HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway learned a thing or two over the course of an 0-2 preseason, which concluded Monday with a 96-88 loss to Alabama.
About what it will take to hang with the heavy hitters. About what he has to work with inside his own locker room. And, with the regular season set to begin in less than a week, there are still some things left to figure out.
Memphis begins the 2024-25 season in earnest on Monday (7 p.m., ESPN+). That’s when Missouri visits FedExForum in what will be the start of a grueling nonconference schedule for a team determined to eradicate the bitterness of a dreadful late-season collapse.
As Hardaway seeks to get the Tigers back to the NCAA Tournament, here are five burning questions his program is facing.
What did exhibition games do for Tigers’ confidence?
Much like the loss to North Carolina earlier this month, Monday’s game against Alabama was another example of just how wide the pendulum can swing for Memphis — even from one half to the next.
The Crimson Tide’s energy and aggression — along with their perimeter shooting ability, with six first-half 3-pointers — gave the Tigers fits through the first 20 minutes. Then, in the second half, Memphis kind of dominated Alabama.
But a loss is still a loss. How does losing their first two times out in a game setting affect the Tigers?
Well, it’s encouraging, according to center Dain Dainja, who had 16 points and seven rebounds Monday.
“I feel like we’re just as good as these teams,” Dainja said. “You know, it’s just the little stuff. Rebounding, making the extra plays, boxing out, talking to each other, communicating. We just gotta tighten up the little things. The way we practice is a big thing. We’ve got to practice harder.
“If we just start off like that and play like that the whole game, we’re just as good as anybody in the country.”
Is it too early to worry about Memphis basketball’s 3-point shooting?
Not if you ask Hardaway.
The Tigers were 5 of 23 beyond the arc against North Carolina, and somehow even worse (1-for-14) versus Alabama. Colby Rogers, a career 39% shooter from deep, was a combined 3 of 15 in the preseason — and he was the most productive player on the team in that area.
But Hardaway’s not worried yet.
“I think it’s too soon because the North Carolina game, we took a lot of very low-percentage 3’s. Tonight, we had better looks. We just didn’t make them,” he said. “But when we start playing through the guys a different way and then get more spot-ups and play out of close-outs, it’ll be more opportunities for us to get knock-downs.”
Do Tigers have something with Dainja-Cisse one-two punch?
The sample size is small.
Dainja and Moussa Cisse, back at Memphis after a three-season break, are the Tigers’ two primary options at the 5 spot. Cisse did not play against North Carolina, but he was back from his groin injury and played 20 minutes against Alabama.
Dainja showed against the Crimson Tide that he is a highly skilled offensive player. And Cisse looked like a far more complete player than the last time he suited up for the Tigers, finishing with seven points, five rebounds and three blocks).
Hardaway has not had a one-two punch with as much potential as Dainja and Cisse have — maybe ever.
Is Tyreek Smith best suited at the 4?
Tyreek Smith did not play Monday. He traveled with the team to Huntsville, but stayed on the bench with a walking boot on his right foot.
Hardaway said he suffered an ankle injury in practice not long after he returned to the team following a short break for “personal reasons.”
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Smith has spent the majority of his career at the 5 spot. With Dainja and Cisse, though, most of Smith’s minutes figure to come at the 4, which is something he wants. And it’s something that will make Memphis a more complete team.
Can PJ Haggerty carry Memphis?
Haggerty showed last season as a redshirt freshman at Tulsa that he can put up points. And after two exhibition games, he has showed he can still put the ball in the hole. Haggerty dropped 24 against North Carolina, then scored 32 points against Alabama.
But that will take you only so far, as the Golden Hurricane learned. It’s one thing to score — it’s another to score and lead your team to wins.
It remains to be seen whether Haggerty can marry the two at Memphis. But his coach and his teammates believe in him.
“He makes the guys around him better,” point guard Tyrese Hunter said.
“I’ve seen that up close and personal last year when he played for Tulsa,” Hardaway said. “I know how dynamic he is. I think as the moment gets bigger, he goes harder. And he becomes the guy. I think these guys understand that.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: 5 burning questions facing Memphis basketball ahead of regular season
