# 2018–19 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the 98th season of Tiger basketball, the first under head coach Penny Hardaway, and the sixth as members of the American Athletic Conference. They played their home games at the FedEx Forum. They finished the season 22–14, 11–7 in AAC play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Tulane and UCF to advance to the semifinals of the AAC tournament where they lost to Houston. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated San Diego in the first round before losing in the second round to Creighton.

## Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2017–18 season 21–13, 10–8 in AAC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated Tulsa in the AAC tournament before losing to Cincinnati in the semifinals. Despite having 21 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament for the second time.
On March 14, 2018, the school fired head coach Tubby Smith after two years. On March 20, the school hired former Memphis player and NBA star Penny Hardaway as coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Jamal Johnson | 1 | G | 6'4 | 180 | Sophomore | Birmingham, AL | Transferred to Auburn |
| Jimario Rivers | 2 | G/F | 6'8 | 193 | Senior | Clarksville, TN | Graduated |
| Malik Rhodes | 11 | G | 6'2 | 180 | Junior | Cincinnati, OH | Transferred to Cal State San Bernardino |
| David Nickelberry | 15 | G | 6'7 | 202 | Sophomore | Orlando, FL | Transferred to Trinty Valley CC |
| Karim Sameh Azab | 23 | F | 6'11 | 290 | Sophomore | Giza, Egypt | Deceased |
| Kytrel Williams | 30 | G | 6'3 | 207 | Senior | Memphis, TN | Graduated |
| Alex Moffatt | 32 | F | 6'5 | 223 | Senior | Somerville, TN | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Isaiah Maurice | 14 | F/C | 6'10" | 225 | Junior | Durham, NC | Junior college transferred from South Plains College. |
| Lance Thomas | 15 | F | 6'8" | 210 | Sophomore | Norcross, GA | Transferred from Louisville. Under NCAA transfer rules, Thomas will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Alex Lomax PG | Memphis, TN | Memphis East HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 189 lb (86 kg) | Apr 4, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Ryan Boyce SF | Memphis, TN | Memphis East HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 7, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Tyler Harris PG | Memphis, TN | Cordova HS | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | Apr 13, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Antwann Jones SG | Orlando, FL | Oak Ridge HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Apr 15, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Jayden Hardaway SG | Memphis, TN | IMG Academy (FL) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Apr 3, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| David Wingett SG | Winnebago, NE | Bull City Prep (NC) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | May 9, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### 2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Malcolm Dandridge C | Memphis, TN | East HS | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | May 2, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 25, 2018* 7:00 pm | | LeMoyne–Owen | W 120–66 | | 26 – Harris | 10 – Brewton Jr. | 9 – Lomax | FedEx Forum (6,373) Memphis, TN |
| November 2, 2018* 7:00 pm | | Christian Brothers | W 95–68 | | 24 – Martin | 8 – Maurice | 8 – Lomax | FedEx Forum (14,004) Memphis, TN |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Tennessee Tech | W 76–61 | 1–0 | 30 – Davenport | 10 – Davenport | 4 – Lomax | FedEx Forum (15,231) Memphis, TN |
| November 13, 2018* 6:00 pm, SECN | | at No. 22 LSU AdvoCare Invitational non-bracket game | L 76–85 | 1–1 | 20 – Harris | 6 – Parks Jr. | 4 – Lomax | Maravich Center (9,295) Baton Rouge, LA |
| November 17, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Yale | W 109–102 $^{2OT}$ | 2–1 | 22 – Harris | 8 – Davenport | 5 – Martin | FedEx Fourm (14,656) Memphis, TN |
| November 22, 2018* 2:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Oklahoma State AdvoCare Invitational quarterfinals | L 64–84 | 2–2 | 14 – Harris | 6 – Tied | 5 – Martin | HP Field House (2,964) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| November 23, 2018* 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | | vs. Canisius AdvoCare Invitational | W 71–63 | 3–2 | 16 – Davenport | 10 – Davenport | 5 – Lomax | HP Field House (2,672) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| November 25, 2018* 5:30pm, ESPNU | | vs. College of Charleston AdvoCare Invitational | L 75–78 | 3–3 | 25 – Harris | 11 – Tied | 4 – Martin | HP Field House (1,933) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| December 1, 2018* 1:30 pm, ESPNU | | vs. No. 20 Texas Tech HoopHall Miami Invitational | L 67–78 | 3–4 | 17 – Harris | 8 – Lomax | 4 – Martin | American Airlines Arena Miami, FL |
| December 4, 2018* 7:00 pm, WLMT/ESPN3 | | South Dakota State | W 88–80 | 4–4 | 22 – Tied | 9 – Thornton | 4 – Tied | FedEx Forum (13,583) Memphis, TN |
