# 2019–20 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the 99th season of Tiger basketball, the second under head coach Penny Hardaway, and the seventh as members of the American Athletic Conference. They played their home games at the FedEx Forum.

## Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2018–19 season 22–14, 11–7 in AAC play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Tulane and UCF in the AAC tournament before losing to Houston in the semifinals. In the 2019 NIT Tournament, they defeated San Diego in the first round before losing to Creighton in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Kyvon Davenport | 0 | F | 6'8 | 215 | Senior | Gainesville, GA | Graduated |
| Jeremiah Martin | 3 | G | 6'3 | 185 | Senior | Memphis, TN | Graduated |
| Raynere Thornton | 4 | G/F | 6'6 | 230 | Senior | Marietta, GA | Graduated |
| Kareem Brewton | 5 | G | 6'2 | 195 | Senior | Claxton, GA | Graduated |
| Mike Parks | 10 | F | 6'8 | 250 | Senior | Cleveland, OH | Graduated |
| Antwann Jones | 11 | G | 6'6 | 205 | Sophomore | Orlando, FL | Transferred to Creighton |
| Victor Enoh | 12 | F | 6'7 | 250 | Sophomore | Decatur, GA | Transferred to Marist |
| David Wingett | 50 | G/F | 6'7 | 200 | Freshman | Winnebago, NE | Transferred to South Dakota State |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Isaiah Stokes | 4 | F | 6'8" | 270 | RS Sophomore | Memphis, TN | Transferred from Florida. Under NCAA transfer rules, Stokes will have to sit out for the 2019–20 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |

### 2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| 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 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| D. J. Jeffries SF | Olive Branch, MS | Olive Branch HS | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 27, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| James Wiseman C | Nashville, TN | East HS | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Nov 20, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 ||||||
| Damion Baugh PG | Memphis, TN | Tennessee Prep Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Mar 7, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Lester Quiñones SG | Brentwood, NY | IMG Academy (FL) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Mar 10, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Boogie Ellis CG | San Diego, CA | Mission Bay High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | May 13, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| Precious Achiuwa PF | Port Harcourt, Nigeria | Montverde Academy (FL) | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | May 17, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: #1 247Sports: #1 ESPN: #1 ||||||
| 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 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 17, 2019. "2019 Memphis Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 17, 2019. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 17, 2019. "2019 Memphis Tigers Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 17, 2019. ||||||

### 2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Moussa Cissé C | Conakry, Guinea | Lausanne Collegiate School (TN) | 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. ||||||

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Emoni Bates* SF | Ypsilanti, MI | Ypsi Prep Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 201 lb (91 kg) | 08/25/21 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 98 ||||||
| Jalen Duren* C | Philadelphia, PA | Montverde Academy (FL) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 8/6/21 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 ||||||
| Josh Minott SF | Boca Raton, Florida | Saint Andrew's School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 08/08/20 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Johnathan Lawson SF | Memphis, Tennessee | Wooddale High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 4/22/21 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Sam Onu C | Malvern, Pennsylvania | The Phelps School | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | 10/13/20 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| John Camden SF | Wolfeboro, New Hampshire | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 09/30/20 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 1 247Sports: 1 ||||||
| 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 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021. "2021 Memphis Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021. "2021 Memphis Tigers Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021. ||||||

