Memphis basketball head coach Penny Hardaway shot down critics after his program suffered another early NCAA Tournament exit. The fifth-seeded Tigers did not have injured star guard Tyrese Hunter, and they certainly missed him on Friday. After being up at half 36-31 against twelfth-seeded Colorado State, the Tigers could not keep pace with an explosive Rams offense that scored 47 points in the second half, losing 78-70. Now, for the seventh straight year, Penny Hardaway will be home during the second weekend of The Big Dance.
In the postgame, the Memphis program legend and current head coach responded to his doubters about making that good-to-great jump with his alma mater.
“I know how it’s viewed. I just have to continue to get better and keep growing. I haven’t gotten it done yet. Just gotta keep getting better.”
Memphis basketball fans will once again leave the NCAA Tournament thinking, “What if?”
This was an especially tough loss for the Tigers, considering how much potential the 2025 team had entering the Tournament. Memphis basketball was having its best season under Penny Hardaway, going 29-5 overall and 16-2 in the American Athletic Conference. This program had several impressive victories throughout the year and one of the best backcourts in the country. Transfer guards PJ Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter were both phenomenal additions to Penny Hardaway’s program over the offseason and more than lived up to the hype during the season.
Haggerty had a truly special year with the Tigers, averaging 21.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. The Crosby, Texas native won AAC Player of the Year and was named a Consensus second-team All-American. Unfortunately, while Haggerty put up 18 points against the Rams, he only shot 7/23 from the field. The junior guard is sure to receive a serious wave of offers from other programs this offseason while Tyrese Hunter’s college career has come to an end. It’s a bitter pill for Memphis basketball fans to swallow, as this team could’ve made a deep run. And now Penny Hardaway will have to rebuild.
The Tigers’ head coach has successfully recruited a lot of talent over the years. However, things haven’t fully come together in a full season for this program. It does not mean that the legendary former player is doing a bad job by any means, but there’s another level that Memphis basketball expects to reach consistently. Hardaway knows that and realizes that he will continue to be questioned until he meets that standard.
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