2020–21 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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
Incoming transfers
2020 recruiting class
Memphis will also add Preferred Walk-on Conor Glennon a 5'10" PG from Brother Rice High School in Chicago .[ 11]
Preseason Awards
Preseason Rookie of the Year - Moussa Cisse
All-AAC Second Team - Landers Nolley, D.J. Jeffries
Roster
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
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
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[ 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
Ranking movementsLegend: RV = Received votes 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
All-AAC First Team
All-AAC Freshman Team
Source [ 23]
References
^ Peterson, Randy (April 25, 2020). "Iowa State men's basketball lands Memphis transfer Tyler Harris" . desmoinesregister.com . Des Moines Register . Retrieved April 30, 2020 .
^ Moore, Ben (December 22, 2019). "Memphis Guard Ryan Boyce to Transfer to GSU" . 247sports.com . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .
^ ESPN News Services (December 19, 2019). "James Wiseman leaves Memphis, to enter NBA draft" . ESPN.com . Retrieved December 19, 2019 .
^ Giviony, Jonathan. "Memphis star, AAC Player of the Year Precious Achiuwa to enter NBA draft" . espn.com . Retrieved April 24, 2020 .
^ "Tigers Add JUCO Standout Ahmad Rand" . gotigersgo.com . University of Memphis Athletics. April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ Lindskog, Chad (May 15, 2020). "DeAndre Williams transfers from Evansville to Memphis" . courierpress.com . Evansville Courier & Press . Retrieved May 19, 2020 .
^ 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 .
^ Givony, Jonathan (July 15, 2020). "No. 24-rated prospect Moussa Cisse commits to Memphis basketball" . espn.com . ESPN . Retrieved July 15, 2020 .
^ 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 .
^ Munz, Jason (November 19, 2020). "Memphis forward Isaiah Stokes suspended one year; Tigers still playing in Crossover Classic" . Commercial Appeal . Retrieved November 23, 2020 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ @VerbalCommits (January 22, 2021). "Memphis F Lance Thomas (RS JR) has entered the transfer portal" (Tweet ) – via Twitter .
^ @JonRothstein (March 7, 2021). "Source: Memphis transfer Lance Thomas has committed to South Alabama. Another big transfer for Richie Riley" (Tweet ) – via Twitter .
^ 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 .
^ "Pair of Men's Basketball Games Postponed" . theamerican.org . December 31, 2020.
^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes" . February 10, 2021.
^ "The American Announces Pair of Men's Basketball Postponements" . February 11, 2021.
^ "The American Announces Changes to Men's Basketball Schedule" . February 13, 2021.
^ "The American Announces Changes to Men's Basketball Schedule" . theamerican.org . February 16, 2021.
^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors" . theamerican.org . March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA Final Four appearances in italics