## Roster

* Nov 8, 2019 - James Wiseman was ruled ineligible by the NCAA. After filing and subsequently dropping a lawsuit against the NCAA, Wiseman was ruled ineligible from November 20 to January 12.
* Dec 11, 2019 - Ryan Boyce entered his name into the transfer portal. He would later transfer to Georgia State.
* Dec 19, 2019 - Wiseman left the team to focus on preparing for the 2020 NBA draft.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| August 14, 2019* 5:00 p.m. | | vs. Commonwealth Bank Giants | W 114–83 | 1–0 | 21 – Jeffries | 8 – Tied | 6 – Harris | Baha Mar (–) Nassau, Bahamas |
| August 15, 2019* 5:00 p.m. | | vs. NPBA Select | W 135–60 | 2–0 | 22 – Jeffries | 13 – Baugh | 3 – Quiones | Baha Mar (-) Nassau, Bahamas |
| August 17, 2019* 4:00 p.m. | | vs. Bahamas Select National Team | W 87–77 | 3–0 | 19 – Harris | 10 – Jeffries | 6 – Baugh | Baha Mar (300) Nassau, Bahamas |
| August 18, 2019* 10:00 a.m. | | vs. Raw Talent Elite | W 107–77 | 4–0 | 17 – Ellis, Jeffries | 12 – Jeffries | 8 – Lomax | Baha Mar (–) Nassau, Bahamas |
| October 24, 2019* 7:00 pm | No. 14 | Christian Brothers | W 86–53 | 5–0 | 22 – Achiuwa | 9 – Achiuwa | 7 – Harris | FedExForum (15,403) Memphis, TN |
| October 28, 2019* 7:00 pm | No. 14 | LeMoyne–Owen | W 88–63 | 6–0 | 21 – Achiuwa | 11 – Achiuwa | 6 – Harris | FedExForum (15,363) Memphis, TN |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 5, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 14 | South Carolina State | W 97–64 | 1–0 | 28 – Wiseman | 11 – Wiseman | 8 – Baugh | FedEx Forum (16,002) Memphis, TN |
| November 8, 2019* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 14 | UIC Barclays Center Classic | W 92–46 | 2–0 | 22 – Ellis | 9 – Wiseman | 6 – Quinones | FedEx Forum (15,923) Memphis, TN |
| November 12, 2019* 8:00 pm, ESPN | No. 13 | vs. No. 14 Oregon Phil Knight Invitational | L 74–82 | 2–1 | 16 – Quinones | 12 – Wiseman | 7 – Baugh | Moda Center (7,296) Portland, OR |
| November 16, 2019* 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 13 | Alcorn State Barclays Center Classic | W 102–56 | 3–1 | 21 – Quinones | 10 – Quinones | 5 – Lomax | FedExForum (15,471) Memphis, TN |
| November 20, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 16 | Little Rock Barclays Center Classic | W 68–58 | 4–1 | 16 – Achiuwa | 12 – Achiuwa | 7 – Lomax | FedExForum (15,390) Memphis, TN |
| November 23, 2019* 12:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 16 | Ole Miss | W 87–86 | 5–1 | 25 – Achiuwa | 11 – Achiuwa | 7 – Lomax | FedExForum (17,875) Memphis, TN |
| November 28, 2019* 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 16 | vs. NC State Barclays Center Classic | W 83–78 | 6–1 | 21 – Ellis | 11 – Achiuwa | 7 – Lomax | Barclays Center (1,778) Brooklyn, NY |
| December 3, 2019* 8:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 15 | Bradley | W 71–56 | 7–1 | 17 – Lomax | 14 – Achiuwa | 3 – Baugh | FedExForum (15,517) Memphis, TN |
| December 7, 2019* 4:30 pm, CBSSN | No. 15 | at UAB | W 65–57 | 8–1 | 14 – Achiuwa | 11 – Achiuwa | 3 – Lomax | Bartow Arena (5,041) Birmingham, AL |
| December 14, 2019* 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. 13 | at No. 19 Tennessee | W 51–47 | 9–1 | 11 – Harris | 13 – Achiuwa | 3 – Lomax | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,868) Knoxville, TN |
| December 21, 2019* 12:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 11 | Jackson State | W 77–49 | 10–1 | 20 – Achiuwa | 9 – Achiuwa | 6 – Lomax | FedExForum (15,925) Memphis, TN |
| December 28, 2019* 12:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 9 | New Orleans | W 97–55 | 11–1 | 18 – Achiuwa | 10 – Achiuwa | 7 – Baugh | FedEx Forum (15,501) Memphis, TN |
| December 30, 2019 12:30 pm, CBSSN | No. 9 | Tulane | W 84–73 | 12–1 (1–0) | 16 – Quinones | 10 – Achiuwa | 8 – Tied | FedEx Forum (15,544) Memphis, TN |
| January 4, 2020* 12:00 pm, CBS | No. 9 | Georgia American/SEC Alliance | L 62–65 | 12–2 | 20 – Achiuwa | 15 – Achiuwa | 4 – Lomax | FedExForum (17,272) Memphis, TN |
| January 9, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 21 | at No. 23 Wichita State | L 67–76 | 12–3 (1–1) | 22 – Achiuwa | 12 – Achiuwa | 4 – Lomax | Charles Koch Arena (10,506) Wichita, KS |
