With Memphis Losing Four Conference Games in a Row, What Can Penny Hardaway Do To Make a Comeback?

The Memphis Tigers are going through the worst this NCAA season. They have lost four back-to-back matches starting with the clash against the South Florida. Though all their matches have been close contests, the league depends on the record, and losing to minnows wasn’t expected of the Tigers. They now have a mediocre 15-6 record in the regular season and a 4-4 tally in the conference.

Going ahead from here the Memphis will have to better their game if they want to make the most of this season. And if they don’t analyze their performances then their form will only deteriorate and the losing streak might continue.

How has been the Memphis performance?

The Memphis had to bear the first loss in the conference game against the South Florida. The Memphis had shown a brilliant game during the first half when they trumped the South Florida by a 47-32 margin. But that did not deter the South Florida from losing hope.

In what was one of the best comebacks this season, the South Florida gave their best and edged past the Memphis with an exceptional lead of 42-26 in the second half. The Memphis had a lackluster performance during the second half.

The top performers for the Memphis was their forward David Jones who basketed a game-high 25 points. The other two players who supported him in his pursuit were the guard Jahvon Quinerly who throttled 15 points and forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin. Tomlin contributed with 10 points in the match.

Where the Memphis stumbled was that they couldn’t rely much on their defense during the second half whereas the opposing team built a formidable wall that was difficult to penetrate for the Tigers.

The wounds from this game had barely healed when the Memphis played their next against the Tulane. The competition was again neck to neck. Both the teams were at level at the end of the first half. However, it was the second half that saw the Tulane edge past the Memphis. The match overall went in the Tulane’s favor with an 81-79 tally.

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The vital thing that the Memphis lacked in this game was missing out on points during clutch moments. Their forward Ashton Hardaway missed out on a three-point jumper. A key player like Jones also forego two three-point jumpers. Had the Memphis potted it the result would have been different, but the game was meant to go in the Tulane’s bag. The Memphis were expected to win the next but made some critical mistakes.

Where did the Memphis falter?

Sour from this loss, the Memphis then played a game against the UAB Blazers. The Blazers notched up an unexpected win this match as the Memphis struggled to outdo the Blazers in both the halves. During the first half, the UAB had smashed 45 points in comparison to the Tigers’ 44.

The next half saw the UAB better their lead since they potted 52 points in response to the Memphis’s 44. The Tigers performed decently in this game albeit they had spurts of mediocrity where the UAB took the advantage and defeated them.

The match was high scoring and had the Memphis taken care of their defense, they would have easily jumped over the finish line. But they did not. And just like the one of the previous games against the South Florida, they had cracks in their defensive wall that the opponent capitalized on. Such a botched-up performance wasn’t expected of the Tigers.

Their most recent folly came against the Rice Owls. This marked their fourth loss in the conference round. The Memphis once again during the first half could only score 22 points. This was by far one of the most average performances by a team in the first half. Whereas their opponents thrashed 33.

During the next half, the Memphis tried their best to make a comeback and shattered 49 points. But the lead from their first half was so much that they ultimately fell into the trap of the Owls. The Rice smoked 41 points in the second half and the overall score read 71-74 in favor of the Owls.

The result would have been different if the Memphis had bettered their defense and also taken advantage of clutch moments. Matches like these point to the Memphis’s loss of team play and they should get back to the locker room to sort things out for themselves. There are a few ways only that can help the Memphis recover.

How can the Memphis recover?

One of the major reasons is that the Memphis have lost the confidence to perform in clutch moments. And with the pressure to win games, the game-turning moments usually go in the favor of their opponents. The Memphis will have to check their approach and character during close moments. And will have to be confident of their abilities. 

Another thing that the Memphis really need is an off week. They need to figure things out, get away from practice, and not cave into their doubts. They need to have the tough conversation in the locker room. This will need to put their heart out and check the team bonding and compatibility. Their head coach Penny Hardaway has scripted brilliant comebacks in the previous seasons and he can do so once again, provided the team sorts out their issues.

Going by their talent they are not a team that can be subdued easily. As far as speculations are concerned, it looks as if the Memphis have something going on internally. If this is the case then it needs to be sorted out as soon as possible. And this will be a major step for the Memphis if they are to make a comeback this season. Therefore, it rests entirely on Penny Hardaway and how he manages the team.

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