2024-25 Mizzou Basketball Opponent Preview: Memphis

In this series, we’ll look ahead at Missouri’s opponents in the upcoming 2024-25 season. We’ll continue by previewing the Memphis Tigers.

Date & Location: Nov. 4 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn.

2023-24 Record: 22-10, 11-7 American

2024 NCAA Tournament Finish: N/A

Torvik Preseason Rank: 24

Jordan Brown (graduated), Carl Cherenfant (transferred), Malcolm Dandridge (graduated), Ashton Hardaway (transferred), Jayden Hardaway (graduated), David Jones (declared for draft), Caleb Mills (graduated), Jonathan Pierre (transferred), Jahvon Quinerly (graduated), Nae’Qwan Tomlin (declared for draft), Jaykwon Walton (declared for draft), Jayhlon Young (transferred)

P.J. Carter (UTSA, 9.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.9 apg), Moussa Cisse (Ole Miss, 4.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.3 apg), Dain Dainja (Illinois, 6.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.2 apg), P.J. Haggerty (Tulsa, 21.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.8 apg), Tyrese Hunter (Texas, 11.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.1 apg), Baraka Okojie (George Mason, 8.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.4 apg), Colby Rogers (Wichita State, 16.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.9 apg), Tyreek Smith (SMU, 8.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.5 apg)

Coming off back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances and with Houston bolting for the Big 12, Memphis opened last season in pole position to win the American Athletic Conference. The Tigers looked nearly unstoppable through the first two and a half months of the year — the team claimed victories over Missouri, Michigan, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Clemson, Virginia and Vanderbilt, its only two non-conference losses coming against Villanova and Ole Miss by a combined seven points, then started league play winning its first four games. By mid-January, Memphis was 15-2 and ranked 10th in the AP Top 25 poll.

Everything has gone downhill for the program since. The Tigers ended the year on a 7-8 run, much of it having to do with a season-ending injury to Caleb Mills, one of the team’s best defenders. They were knocked out by Wichita State in the first round of the conference tournament, 71-65, to finish the year at 22-10, missing the Big Dance altogether. All but two players moved on in the offseason. Head coach Penny Hardaway also parted ways with seven staff members, including three assistant coaches and a special advisor on Sept. 4. The most recent changes reportedly came after Hardaway received an anonymous letter that alleged his team committed NCAA rules violations.

Still, at this point in time, Memphis has not received any formal notice about an investigation from the NCAA and athletic director Ed Scott publicly stated his support for Hardaway. And while the Tigers have spots to fill out on their staff, their roster appears to be reloaded with high-level talent.

Nicholas Jourdain was the lone scholarship player to remain with the blue and gray this offseason and will likely find his place in the starting lineup for a fourth consecutive season with career averages of 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. According to KenPom, Jourdain was one of the most efficient finishers around the rim, ranking 43rd in the nation making 66.0% of his 2-pointers. SMU transfer forward Tyreek Smith should back him up at the four.

The two will be paired with experienced centers in the frontcourt in fifth-year seniors Moussa Cisse and Dain Dainja. Cisse, who’s reuniting with the Tigers after playing for them as a freshman during the 2020-21 season, is one of the NCAA’s premier shot-blockers, averaging 1.7 rejections per game for his career, but suffered a bit of a down year at Ole Miss last season. Dainja was productive at Illinois during the 2022-23 season, averaging 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, but saw his role with the Fighting Illini diminished last year. The bigs will be an early test for Missouri’s new trio of centers featuring graduate senior Josh Gray and freshmen Trent Burns and Peyton Marshall.

Memphis picked up a few playmakers in Tyrese Hunter and P.J. Haggerty, both of whom ranked in the top 300 in assist rate per KenPom, along with four-star freshman Jared Harris. Colby Rogers should pick up the final starting spot on the wing after leading Wichita State with 16.4 points per game and shooting 40.9% from deep, with mid-major transfers P.J. Carter and Baraka Okojie filling out the rest of the rotation on the perimeter.

Missouri at one point held a 14-point lead over Memphis during the first half of the teams’ matchup inside Mizzou Arena last year on Nov. 10. Memphis rallied in the second half, however, to hand the black and gold a 70-55 loss. Assuming Memphis’ off-the-court moves don’t affect the on-the-court product too much, Missouri can expect another tough game against a balanced, up-tempo team.