Tiger Basketball Podcast

Dull moments are few and far between for the Memphis basketball program these days. 

Coach Penny Hardaway, on the heels of back-to-back road losses to UCF and ECU, announced assistant coach Rasheed Wallace (a former NBA All-Star) has transitioned to a "consultant's role" and will work remotely the remainder of the season. 

The news was delivered just a day before the Tigers are due to host SMU (6 p.m. Thursday). 

On this week's episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, beat writer Jason Munz and columnist Mark Giannotto unpack the Wallace news, discuss the team's injury situation and analyze the importance of momentum. 

If you're looking for dull moments in the 2021-22 Memphis basketball season up to this point, we wish you luck. 

Penny Hardaway and his Tigers, despite winning for the third time in four games Tuesday, left FedExForum in a foul mood after another chapter in what has been a rollercoaster couple of months. 

On this episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, beat writer Jason Munz and columnist Mark Giannotto look back on the victory over Tulsa, discuss the team's injury situation and examine some things that could help Memphis seize control of the race for the AAC title. 

Memphis picked itself up off the mat Tuesday and delivered a resounding 92-78 win over eighth-ranked Alabama (No. 6 in this week's Associated Press poll). 

On this week's episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, beat writer Jason Munz and columnist Mark Giannotto relive some of the highlights, as well as some of the under-the-radar moments, from the win over the Crimson Tide. They also answer questions like, "How much damage from Memphis' four-game losing streak is mitigated by the upset victory?" and "Is there an even better version of the Tigers than the one we saw Tuesday?"

Finally, Munz and Giannotto close things out by focusing on the upcoming neutral-site grudge match between Memphis and Tennessee (11 a.m. Saturday, ESPN2). 

The Tigers are a team on the brink of a full-fledged crisis. 

Can they recover? 

On this week's episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, beat writer Jason Munz and columnist Mark Giannotto examine the problems Memphis has faced during its three-game losing streak and discuss whether the team can get things turned around in time. 

There are no second chances when it comes to first impressions.

To this point, the Memphis basketball team has played exclusively at home and exclusively on ESPN+. That changes this week as the Tigers travel to Brooklyn, N.Y., where they will face Virginia Tech on Wednesday in a game that will be broadcast to a national audience (ESPN2).

And there’s a chance Memphis will be back on ESPN2 on Friday, facing No. 25 Xavier.

Which Penny Hardaway squad will show up? On this week’s episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, beat writer Jason Munz and columnist Mark Giannotto analyze Memphis’ most recent win and examine what changes (if any) it will make before Wednesday’s 8:30 p.m. tip-off.

The first three games of the Memphis basketball season have revealed plenty about these Tigers. 

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Most notably, despite all of the team's flaws, Penny Hardaway and Co. are still very good. We've also learned, however, that with a little work, a few adjustments in certain areas and maybe some more time together, the Tigers' ceiling could be among the five highest in the country. 

On this week's episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, beat writer Jason Munz and columnist Mark Giannotto examine what's gone right (Emoni Bates and the team's shooting ability), what needs to be addressed (turnovers, point guard and Hardaway's rotations), and what's possible if and when everything aligns for Memphis. 

Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren were as advertised and the Memphis basketball team's veteran core gave the Tigers all the stability it needed to come away winners in the season opener. 

How it all came together and where they still have work to do are the primary topics of this week's edition of the Tiger Basketball Podcast. Co-hosts Mark Giannotto and Jason Munz break down the lineup combinations that were most effective and least effective in Tuesday's win over Tennessee Tech, discuss Memphis' upcoming matchup with North Carolina Central, and identify the biggest difference between these Tigers and Penny Hardaway's first three teams. 

The trajectory of the upcoming Memphis basketball season will hinge on myriad variables. 

How it utilizes veteran guard Alex Lomax might be at the top of the list. 

On this episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, beat writer Jason Munz and columnist Mark Giannotto debate the topic, while also evaluating the role of star freshman Emoni Bates. Munz and Giannotto also survey the big picture and make a few predictions regarding the 2021-22 Tigers and the season to come. 

Memphis did what it was supposed to do last week against LeMoyne-Owen. 

Better yet, for the most part, it looked like most people hoped it would look. The Tigers played confidently and were in sync more often than not, despite missing several key pieces, including Emoni Bates and last year's leading scorer, Landers Nolley II. 

On this week's episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, beat writer Jason Munz is joined by Tiger football beat writer Evan Barnes to break down the biggest takeaways from the win over LeMoyne-Owen and look ahead to the upcoming exhibition matchup with Lane College. 

The Memphis basketball team achieved its highest preseason Associated Press Top 25 ranking in a decade this week. 

Thirty-four of the AP's 63 voters had the 12th-ranked Tigers inside their top 10. The team even showed up on one ballot at No. 2 in the country, according to collegepolltracker.com. But seven voters did not include Memphis anywhere in their top 25. 

On this week's episode of the Tiger Basketball Podcast, beat writer Jason Munz is joined by Tiger football beat writer Evan Barnes and preps beat writer Khari Thompson to analyze what Memphis' preseason rankings mean and discuss whether the Tigers should have been ranked higher than 12th. In addition, the trio gets into the signature Memphis Madness moments, previews Sunday's exhibition game against LeMoyne-Owen and predicts Penny Hardaway's starting lineup.