| December 8, 2018* 12:00 pm, ESPN3 | | UAB | W 94–76 | 5–4 | 24 – Harris | 8 – Davenport | 5 – Tied | FedEx Forum (14,652) Memphis, TN |
| December 15, 2018* 11:00 am, ESPN2 | | No. 3 Tennessee | L 92–102 | 5–5 | 31 – Davenport | 11 – Davenport | 6 – Martin | FedEx Forum (18,528) Memphis, TN |
| December 19, 2018* 7:00 pm, WLMT/ESPN3 | | Little Rock | W 99–89 | 6–5 | 22 – Martin | 15 – Davenport | 6 – Tied | FedEx Forum (13,599) Memphis, TN |
| December 22, 2018* 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Tennessee State | W 99–41 | 7–5 | 14 – Martin | 12 – Davenport | 5 – Jones | FedEx Forum (15,378) Memphis, TN |
| December 29, 2018* 12:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Florida A&M | W 96–65 | 8–5 | 22 – Martin | 7 – Tied | 8 – Martin | FedEx Forum (14,201) Memphis, TN |
| AAC regular season |||||||||
| January 3, 2019 8:30 pm, CBSSN | | Wichita State | W 85–74 | 9–5 (1–0) | 25 – Davenport | 8 – Lomax | 5 – Lomax | FedEx Forum (15,068) Memphis, TN |
| January 6, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPNews | | at No. 19 Houston | L 77–90 | 9–6 (1–1) | 25 – Brewton Jr. | 7 – Thornton | 4 – Lomax | Fertitta Center (7,039) Houston, TX |
| January 10, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | East Carolina | W 78–72 | 10–6 (2–1) | 16 – Harris | 11 – Davenport | 3 – Tied | FedEx Forum (14,622) Memphis, TN |
| January 13, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Tulane | W 83–79 | 11–6 (3–1) | 27 – Martin | 8 – Thornton | 3 – Tied | Devlin Fieldhouse (1,105) New Orleans, LA |
| January 19, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPNU | | SMU Saturday Showcase | W 83–61 | 12–6 (4–1) | 20 – Brewton Jr. | 14 – Thornton | 11 – Martin | FedEx Forum (16,673) Memphis, TN |
| January 24, 2019 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Temple | L 76–85 | 12–7 (4–2) | 28 – Martin | 9 – Davenport | 3 – Tied | Liacouras Center (5,364) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 27, 2019 3:00 pm, CBSSN | | UCF | W 77–57 | 13–7 (5–2) | 14 – Harris | 11 – Thornton | 7 – Martin | FedEx Forum (17,046) Memphis, TN |
| January 30, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNews | | at Tulsa | L 79–95 | 13–8 (5–3) | 18 – Harris | 14 – Davenport | 6 – Martin | Reynolds Center (4,018) Tulsa, OK |
| February 2, 2019 11:00 am, ESPNU | | at South Florida | L 78–84 | 13–9 (5–4) | 41 – Martin | 10 – Thornton | 4 – Harris | Yuengling Center (4,573) Tampa, FL |
| February 7, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 25 Cincinnati | L 64–69 | 13–10 (5–5) | 26 – Martin | 10 – Davenport | 5 – Martin | FedEx Forum (16,363) Memphis, TN |
| February 10, 2019 1:00 pm, CBSSN | | UConn | W 78–71 | 14–10 (6–5) | 26 – Davenport | 8 – Thornton | 6 – Martin | FedEx Forum (17,162) Memphis, TN |
| February 13, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at East Carolina | W 79–69 | 15–10 (7–5) | 31 – Martin | 7 – Maurice | 6 – Tied | Williams Arena (3,411) Greenville, NC |
| February 16, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at UCF | L 72–79 | 15–11 (7–6) | 25 – Martin | 7 – Brewton Jr. | 6 – Martin | CFE Arena (5,458) Orlando, FL |
| February 20, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | Tulane | W 102–76 | 16–11 (8–6) | 43 – Martin | 15 – Davenport | 8 – Martin | FedEx Forum (14,747) Memphis, TN |
| February 23, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Wichita State | W 88–85 | 17–11 (9–6) | 37 – Martin | 9 – Thornton | 3 – Brewton Jr. | Charles Koch Arena (10,506) Wichita, KS |
| February 26, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Temple | W 81–73 | 18–11 (10–6) | 30 – Martin | 11 – Thornton | 5 – Martin | FedEx Forum (14,652) Memphis, TN |
| March 2, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at No. 23 Cincinnati | L 69–71 | 18–12 (10–7) | 28 – Martin | 7 – Maurice | 5 – Martin | Fifth Third Arena (12,392) Cincinnati, OH |
| March 9, 2019 8:30 pm, ESPNU | | Tulsa | W 66–63 | 19–12 (11–7) | 20 – Martin | 6 – 2 Tied | 6 – Martin | FedEx Forum (17,611) Memphis, TN |
| AAC Tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPNU | (5) | (12) Tulane First Round | W 83–68 | 20–12 | 21 – Martin | 13 – Parks Jr. | 7 – Martin | FedExForum (8,046) Memphis, TN |
| March 15, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | (5) | (4) UCF Quarterfinals | W 79–55 | 21–12 | 21 – Maurice | 11 – Davenport | 4 – Martin | FedExForum (7,610) Memphis, TN |
| March 16, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | (5) | (1) No. 11 Houston Semifinals | L 58–61 | 21–13 | 23 – Martin | 9 – Martin | 1 – Tied | FedExForum (7,819) Memphis, TN |
| NIT Tournament |||||||||
| March 19, 2019* 8:00 pm, ESPN3 | (3) | (6) San Diego First Round – TCU Bracket | W 74–60 | 22–13 | 21 – Martin | 7 – Martin | 3 – Brewton Jr. | FedExForum (8,138) Memphis, TN |
| March 22, 2019* 7:30 pm, ESPNU | (3) | at (2) Creighton Second Round – TCU Bracket | L 67–79 | 22–14 | 20 – Martin | 6 – Jones | 4 – Martin | CHI Health Center Omaha (7,031) Omaha, NE |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||