# 2020–21 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This is the 100th season of Tiger basketball, the third under head coach Penny Hardaway, and the eighth as members of the American Athletic Conference. They play their home games at the FedEx Forum. They finished the season 20-8, 11-4 to finish in 3rd place. They defeated UCF in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament before losing in the semifinals to Houston. They received an invitation to the NIT where they defeated Dayton, Boise State, Colorado State, and Mississippi State to become NIT Champions.

## Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2019–20 season 21–10, 10–8 in AAC play to finish in sixth place. They entered as the No. 6 seed in the AAC tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Tyler Harris | 1 | G | 5'9 | 150 | Sophomore | Memphis, TN | Transferred to Iowa State |
| Ryan Boyce | 12 | F | 6'6 | 185 | RS Freshman | Memphis, TN | Transferred to Georgia State (mid-season) |
| Isaiah Maurice | 14 | F | 6'10 | 224 | Senior | Durham, NC | Graduated |
| James Wiseman | 32 | C | 7'1 | 240 | Freshman | Nashville, TN | Left team (mid-season) |
| Precious Achiuwa | 55 | F | 6'9 | 225 | Freshman | Port Harcourt, Nigeria | Declared for NBA draft; selected 20th overall by the Miami Heat |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Ahmad Rand | F | 6'8" | 180 | Junior | Lincolnton, GA | Junior college transferred from USC Salkehatchie. |
| Landers Nolley II | F | 6'7" | 225 | RS Sophomore | Atlanta, GA | Transferred from Virginia Tech. Nolley was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |
| DeAndre Williams | F | 6'9" | 190 | Junior | Houston, TX | Transferred from Evansville. Williams was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility on December 16. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |

### 2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Moussa Cissé C | Conakry, Guinea | Lausanne Collegiate School | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 07/15/20 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 92 ||||||
| 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: "Memphis 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020. "2020 Memphis Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020. "2020 Memphis Tigers Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020. ||||||
Memphis will also add Preferred Walk-on Conor Glennon a 5'10" PG from Brother Rice High School in Chicago.

### Preseason Awards

* Preseason Rookie of the Year - Moussa Cisse
* All-AAC Second Team - Landers Nolley, D.J. Jeffries

## Roster

* Nov 19, 2020 - Prior to the start of season, Isaiah Stokes was suspended for the year.
* Dec 31, 2020 - Ahmad Rand elected to transfer to Oregon State after the fall semester.
* Jan 19, 2021 - 2021 commit Jordan Nesbitt enrolled a semester early.
* Jan 22, 2021 - Lance Thomas entered the transfer portal. He would eventually transfer to South Alabama.

## Schedule and results
### COVID-19 impact

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Tigers' schedule was subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel. The game against Houston scheduled for March 7 was moved to Houston.

### Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 25, 2020* 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Saint Mary's Crossover Classic quarterfinals | W 73–56 | 1–0 | 24 – Ellis | 9 – Jeffries | 3 – Lomax | Sanford Pentagon (0) Sioux Falls, SD |
| November 26, 2020* 11:00 a.m., ESPN | | vs. Western Kentucky Crossover Classic semifinals | L 69–75 | 1–1 | 25 – Nolley II | 10 – Jeffries | 4 – Nolley II | Sanford Pentagon (0) Sioux Falls, SD |
| November 27, 2020* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. VCU Crossover Classic third place game | L 59–70 | 1–2 | 17 – Jeffries | 5 – Jeffries | 5 – Baugh | Sanford Pentagon (0) Sioux Falls, SD |
| December 2, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Arkansas State | W 83–54 | 2–2 | 23 – Nolley II | 10 – Tied | 6 – Tied | FedExForum (2,829) Memphis, TN |
| December 5, 2020* | | Ole Miss | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | The Pavilion at Ole Miss Oxford, MS |
| December 5, 2020* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Central Arkansas | W 85–68 | 3–2 | 23 – Nolley II | 10 – Cisse | 5 – Bauh | FedExForum (2,564) Memphis, TN |
| December 8, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Mississippi Valley State | W 94–57 | 4–2 | 21 – Jeffries | 13 – Cisse | 11 – Lomax | FedExForum (2,478) Memphis, TN |
| December 12, 2020* 4:30 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Auburn Holiday Hoopsgiving | L 71–74 | 4–3 | 16 – Jeffries | 14 – Cisse | 5 – Nolley II | State Farm Arena (0) Atlanta, GA |
| December 16, 2020 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Tulane | W 80–74 | 5–3 (1–0) | 20 – Quiñones | 11 – Jeffries | 3 – Jeffries | Devlin Fieldhouse (100) New Orleans, LA |
| December 21, 2020 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Tulsa | L 49–56 | 5–4 (1–1) | 13 – Williams | 9 – Williams | 3 – Tied | FedExForum Memphis, TN |
| December 29, 2020 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | South Florida | W 58–57 | 6–4 (2–1) | 13 – Quiñones | 4 – Cisse | 4 – Jeffries | FedExForum (133) Memphis, TN |
| January 2, 2021 11:00 a.m., ESPNU | | at Temple | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Liacouras Center Philadelphia, PA |
| January 17, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Tulsa | L 57–58 | 6–5 (2–2) | 13 – Nolley II | 10 – Dandridge | 4 – Williams | Reynolds Center (100) Tulsa, OK |
| January 21, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Wichita State | W 72–52 | 7–5 (3–2) | 16 – Nolley II | 10 – Tied | 6 – Lomax | FedExForum (2,118) Memphis, TN |
| January 24, 2021 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at East Carolina | W 80–53 | 8–5 (4–2) | 15 – Cisse | 9 – Cisse | 5 – Lomax | Williams Arena (55) Greenville, NC |
| January 26, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | SMU Previously scheduled for Jan. 14 | W 76–72 | 9–5 (5–2) | 14 – Lomax | 10 – Cisse | 5 – Lomax | FedExForum (2,157) Memphis, TN |
| January 28, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at SMU | L 65–67 | 9–6 (5–3) | 19 – Nolley II | 11 – Williams | 8 – Lomax | Moody Coliseum (1,698) University Park, TX |
| February 1, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UCF Previously scheduled for Jan. 5 | W 96–69 | 10–6 (6–3) | 20 – Nolley II | 7 – Jeffries | 6 – Quiñones | FedExForum (2,106) Memphis, TN |
| February 3, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UCF | W 75–61 | 11–6 (7–3) | 18 – Nolley II | 10 – Nolley II | 6 – Lomax | FedExForum (2,284) Memphis, TN |
| February 6, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPN | | East Carolina | W 66–59 | 12–6 (8–3) | 12 – Tied | 8 – Williams | 9 – Lomax | FedExForum (2,371) Memphis, TN |
| February 11, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Cincinnati Rivalry | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | FedExForum Memphis, TN |
| February 14, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPN | | at Houston | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Fertitta Center Houston, TX |
| February 18, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 | | at Wichita State | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Charles Koch Arena Wichita, KS |
| February 21, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Temple | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | FedExForum Memphis, TN |
| February 24, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tulane | W 61–46 | 13–6 (9–3) | 13 – Ellis | 11 – Williams | 5 – Williams | FedExForum (2,253) Memphis, TN |
| February 28, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN | | at Cincinnati Rivalry | W 80–74 | 14–6 (10–3) | 17 – Ellis | 7 – Tied | 10 – Williams | Fifth Third Arena (1,135) Cincinnati, OH |
| March 2, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at South Florida Previously scheduled for Mar. 3 | W 73–52 | 15–6 (11–3) | 18 – Ellis | 10 – Williams | 4 – Jeffries | Yuengling Center (1,222) Tampa, FL |
| March 7, 2021 11:00 a.m., CBS | | at No. 9 Houston | L 64–67 | 15–7 (11–4) | 14 – Nolley II | 5 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Fertitta Center Houston, TX |
| AAC Tournament |||||||||
| March 12, 2021 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | (3) | vs. (6) UCF Quarterfinals | W 70–62 | 16–7 | 17 – Jeffries | 15 – Quiñones | 5 – Williams | Dickies Arena (826) Fort Worth, TX |
| March 13, 2021 4:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (3) | vs. (2) No. 7 Houston Semifinals | L 74–76 | 16–8 | 27 – Ellis | 7 – Cisse | 3 – Williams | Dickies Arena (1,182) Fort Worth, TX |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 20, 2021 11:00 a.m., ESPN | (1) | vs. (4) Dayton First Round – Memphis bracket | W 71–60 | 17–8 | 21 – Nolley II | 10 – Quinones | 5 – Tied | The Super Pit (1,044) Denton, TX |
| March 25, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN | (1) | vs. (2) Boise State Quarterfinals – Memphis bracket | W 59–56 | 18–8 | 11 – Tied | 7 – Quinones | 3 – Jeffries | The Super Pit (935) Denton, TX |
| March 27, 2021 11:00 a.m., ESPN | (1) | vs. (1) Colorado State Semifinals | W 90–67 | 19–8 | 27 – Nolley II | 9 – Williams | 6 – Tied | Comerica Center Frisco, TX |
| March 28, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN | (1) | vs. (4) Mississippi State Championship | W 77–64 | 20–8 | 23 – Ellis | 16 – Quinones | 5 – Ellis | Comerica Center Frisco, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

## Awards and honors
### American Athletic Conference honors
#### All-AAC Awards

* Freshman of the Year: Moussa Cisse
* Sixth Man of the Year : Boogie Ellis

#### All-AAC First Team

* Landers Nolley II

#### All-AAC Freshman Team

* Moussa Cisse
Source