2020–21 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

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2020–21 Memphis Tigers men's basketball
NIT Champions
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record20–8 (11–4 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFedExForum
Seasons
2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Wichita State 11 – 2   .846 16 – 6   .727
No. 6 Houston † 14 – 3   .824 28 – 4   .875
Memphis 11 – 4   .733 20 – 8   .714
SMU 7 – 4   .636 11 – 6   .647
Cincinnati 8 – 6   .571 12 – 11   .522
UCF 8 – 10   .444 11 – 12   .478
Tulsa 7 – 9   .438 11 – 12   .478
South Florida 4 – 10   .286 9 – 13   .409
Temple 4 – 10   .286 5 – 11   .313
Tulane 4 – 12   .250 10 – 13   .435
East Carolina 2 – 10   .167 8 – 11   .421
† 2021 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll


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[edit]

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[edit]

Departures[edit]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Tyler Harris 1 G 5'9 150 Sophomore Memphis, TN Transferred to Iowa State[1]
Ryan Boyce 12 F 6'6 185 RS Freshman Memphis, TN Transferred to Georgia State (mid-season)[2]
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)[3]
Precious Achiuwa 55 F 6'9 225 Freshman Port Harcourt, Nigeria Declared for NBA draft; selected 20th overall by the Miami Heat[4]

Incoming transfers[edit]

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Ahmad Rand F 6'8" 180 Junior Lincolnton, GA Junior college transferred from USC Salkehatchie.[5]
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.[6][7]
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.[8][9]

2020 recruiting class[edit]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 [10] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   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.[11]

Preseason Awards[edit]

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

Roster[edit]

2020–21 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 D. J. Jeffries 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Olive Branch HS Olive Branch, Mississippi
G 1 Jayden Hardaway 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So IMG Academy Memphis, Tennessee
G 2 Alex Lomax 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr East HS Memphis, Tennessee
G 3 Landers Nolley II 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS So Virginia Tech Fairburn, Georgia
F 4 Isaiah Stokes (S) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS So Florida Memphis, Tennessee
G 5 Boogie Ellis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Mission Bay HS San Diego, California
G 10 Damion Baugh 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Tennessee Prep Academy Nashville, Tennessee
G 11 Lester Quiñones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So IMG Academy Brentwood, New York
F 12 DeAndre Williams 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Evansville Houston, Texas
G 14 Jordan Nesbitt 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr St. Louis Christian Academy St. Louis, Missouri
F 15 Lance Thomas (T) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 224 lb (102 kg) RS Jr Louisville Norcross, Georgia
F 20 Ahmad Rand (T) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr USC Salkehatchie Lincolnton, Georgia
C 23 Malcolm Dandridge 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So East HS Memphis, Tennessee
G 30 Conor Glennon (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Brother Rice HS Chicago, Illinois
C 32 Moussa Cissé 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Lausanne Collegiate School Conakry, Guinea
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • (T) Transferred
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 8, 2020

  • Nov 19, 2020 - Prior to the start of season, Isaiah Stokes was suspended for the year.[12]
  • Dec 31, 2020 - Ahmad Rand elected to transfer to Oregon State after the fall semester.[13]
  • Jan 19, 2021 - 2021 commit Jordan Nesbitt enrolled a semester early.[14]
  • Jan 22, 2021 - Lance Thomas entered the transfer portal.[15] He would eventually transfer to South Alabama.[16]

Schedule and results[edit]

COVID-19 impact[edit]

Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

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[edit]

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[17] 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[18] 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[19] FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
February 14, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Houston Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[20] Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
February 18, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 		at Wichita State Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[21] Charles Koch Arena 
Wichita, KS
February 21, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Temple Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[22] 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[edit]

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVNot released
CoachesRV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

Awards and honors[edit]

American Athletic Conference honors[edit]

All-AAC Awards[edit]

All-AAC First Team[edit]

  • Landers Nolley II

All-AAC Freshman Team[edit]

  • Moussa Cisse

Source[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Peterson, Randy (April 25, 2020). "Iowa State men's basketball lands Memphis transfer Tyler Harris". desmoinesregister.com. Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  2. ^ Moore, Ben (December 22, 2019). "Memphis Guard Ryan Boyce to Transfer to GSU". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  3. ^ ESPN News Services (December 19, 2019). "James Wiseman leaves Memphis, to enter NBA draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  4. ^ Giviony, Jonathan. "Memphis star, AAC Player of the Year Precious Achiuwa to enter NBA draft". espn.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  5. ^ "Tigers Add JUCO Standout Ahmad Rand". gotigersgo.com. University of Memphis Athletics. April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  6. ^ Rothstein, Jon [@JonRothstein] (April 20, 2020). "Virginia Tech transfer Landers Nolley has committed to Memphis, per his Twitter page" (Tweet). Retrieved April 20, 2020 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Rothstein, Jon [@JonRothstein] (August 27, 2020). "Source: Memphis' Landers Nolley has received a waiver from the NCAA and is eligible for the 20-21 season. Transfer from Virginia Tech" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Lindskog, Chad (May 15, 2020). "DeAndre Williams transfers from Evansville to Memphis". courierpress.com. Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  9. ^ Bieler, Des (December 17, 2020). "NCAA grants blanket waiver to transfer athletes, most of whom can play right away". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  10. ^ Givony, Jonathan (July 15, 2020). "No. 24-rated prospect Moussa Cisse commits to Memphis basketball". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  11. ^ Disabato, Pat. "Disabato: Brother Rice point guard Conor Glennon bets on himself by accepting preferred walk-on offer from Memphis". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  12. ^ Munz, Jason (November 19, 2020). "Memphis forward Isaiah Stokes suspended one year; Tigers still playing in Crossover Classic". Commercial Appeal. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  13. ^ Daschel, Nick (January 18, 2021). "Memphis transfer forward Ahmad Rand lands at Oregon State, eligible to play next season". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  14. ^ Munz, Jason (January 19, 2021). "Penny Hardaway: Jury is still out on whether Memphis early enrollee Jordan Nesbitt will play this season". Commercial Appeal. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  15. ^ @VerbalCommits (January 22, 2021). "Memphis F Lance Thomas (RS JR) has entered the transfer portal" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ @JonRothstein (March 7, 2021). "Source: Memphis transfer Lance Thomas has committed to South Alabama. Another big transfer for Richie Riley" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Munz, Jason (November 24, 2020). "Penny Hardaway: Memphis basketball is working to add a game after Ole Miss cancellation". commercialappeal.com. Commercial Appeal. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  18. ^ "Pair of Men's Basketball Games Postponed". theamerican.org. December 31, 2020.
  19. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". February 10, 2021.
  20. ^ "The American Announces Pair of Men's Basketball Postponements". February 11, 2021.
  21. ^ "The American Announces Changes to Men's Basketball Schedule". February 13, 2021.
  22. ^ "The American Announces Changes to Men's Basketball Schedule". theamerican.org. February 16, 2021.
  23. ^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
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