The 6 most important games left on Memphis basketball schedule − plus predictions for each
It is difficult to find a game left on Memphis basketball's schedule that will mirror the intrigue of going on the road to face Texas A&M that some predicted as the favorite to win the SEC.
Matching the pageantry of facing Arkansas (a once fierce rival) for the first time in 20 years on Thanksgiving Day on foreign soil (at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas) will be an uphill battle.
And the 19th-ranked Tigers (10-2) might not have any marquee matchups left against high-profile brand names versus, for example, ACC frontrunners Virginia or Clemson − the kind that would help them finally get through to whatever skeptics still out there sleeping on them.
But none of that means there aren't still some very important games left on the schedule for Penny Hardaway's team. Here are the six most important American Athletic Conference games for Memphis and how we see them playing out.
Memphis at Tulsa (Jan. 4)
The Golden Hurricane? The same team that was picked to finish 10th by AAC coaches in the preseason? The same Tulsa that lost a game earlier this season against Little Rock?
Absolutely.
First off, it's one of the next games on the schedule. And if assistant coach Rick Stansbury taught us anything during his three games as acting head coach, it's that the most important game on the schedule is always the next one. But it's also the AAC opener. It's on the road and in the same building where the Tigers (not all that long ago (January 2020) once lost by 40 − a game Hardaway admits he'll never forget.
Tulsa is also playing well lately. It has won three straight, including a victory over a Missouri State team that recently upset Saint Mary's on the road.
Prediction: No slip-ups here. Memphis will win comfortably.
Memphis at Tulane (Jan. 21)
Fogelman Arena in New Orleans is another venue that has given the Tigers fits over the years.
Memphis is 3-2 on the road versus Tulane under Hardaway. But both losses have come during the two most recent trips to the Big Easy, and every game (win or lose) has been decided by seven points or less.
The Green Wave return many of the same players who've made life difficult on the Tigers the last couple seasons: Jaylen Forbes, Kevin Cross and Sion James.
But what makes it important is it could represent one of the few in-conference opportunities for a quality victory. If Tulane finishes in the top 135 in the NCAA's NET rankings (the Green Wave are currently 126th), it would give the Tigers a Quad 2 win. And those are important come March.
Prediction: The Green Wave have had the Tigers' number lately. They'll get them again this time.
Charlotte at Memphis (Feb. 21)
First off, as of mid-December, the 49ers were one of only three teams (apart from Florida Atlantic and Memphis) in the AAC with anything above a Quad 3 or Quad 4 win. Their win over George Mason qualifies as a Quad 2 victory.
Secondly, and more importantly: This is a classic trap game. It's at FedExForum and it comes four days before the Tigers host FAU. Believe it or not, teams like Charlotte get overlooked when teams like FAU are lurking right around the corner.
But it's imperative that doesn't happen to Memphis. A home loss to the 49ers would be damaging.
Prediction: The Tigers will avoid the dreaded pre-FAU letdown.
FAU vs. Memphis (Feb. 25 and March 9)
The Tigers get the Owls at FedExForum first (Feb. 25). Then, they make the trip to Boca Raton for the regular-season finale (March 9).
These will likely be the only Quad 1 opportunities the Tigers get from here on out − unless they meet again in the AAC Tournament, which is arguably too late to matter much.
But that's only part of why these games are super important. Hardaway and the few others who were part of the program last season haven't forgotten what happened in Columbus, Ohio, last March. The Owls snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the closing minute, and the Tigers watched them barrel their way to the Final Four.
Prediction: Memphis will atone for the March Madness upset and sweep FAU.
UAB at Memphis (March 3)
Another one like the Charlotte situation: The Blazers catch the Tigers before they hit the road to face FAU for a second time in in less than two weeks.
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Save its recent win over Drake, UAB hasn't looked like much yet this season. But it took a while for Andy Kennedy's team to get going last season. Once it did, though, the Blazers finished 16-3 and were NIT runners-up.
If you run up against the wrong team at the wrong time, it could be problematic. A loss to UAB in March would definitely qualify as that.
Prediction: No problems here. Tigers win.
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: The six most important games left on the Memphis basketball schedule
