martin	7 – Brewton Jr.	6 – Martin	CFE Arena (5,458) Orlando, FL
February 20, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPNU		Tulane	W 102–76	16–11 (8–6)	43 – Martin	15 – Davenport	8 – Martin	FedEx Forum (14,747) Memphis, TN
February 23, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2		at Wichita State	W 88–85	17–11 (9–6)	37 – Martin	9 – Thornton	3 – Brewton Jr.	Charles Koch Arena (10,506) Wichita, KS
February 26, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPNU		Temple	W 81–73	18–11 (10–6)	30 – Martin	11 – Thornton	5 – Martin	FedEx Forum (14,652) Memphis, TN
March 2, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU		at No. 23 Cincinnati	L 69–71	18–12 (10–7)	28 – Martin	7 – Maurice	5 – Martin	Fifth Third Arena (12,392) Cincinnati, OH
March 9, 2019 8:30 pm, ESPNU		Tulsa	W 66–63	19–12 (11–7)	20 – Martin	6 – 2 Tied	6 – Martin	FedEx Forum (17,611) Memphis, TN
AAC Tournament
March 14, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPNU	(5)	(12) Tulane First Round	W 83–68	20–12	21 – Martin	13 – Parks Jr.	7 – Martin	FedExForum (8,046) Memphis, TN
March 15, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN2	(5)	(4) UCF Quarterfinals	W 79–55	21–12	21 – Maurice	11 – Davenport	4 – Martin	FedExForum (7,610) Memphis, TN
March 16, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN2	(5)	(1) No. 11 Houston Semifinals	L 58–61	21–13	23 – Martin	9 – Martin	1 – Tied	FedExForum (7,819) Memphis, TN
NIT Tournament
March 19, 2019* 8:00 pm, ESPN3	(3)	(6) San Diego First Round – TCU Bracket	W 74–60	22–13	21 – Martin	7 – Martin	3 – Brewton Jr.	FedExForum (8,138) Memphis, TN
March 22, 2019* 7:30 pm, ESPNU	(3)	at (2) Creighton Second Round – TCU Bracket	L 67–79	22–14	20 – Martin	6 – Jones	4 – Martin	CHI Health Center Omaha (7,031) Omaha, NE
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

References

1. "Memphis fires Tubby Smith after two seasons. Will Penny Hardaway be his successor?". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
2. Rainwater, Ben (March 15, 2018). "Tubby Smith fired as Memphis basketball coach". WHBQ. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
3. "Penny Hardaway expected to be named new Memphis Tigers basketball coach". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
4. "Memphis introduces Penny Hardaway, flips entire program in less than 24 hours". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
5. "Memphis forward Karim Sameh Azab dies after leukemia battle".