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I’ll be honest, I have a bias against Memphis, especially since I question Penny as a head coach. Penny’s best teams at Memphis have been physical, tough, but super disorganized on offense. Last year’s team was arguably his most skilled team, but it was easily his softest team and statistically his worst defensive team.
However, now in his seventh year at Memphis, I think this is Penny’s best team because he finally has a balance between toughness up-and-down the lineup, efficient complimentary offensive pieces and a capable, versatile backcourt.
Memphis is old (they rank 6th in D1 experience) and have been tested (32nd toughest non-conference schedule) even before entering Maui. Look up and down their non-conference and there isn’t a cupcake to be seen, so the Tigers will be very battle tested prior to AAC play as they aim for an at-large bid, which I think they will get, and if I were a betting man, I predict Memphis will earn its highest NCAA Tournament seed during Penny’s tenure (previous best is 8th seed in ‘23 Tourney).
As I said before, last year’s team was not very good and their only returning player, starting fifth-year power forward Nicholas Jourdain, brings continuity to Penny’s preferred style of tough, mean and athletic forwards. Previously a defensive specialist at Temple, Jourdain has worked on improving his perimeter shot after converting over 40% of his three-point attempts since joining Memphis in 2023 (he only attempts ~ one 3PA, so while he needs to be respected from the three-point line, he is not a volume shooter.
Memphis’ star is Tulsa transfer PJ Haggerty, a 6’3 195 sophomore who plays up-and-down Memphis’ lineup and is a lightning bolt of a scorer. Earning AAC Freshman of the Year honors a record thirteen times last year, Haggerty finished his freshman season as a tough interior bucket-getter (54 2P%) who ranked third in the nation at drawing fouls. After making just 28% of his threes, Haggerty has, so far, begun to successfully extend his game to the three-point line this year (50%), making him a true, three-level scoring star who is also a capable distributor and matches the defensive aggression Penny is looking for in his backcourt.
Coming over from Texas, senior guard Tyrese Hunter is a savvy, disciplined two-way point guard who Penny is looking to add an element to his game as a pesky, 94-foot defender on the press. At 6’0, he is the only “small” player on the roster, and last year with Texas, he had a typical game against UConn last year (13 points, 5-11 2PT, 0-2 3PT, 5 rebounds, 7 assists).
Adding complementary scoring to the backcourt is Wichita State transfer Colby Rogers and UTSA transfer PJ Carter. PJ Carter is a simple player to breakdown: he’s a good-sized, efficient floor spacer at the 3-guard position that will give you minutes in the teens off the bench. Rogers was brought in to provide instant offense. Penny likens him to Jamal Crawford/Lou Williams and the fifth-year senior is an excellent three-point shooter (39.2 career 3P%), but has nearly the same conversion rate from inside the arc. Not a strong defender, but he’s a decent secondary ball-handler at the 2 and the 3.
George Mason transfer Bakara Okojie brings length, tenacity and defense at the combo guard position. Backing up both Hunter at the 1 and Rogers at the 2, the sophomore always gives his all-out effort, and like Haggerty, was excellent at generating fouls and getting to the rim in his freshman season, although Okojie hasn’t gotten to the line yet this year. Both guards are also similar in their high-risk, high-reward style and are prone to giving up turnovers.
The bedrock of Memphis’ eight-man rotation is their center duo of Dain Dainja and Moussa Cisse, who represent a massive improvement on the defensive end at the 5. At 7’0 230, Cisse is finally back at Memphis following a three-year journey that included stops at Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. A gifted shot-blocker, Cisse is a quick center that covers ground quickly, making him capable of defending multiple positions. A career 43% free throw shooter, opponents this year have been hacking Cisse at will, as he draws a ninth best nationally 9.3 fouls/40 minutes played. Having little impact against UConn when he played off the bench for Illinois, Dain Dainja has a solid start with Memphis, who looks noticeably quicker at a career low playing weight of 255 pounds. Even at his size, Dainja’s best attribute are his quick feet, which make him an efficient scorer in the paint and also a strong rim-protector. Overall, the duo are mostly a tag-team at the 5, but even though neither player can stretch the floor, Penny has had a few rotations with both bigs sharing the floor.
