The painful drudge of Memphis’ second half limped to a merciful end Thursday night, as Penny Hardaway’s Tigers fell to Wichita State 71-65 in the second round of the AAC tournament. But despite finishing with a respectable 22-10 record, Hardaway said his team’s season is over, even if they are offered a postseason invite to a tournament like the NIT.
“Zero,” Hardaway said as he interrupted a reporter’s question asking about the chances of Memphis possibly playing in the NIT. “No sir. I’m not accepting any invitations.”
Back on Jan. 14, such a blunt end to the season would’ve seemed unfathomable for Memphis, as the Tigers that night defeated Wichita State to improve to 15-2, bumping their national ranking up to No. 10. But their momentum began to skid days later with a stunning collapse against South Florida, then three more consecutive losses sent the season off the rails.
With a roster featuring David Jones and Jahvon Quinerly, some believed Memphis could rediscover its early season magic and string together strong postseason play to salvage the season, but Hardaway snuffed that out Thursday.
“That’s the decision — I’m just making it right now,” he said. “I’ll talk to the administration, but I’m not looking to play any more NIT games, man. I’m sorry. I’m not disrespecting the NIT. It’s just, it’s been a tough season already.”
Teams have turned down invitations to postseason tournaments such as the NIT or CBI, but those are typically programs with fewer funds than Memphis. The Tigers’ tough season hasn’t just been on the court, but in Hardaway’s personal life as well.
The coach shared his mother has been in and out of the hospital with throat cancer, and he has been her sole caretaker when in town.
“Dealing with a whole lot, and just dealing with basketball at the same time. I know this is my job, but that’s not my first option,” he said.
Hardaway arrived in Memphis in 2018 with much fanfare and highly-ranked recruiting classes. He took the Tigers to the NIT in his first season and had brought Memphis to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments before this year. The team has won at least 20 games in each season under Hardaway.
Required reading
(Photo: Justin Ford / Getty Images)
