College basketball rankings: Where Memphis stands after back-to-back 100-point games
Memphis basketball zoomed into the top 10 of the AP Top 25 poll Monday.
The Tigers' ascension to No. 10 came less than 24 hours after they thoroughly dismantled Wichita State at Charles Koch Arena, 112-86. The 112 points are the most a Memphis team has scored in a road game since 1955, and they're the most a Memphis team has scored anywhere since 2001.
Memphis (15-2, 4-0 AAC), which has won 10 consecutive games, moved up one spot to No. 12 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
The Tigers were No. 13 in the both polls last week.
"It makes me feel good," coach Penny Hardaway said Sunday about the prospect of cracking the top 10. "Because you know since I've been here, I've always kinda had something to say about where we should be ranked when we've won a certain amount of games. And being a team that was 'last four in' for the last couple years, trying to fight, fight, fight − to finally scrap our way into the polls and continue to win, it feels good that we'll keep climbing up the ladder. Because we're earning that."
Jahvon Quinerly, who averaged 24 points and 7.5 assists in two games last week, said Sunday he believes Memphis deserves to be in the top 10. Quinerly played at Alabama last season when the Crimson Tide spent the majority of the season in the top 10.
“Going on the road against anybody in the country and winning by 20 is not easy," he said. "But, at the same time … if we’re not (in the top 10), I just want this team to keep building on this performance right here.”
MEMPHIS BASKETBALL: Tigers smash Wichita State with second-half dominance. Here are 5 takeaways
The Tigers will try to make it 11 straight victories when they face South Florida on Thursday (6 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2) at FedExForum.
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: College basketball rankings: Where Memphis stands after win at Wichita