In summary, I don’t typically like Memphis’ teams, but this is Penny’s best group to date and will be a nice challenge to enter play at Maui.
However, now in his seventh year at Memphis, I think this is Penny’s best team because he finally has a balance between toughness up-and-down the lineup, efficient complimentary offensive pieces and a capable, versatile backcourt.
Memphis is old (they rank 6th in D1 experience) and have been tested (32nd toughest non-conference schedule) even before entering Maui. Look up and down their non-conference and there isn’t a cupcake to be seen, so the Tigers will be very battle tested prior to AAC play as they aim for an at-large bid, which I think they will get, and if I were a betting man, I predict Memphis will earn its highest NCAA Tournament seed during Penny’s tenure (previous best is 8th seed in ‘23 Tourney).
As I said before, last year’s team was not very good and their only returning player, starting fifth-year power forward Nicholas Jourdain, brings continuity to Penny’s preferred style of tough, mean and athletic forwards. Previously a defensive specialist at Temple, Jourdain has worked on improving his perimeter shot after converting over 40% of his three-point attempts since joining Memphis in 2023 (he only attempts ~ one 3PA, so while he needs to be respected from the three-point line, he is not a volume shooter.
Memphis’ star is Tulsa transfer PJ Haggerty, a 6’3 195 sophomore who plays up-and-down Memphis’ lineup and is a lightning bolt of a scorer. Earning AAC Freshman of the Year honors a record thirteen times last year, Haggerty finished his freshman season as a tough interior bucket-getter (54 2P%) who ranked third in the nation at drawing fouls. After making just 28% of his threes, Haggerty has, so far, begun to successfully extend his game to the three-point line this year (50%), making him a true, three-level scoring star who is also a capable distributor and matches the defensive aggression Penny is looking for in his backcourt.
Coming over from Texas, senior guard Tyrese Hunter is a savvy, disciplined two-way point guard who Penny is looking to add an element to his game as a pesky, 94-foot defender on the press. At 6’0, he is the only “small” player on the roster, and last year with Texas, he had a typical game against UConn last year (13 points, 5-11 2PT, 0-2 3PT, 5 rebounds, 7 assists).
Adding complementary scoring to the backcourt is Wichita State transfer Colby Rogers and UTSA transfer PJ Carter. PJ Carter is a simple player to breakdown: he’s a good-sized, efficient floor spacer at the 3-guard position that will give you minutes in the teens off the bench. Rogers was brought in to provide instant offense. Penny likens him to Jamal Crawford/Lou Williams and the fifth-year senior is an excellent three-point shooter (39.2 career 3P%), but has nearly the same conversion rate from inside the arc. Not a strong defender, but he’s a decent secondary ball-handler at the 2 and the 3.
George Mason transfer Bakara Okojie brings length, tenacity and defense at the combo guard position. Backing up both Hunter at the 1 and Rogers at the 2, the sophomore always gives his all-out effort, and like Haggerty, was excellent at generating fouls and getting to the rim in his freshman season, although Okojie hasn’t gotten to the line yet this year. Both guards are also similar in their high-risk, high-reward style and are prone to giving up turnovers.
The bedrock of Memphis’ eight-man rotation is their center duo of Dain Dainja and Moussa Cisse, who represent a massive improvement on the defensive end at the 5. At 7’0 230, Cisse is finally back at Memphis following a three-year journey that included stops at Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. A gifted shot-blocker, Cisse is a quick center that covers ground quickly, making him capable of defending multiple positions. A career 43% free throw shooter, opponents this year have been hacking Cisse at will, as he draws a ninth best nationally 9.3 fouls/40 minutes played. Having little impact against UConn when he played off the bench for Illinois, Dain Dainja has a solid start with Memphis, who looks noticeably quicker at a career low playing weight of 255 pounds. Even at his size, Dainja’s best attribute are his quick feet, which make him an efficient scorer in the paint and also a strong rim-protector. Overall, the duo are mostly a tag-team at the 5, but even though neither player can stretch the floor, Penny has had a few rotations with both bigs sharing the floor.
In summary, I don’t typically like Memphis’ teams, but this is Penny’s best group to date and will be a nice challenge to enter play at Maui.
