A two-point win over a Vanderbilt staff ranked 244th within the NET. A 3-point win over a Tulsa staff ranked 186th within the NET. A six-point win over a UTSA staff ranked 290th within the NET.
That was all a part of Memphis‘ 10-game profitable streak.
So, yeah, the Tigers had spent the previous six weeks constructing a 15-2 file and rising in all human polls — however they’d undeniably been shaky, proof being how they dropped from forty first to forty fourth at KenPom.com throughout their 10-game profitable streak. On Thursday evening, residing that method lastly caught as much as Penny Hardaway’s program when Memphis misplaced 74-73 at house to a South Florida staff that entered ranked 141st within the NET.
That is a Quadrant 3 defeat.
It is a resume-damager.
“This one hurts as a result of we labored so exhausting to get to this degree,” Hardaway stated earlier than later including that it was a “dangerous loss. Nationwide TV. Scoring 26 factors within the second half after scoring [47] within the first. However when you find yourself not enjoying team-basketball, that may occur.”
Memphis is right down to No. 17 in Friday morning’s up to date CBS Sports activities Prime 25 And 1 every day faculty basketball rankings, the place Purdue stays No. 1. The Tigers at the moment are 7-2 within the first two quadrants with just one further loss falling exterior of the primary two quadrants. That is nonetheless principally stable. However one factor working in opposition to Memphis because it makes an attempt to current the very best resume to the NCAA Match choice committee is that many of the Tigers’ huge non-conference victories at the moment are much less spectacular than they had been after they had been recorded.
For instance: Missouri was 56th at KenPom when Memphis beat Dennis Gates’ Tigers. Now Missouri is 103rd. Michigan was thirty seventh at KenPom when Memphis beat Juwan Howard’s Wolverines. Now Michigan is 77th. Arkansas was thirty fifth at KenPom when Memphis beat Eric Musselman’s Razorbacks. Now Arkansas is ninetieth. Texas A&M was twenty first at KenPom when Memphis beat Buzz Williams’ Aggies. Now Texas A&M is thirty sixth. Clemson was twenty fourth at KenPom when Memphis beat Brad Brownell’s Tigers. Now Clemson is thirty ninth. Virginia was twenty ninth at KenPom when Memphis beat Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers. Now Virginia is 67th.
It is an uncommon state of affairs.
The Tigers watched Quadrant 1 wins be downgraded to Quadrant 2 wins and Quadrant 2 wins be downgraded to Quadrant 3 wins throughout their 10-game profitable streak. It clearly lessened their physique of labor, which is among the many causes it is essential for Memphis to keep away from extra dangerous losses going ahead, and that will not be easy provided that eight of the Tigers’ remaining 13 regular-season video games presently undertaking as Quadrant 3 or Quadrant 4 traps.