# 2022–23 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers were led by fifth-year head coach Penny Hardaway. The team played their home games at FedExForum as members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 23–8, 13–5 in AAC Play to finish in second place. They defeated UCF and Tulane to advance to the championship game of the AAC tournament where they upset No. 1-ranked Houston to claim their first-ever AAC tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the East Region. There they were defeated by Florida Atlantic in the first round.

## Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2021–22 season 22–11, 13–5 in AAC Play to finish in third place. They defeated UCF and SMU to advance to the championship game of the AAC tournament where they lost to Houston. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 9 seed in the West Region. There they defeated Boise State in the first round before losing to Gonzaga.

## Offseason
### Departing players

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Earl Timberlake | 0 | G | 6'6" | 220 | Sophomore | Washington, D.C. | Transferred to Bryant |
| Emoni Bates | 1 | F | 6'9" | 190 | Freshman | Ypsilanti, MI | Transferred to Eastern Michigan |
| Jalen Duren | 2 | C | 6'11" | 250 | Freshman | New Castle, DE | Declare for 2022 NBA draft; selected 13th overall by Charlotte Hornets |
| Landers Nolley II | 3 | G | 6'7" | 208 | RS Junior | Fairburn, GA | Transferred to Cincinnati |
| Lester Quiñones | 11 | G | 6'5" | 208 | Junior | Brentwood, NY | Declare for 2022 NBA draft; undrafted/signed with Golden State Warriors |
| Tyler Harris | 14 | G | 5'9" | 148 | Senior | Memphis, TN | Walk-on; graduate transferred to South Florida |
| John Camden | 15 | F | 6'8" | 208 | Freshman | Downingtown, PA | Transferred to Virginia Tech |
| Josh Minott | 20 | F | 6'8" | 205 | Freshman | Boca Raton, FL | Declare for 2022 NBA draft; selected 45th overall by Charlotte Hornets |
| Sam Onu | 55 | C | 6'11" | 270 | Freshman | Malvern, PA | Transferred to Florida Gulf Coast |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Elijah McCadden | 0 | G | 6'4" | 205 | GS Senior | Rocky Mount, NC | Georgia Southern |
| Keonte Kennedy | 1 | G | 6'5" | 185 | RS Senior | Austin, TX | UTEP |
| Kendric Davis | 3 | G | 6'0" | 180 | GS Senior | Houston, TX | SMU |
| Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu | 5 | F | 6'9" | 202 | RS Junior | Lagos, Nigeria | UT Arlington |
| Jahmar Young Jr. | 10 | F | 6'9" | 215 | RS Senior | Oak Cliff, TX | SMU |
| James DeJesus | 20 | G | 6'1" | | Junior | Memphis, TN | Southwest Tennessee CC |
| Damaria Franklin | 55 | G | 6'3" | 205 | GS Senior | Chicago, IL | UIC |

### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ian Granja F | Spain | Get Better Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | N/A | Aug 6, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| 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 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 27, 2022. "2022 Memphis Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 27, 2022. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 27, 2022. "2022 Memphis Tigers Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved September 27, 2022. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 23, 2022* 4:00 p.m. | | Christian Brothers | W 69–60 | – | 22 – Davis | 9 – Williams | 6 – Davis | FedExForum (8,839) Memphis, TN |
| October 30, 2022* 1:00 p.m. | | Lane College | W 96–62 | – | 22 – Williams | 15 – C. Lawson | 6 – Williams | FedExForum (8,672) Memphis, TN |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | at Vanderbilt | W 76–67 | 1–0 | 17 – Williams | 10 – Lomax | 6 – Davis | Memorial Gymnasium (10,380) Nashville, TN |
| November 15, 2022* 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Saint Louis | L 84–90 | 1–1 | 21 – Williams | 12 – Williams | 6 – Lomax | Chaifetz Arena (7,925) St. Louis, MO |
| November 20, 2022* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | VCU | W 62–47 | 2–1 | 26 – Davis | 10 – Williams | 7 – Davis | FedEx Forum (10,653) Memphis, TN |
| November 24, 2022* 6:30 p.m., ESPNews | | vs. Seton Hall ESPN Events Invitational Quarterfinals | L 69–70 | 2–2 | 22 – Davis | 8 – C. Lawson | 6 – Davis | State Farm Field House (1,621) Orlando, FL |
| November 25, 2022* 4:30 p.m., ESPNews | | vs. Nebraska ESPN Events Invitational Consolation 2nd round | W 73–61 | 3–2 | 21 – Davis | 7 – Williams | 7 – Davis | State Farm Field House Orlando, FL |
| November 27, 2022* 10:00 a.m., ESPNU | | vs. Stanford ESPN Events Invitational 5th Place game | W 56–48 | 4–2 | 14 – Davis | 8 – C. Lawson | 6 – Williams | State Farm Field House Orlando, FL |
| November 30, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | North Alabama | W 87–68 | 5–2 | 18 – Davis | 6 – Lomax | 8 – Lomax | FedEx Forum (9,473) Memphis, TN |
| December 3, 2022* 6:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | Ole Miss | W 68–57 | 6–2 | 17 – Williams | 14 – Williams | 7 – Williams | FedEx Forum (13,264) Memphis, TN |
| December 6, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Little Rock | W 87–71 | 7–2 | 17 – Williams | 7 – Dandridge | 5 – Williams | FedEx Forum (9,259) Memphis, TN |
| December 10, 2022* 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 11 Auburn Holiday Hoopsgiving | W 82–73 | 8–2 | 27 – Davis | 11 – Williams | 6 – Davis | State Farm Arena (7,795) Atlanta, GA |
| December 13, 2022* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 4 Alabama | L 88–91 | 8–3 | 30 – Davis | 9 – Williams | 5 – Davis | Coleman Coliseum (9,195) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| December 17, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Texas A&M | W 83–79 | 9–3 | 23 – Davis | 6 – Franklin | 9 – Davis | FedExForum (11,544) Memphis, TN |
| December 21, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Alabama State | W 83–61 | 10–3 | 25 – Williams | 8 – McCadden | 12 – Davis | FedExForum (10,193) Memphis, TN |
| AAC regular season |||||||||
| December 29, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | South Florida | W 93–86 | 11–3 (1–0) | 24 – Davis | 7 – Williams | 9 – Davis | FedExForum (10,786) Memphis, TN |
| January 1, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN | | at Tulane | L 89–96 | 11–4 (1–1) | 31 – Davis | 12 – Williams | 7 – Davis | Devlin Fieldhouse (1,548) New Orleans, LA |
| January 7, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | East Carolina | W 69–59 | 12–4 (2–1) | 19 – Williams | 4 – Tied | 6 – Tied | FedExForum (11,328) Memphis, TN |
| January 11, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UCF | L 104–107 $^{2OT}$ | 12–5 (2–2) | 42 – Davis | 7 – McFadden | 4 – Tied | Addition Financial Arena (6,812) Orlando, FL |
| January 15, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Temple | W 61–59 | 13–5 (3–2) | 20 – Tied | 9 – Williams | 4 – Kennedy | Liacouras Center (4,816) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 19, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Wichita State | W 88–78 | 14–5 (4–2) | 29 – Williams | 15 – Williams | 5 – Davis | FedExForum (11,238) Memphis, TN |
| January 22, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Cincinnati Rivalry | W 75–68 | 15–5 (5–2) | 26 – Williams | 8 – Williams | 6 – Davis | Fifth Third Arena (8,622) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 26, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | SMU | W 99–84 | 16–5 (6–2) | 25 – Davis | 9 – Lawson | 11 – Davis | FedExForum (10,489) Memphis, TN |
| January 29, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Tulsa | W 80–68 | 17–5 (7–2) | 26 – Davis | 11 – Williams | 5 – Tied | Reynolds Center (3,602) Tulsa, OK |
| February 4, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Tulane | L 89–90 $^{OT}$ | 17–6 (7–3) | 26 – Davis | 17 – Williams | 7 – Davis | FedExForum (11,802) Memphis, TN |
| February 8, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at South Florida | W 99–81 | 18–6 (8–3) | 26 – Williams | 5 – Tied | 8 – Davis | Yuengling Center (3,384) Tampa, FL |
| February 12, 2023 11:00 a.m., ESPN2 | | Temple | W 86–77 | 19–6 (9–3) | 26 – Williams | 12 – Williams | 6 – Williams | FedExForum (10,836) Memphis, TN |
| February 16, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UCF | W 64–63 | 20–6 (10–3) | 16 – McCadden | 7 – C. Lawson | 2 – Tied | FedExForum (10,150) Memphis, TN |
| February 19, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 2 Houston | L 64–72 | 20–7 (10–4) | 20 – McCadden | 7 – Lomax | 3 – Tied | Fertitta Center (7,730) Houston, TX |
| February 23, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Wichita State | W 83–78 | 21–7 (11–4) | 19 – Davis | 9 – Williams | 5 – Williams | Charles Koch Arena (6,966) Wichita, KS |
| February 26, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Cincinnati Rivalry | W 76–73 | 22–7 (12–4) | 22 – Davis | 7 – Williams | 3 – Davis | FedExForum (12,211) Memphis, TN |
| March 2, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at SMU | W 81–62 | 23–7 (13–4) | 23 – Davis | 12 – C. Lawson | 10 – Davis | Moody Coliseum (4,332) University Park, TX |
| March 5, 2023 11:00 a.m., CBS | | No. 1 Houston | L 65–67 | 23–8 (13–5) | 26 – Davis | 7 – Dandridge | 6 – Williams | FedExForum (18,437) Memphis, TN |
| AAC tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | (2) | vs. (7) UCF Quarterfinals | W 81–76 | 24–8 | 35 – Williams | 13 – Williams | 7 – Davis | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| March 11, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (2) | vs. (3) Tulane Semifinals | W 94–54 | 25–8 | 27 – Williams | 11 – Williams | 6 – Davis | Dickies Arena (6,943) Fort Worth, TX |
| March 12, 2023 2:15 p.m., ESPN | (2) | vs. (1) No. 1 Houston Championship | W 75–65 | 26–8 | 31 – Davis | 13 – Williams | 4 – Lomax | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2023* 8:20 p.m., TNT | (8 E) No. 24 | vs. (9 E) No. 25 Florida Atlantic First Round | L 65–66 | 26–9 | 16 – Davis | 13 – Williams | 4 – Williams | Nationwide Arena (19,564) Columbus, OH |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | 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 | RV | RV | — | — | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 24 | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RV | RV |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings