Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway not expecting Malcolm Dandridge back vs Tulane
The Memphis basketball team will be shorthanded again versus Tulane.
Following last week's win over Tulsa, coach Penny Hardaway said it was "a good possibility" that senior big man Malcolm Dandridge would be available Saturday (1 p.m., ESPNU). Dandridge has missed the past 11 games with a left ankle sprain suffered during the 91-88 loss at Alabama on Dec. 13.
On Friday, however, Hardaway's outlook was far less optimistic.
"I don't think we'll have Malcolm back (Saturday)," he said. "No setback. That's just the pace that he's going right now with his rehab and we're just being patient."
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In 11 games this season, Dandridge is averaging 6.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. The former East High star has dealt knee problems since joining the Tigers (17-5, 7-2 AAC). Last offseason, Dandridge underwent a procedure to clean out "debris" in his right knee and declared himself the healthiest he has been at Memphis.
"He really hasn't had a chance to have a good, clean season. And it's gotta be frustrating to get that high ankle sprain and miss more games dealing with an injury," said Hardaway. "So, I'm sure he's frustrated. But, we're just supporting his time that he's out trying to get better. Just waiting on him to say, 'OK, coach, I feel better. I'm ready.'"
The Tigers will also be without senior guard Alex Lomax for the sixth straight game after he suffered a groin injury in a double-overtime loss at UCF on Jan. 11. But Hardaway continues to be encouraged by Lomax's progress.
"A-Lo's starting to look really good," he said. "He's been off the crutches for a while. He's not limping. He's out on the court doing things. So, he's on schedule."
The matchup with Tulane (14-7, 7-3) is a chance for Memphis to exact some revenge. The Green Wave handed the Tigers a 93-86 loss in New Orleans on Jan. 1.
"Oh, (there is) definitely a revenge factor," said senior forward DeAndre Williams, who fouled out of the first meeting. "We lost against them. That's all the motivation we need to handle business."
"For us, every game that you lose, you want to beat that team the next time you play them," said Hardaway. "They took care of home court and now we have to take care of home court."
Hardaway said the Green Wave have not changed much since that Jan. 1 game. The Tigers, on the other hand, have.
"We're a totally different team than when we played them the first time around," he said. "We were just kind of getting Damaria (Franklin) acclimated a little bit more. And we had Keonte (Kennedy) coming back in his (second) game since the Alabama game. There was no excuses. They are good at what they do. We just didn't do enough to beat them."
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Penny Hardaway not expecting Malcolm Dandridge for Memphis-Tulane
