In this series, we’ll look ahead at Mizzou’s premier opponents in the upcoming 2023-24 season. We’ll start by previewing the Memphis Tigers.
Date & Location: Nov. 10 at Mizzou Arena
2022-23 Record: 26-9 overall (13-5 American)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Upset by No. 9 seed FAU in the first round, 66-65
KEY RETURNERS
Jayden Hardaway
KEY LOSSES
Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu (graduated), Malcolm Dandridge (transferred), Kendric Davis (graduated), Damaria Franklin (graduated), Keonte Kennedy (transferred), Chandler Lawson (transferred), Jonathan Lawson (transferred), Alex Lomax (graduated), Elijah McCadden (graduated), DeAndre Williams (graduated)
KEY INCOMING TRANSFERS
Jordan Brown (Louisiana, 19.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.8 apg), David Jones (St. John’s, 13.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.6 apg), Nick Jourdain (Temple, 6.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.1 apg), Teafale Lenard Jr. (Middle Tennessee State, 8.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.7 apg), Caleb Mills (Florida State, 13.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.4 apg), Jonathan Pierre (Nova Southeastern, 14.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.4 apg), Jahvon Quinerly (Alabama, 8.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.6 apg), Jayhlon Young (UCF, 4.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.0 apg)
KEY INCOMING FRESHMEN (rankings from Rivals.com)
No. 71 Mikey Williams, No. 76 Carl Cherefant, No. 87 J.J. Taylor, No. 123 Ashton Hardaway
OUTLOOK
Penny Hardaway had his winningest season as a head coach last year, leading his team to a runner-up finish in the AAC and reaching the Big Dance for a second consecutive time — the Tigers might’ve made it deeper into the tournament had they not been slated against the FAU Owls in the first round, who advanced all the way to the Final Four.
But last season’s success won’t mean much for this year’s Memphis squad, as the senior-heavy team nearly saw its entire rotation move on, either from exhausting their eligibility or entering the transfer portal. Fifth-year senior guard Jayden Hardaway — Penny Hardaway’s son — was the lone player who stayed after playing in 29 games last season, starting in 19, and averaging 5.4 points per game.
To restock the roster, the head coach brought in several high-level transfers from winning programs. The Tigers’ transfer class was ranked sixth in the nation by EvanMiya.com, one spot ahead of Missouri. And on paper, the newcomers appear to fit well with the style the program likes to play.
According to KenPom, Memphis has finished in the top 50 in adjusted tempo in each of its five seasons under Penny Hardaway. Jahvon Quinerly and David Jones, who hail from two of the top-five fastest teams in the country last year, should keep the Tigers pushing the pace.
Memphis also historically hasn’t shot a high volume of 3-pointers under Hardaway — just 29.1% of the team’s field goal attempts came from outside last season, which ranked 340th in the NCAA. The Tigers did well by feeding former forward DeAndre Williams in the post before the opposing defense could set. They’ll hope to do the same with Jordan Brown, an All-Sun Belt First Team selection who posted 19.3 points and 8.6 rebounds at Louisiana and helped the Ragin’ Cajuns win the conference tournament. Jonathan Pierre, who led Nova Southeastern to an undefeated 36-0 season en route to the NCAA Division II national championship last season, will likely settle into one of the forward spots as well.
Hardaway will probably get contributions from a freshman class stacked with four-stars. The group graded out as the 15th-best class in the nation by Rivals.com. But with a number of established veterans joining the roster, it's unclear how many of the rookies will see the court regularly early on or what role they’ll play.
The Tigers should have the talent to contend for another trip to the NCAA tournament. But with such a massive overhaul of the roster, it’s likely going to take some time for the team to build up its chemistry.
That’s good news for Mizzou, which will have significantly more roster continuity and will play host in Memphis’ first road game of the year. Playing against a quality team who also likes to play up-tempo should be a good test for Missouri early on.
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