| January 12, 2020 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 21 | at South Florida | W 68–64 | 13–3 (2–1) | 22 – Achiuwa | 11 – Achiuwa | 7 – Lomax | Yuengling Center (5,209) Tampa, FL |
| January 16, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 22 | Cincinnati Rivalry | W 60–49 | 14–3 (3–1) | 18 – Jeffries | 11 – Achiuwa | 5 – Lomax | FedEx Forum (16,079) Memphis, TN |
| January 22, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 20 | at Tulsa | L 40–80 | 14–4 (3–2) | 10 – Achiuwa | 6 – Achiuwa | 3 – Jeffries | Reynolds Center (4,668) Tulsa, OK |
| January 25, 2020 3:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 20 | SMU | L 70–74 | 14–5 (3–3) | 18 – Jeffries | 9 – Achiuwa | 5 – Tied | FedEx Forum (17,090) Memphis, TN |
| January 29, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | at UCF | W 59–57 | 15–5 (4–3) | 20 – Thomas | 13 – Achiuwa | 4 – Quinones | Addition Financial Arena (5,774) Orlando, FL |
| February 1, 2020 12:00 pm, CBS | | UConn | W 70–63 | 16–5 (5–3) | 16 – Achiuwa | 8 – Achiuwa | 3 – Ellis | FedEx Forum (16,240) Memphis, TN |
| February 5, 2020 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | Temple | W 79–65 | 17–5 (6–3) | 21 – Quinones | 10 – Achiuwa | 4 – Tied | FedEx Forum (15,685) Memphis, TN |
| February 8, 2020 3:00 pm, CBSSN | | South Florida | L 73–75 | 17–6 (6–4) | 17 – Harris | 5 – Thomas | 5 – Lomax | FedEx Forum (17,314) Memphis, TN |
| February 13, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN | | at Cincinnati Rivalry | L 86–92 | 17–7 (6–5) | 22 – Achiuwa | 17 – Achiuwa | 4 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (12,239) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 16, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN | | at UConn | L 61–64 | 17–8 (6–6) | 16 – Tied | 13 – Achiuwa | 4 – Lomax | XL Center (15,564) Hartford, CT |
| February 19, 2020 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | East Carolina | W 77–73 | 18–8 (7–6) | 24 – Achiuwa | 12 – Achiuwa | 4 – Tied | FedEx Forum (16,038) Memphis, TN |
| February 22, 2020 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 22 Houston | W 60–59 | 19–8 (8–6) | 12 – Dandridge | 6 – Tied | 3 – Lomax | FedEx Forum (17,735) Memphis, TN |
| February 25, 2020 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | at SMU | L 53–58 | 19–9 (8–7) | 17 – Achiuwa | 7 – Achiuwa | 6 – Baugh | Moody Coliseum (5,211) Dallas, TX |
| February 29, 2020 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Tulane | W 74–67 $^{OT}$ | 20–9 (9–7) | 22 – Achiuwa | 22 – Achiuwa | 7 – Lomax | Devlin Fieldhouse (3,023) New Orleans, LA |
| March 5, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPN/ESPN2 | | Wichita State | W 68–60 | 21–9 (10–7) | 19 – Harris | 16 – Achiuwa | 4 – Tied | FedEx Forum (17,021) Memphis, TN |
| March 8, 2020 11:00 am, CBS | | at No. 21 Houston | L 57–64 | 21–10 (10–8) | 25 – Achiuwa | 15 – Achiuwa | 5 – Lomax | Fertitta Center (7,129) Houston, TX |
| AAC tournament |||||||||
| March 12, 2020 9:00 pm, ESPNU | (6) | vs. (11) East Carolina First Round | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
    1.^ Cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | 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 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 14 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 21 | 22 | 20 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | | | Not released |
| Coaches | 15 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 17-T | 13 | 10 | 11 | 22 | 22 | 20 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

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

* Player of the Year: Precious Achiuwa
* Freshman of the Year: Precious Achiuwa

#### All-AAC First Team

* Precious Achiuwa

#### All Freshman Team

* Precious Achiuwa
* Lester Quiñones

#### Player of the Week

* Week 3: Precious Achiuwa

#### Rookie of the Week

* Week 1: James Wiseman
* Week 2: Lester Quiñones
* Week 4: Boogie Ellis
* Week 7: Precious Achiuwa
* Week 9: Precious Achiuwa
* Week 10: Precious Achiuwa
* Week 11: D. J. Jefferies
* Week 13: Precious Achiuwa
* Week 15: Precious Achiuwa
* Week 18: Precious Achiuwa
Source