MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The 2021-2022 Memphis Tigers men's basketball season came to a heartbreaking end Saturday when they came up short against Gonzaga, the No. 1 overall team in the NCAA Tournament, 82-78.
Not many outside of the Bluff City had faith that the Tigers had much of a chance to win the game.
Two months ago, very few believed in the Tigers' ability to be in that position to start with.
The Memphis Tigers faced constant ups and downs throughout the season, from the highs of having the second No. 1 recruiting class in three years, to the lows of just about everything else until January 20; COVID-19 breakouts cancelling games, and accusations of players not getting along, and many a postgame comment from head coach Penny Hardaway.
All of that followed by one of the most electrifying runs in Memphis history, finishing their season 12-2, qualifying them for their first NCAA Tournament since 2014.
In hindsight, all their struggles seemed like necessary steps to seat the 2021-2022 Memphis Tigers team at the top of Memphis basketball culture.
"Ever since I’ve been a coach, I’ve been a storm chaser," Hardaway said in his postgame press conference following the second-round exit. "I’ve always been the guy that chased the tough team in AAU and high school."
After facing the No. 1 overall team in the second round of a tournament that Memphis hasn’t seen in eight years, instead of chasing the storm, Hardaway may have weathered his biggest one.
"I hope that this shows people that Memphis is back, the real Memphis basketball, and where we were in prominence years ago," Hardaway said. "We’re getting it back to where it needs to be."
Early Trials, Mixed Results
Hardaway went to work in the offseason after winning the NIT in 2021, signing two five-star recruits in Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren, again giving the Tigers the best recruiting class in the country.
The lineup was enough to earn the Tigers the #12 ranking in the preseason Top-25 poll.
The Tigers won their first five games, climbing to #9 in the rankings before immediately losing five of their next six.
Allegations of the team not getting along with each other came following the Tigers' road loss to Ole Miss, and Hardaway brought the issues to the surface after Murray State handed them their fourth straight loss on December 10 at the FedEx Forum.
"Until we all bond together, this kind of stuff can happen," Hardaway said in his postgame press conference that day. "Other teams to me seem closer. They're having fun, they're making plays. We'll get there."
Momentum swung heavily back in their favor when, in their very next game, they shocked #6 Alabama at the FedEx Forum, easily beating them 92-78 in what was, at the time, the biggest win of the Hardaway era.
That momentum wouldn't last, as the Tigers' season games were interrupted after their next two games were cancelled due to COVID-19, including a planned neutral site matchup with Tennessee in Nashville.
When the Tigers returned to play, their performance inconsistencies returned with them.
The Tigers sat with a record of 9-8 on January 20, a far cry from preseason expectations, and fans were questioning the resolve of the team.
Calls for Hardaway to step down started to come from fans, as the head coach let out a now-infamous rant to media members following a home loss to SMU.
Running into the Dance
Perhaps it was the early season adversity that showed the Tigers just how relentless they could be.
After that home loss to SMU, the Tigers won 12 of their next 14 games.
This run included two of the biggest wins in the school's history, when the Tigers visited #6 Houston and beat them 69-59 on February 12. They then followed up that performance at home with an even more convincing win against the Cougars, beating them 75-61 on March 15.
The run was thanks in large part to Jalen Duren, who posted multiple double-doubles, allowing the Tigers to enforce a stifling defense in the AAC.
The Tigers fought and won against every ranked team they played in the regular season thereafter, only falling short to Houston in the AAC Championship Game, and later to Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers won their first-round Tournament matchup against No. 8 seed Boise State, holding off the Broncos 64-53, after nearly surrendering a 19-point halftime lead.
Alex Lomax hit clutch shots and free throws in the second half to help secure the win, giving the Tigers their first win in Tournament action since 2014.
Against Gonzaga, a team heavily favored to win, one that most experts picked to go deep into the Tournament, the Tigers fought until the last second.
With one of their leading scorers in foul trouble and half of the line up gassed, Memphis fell to Gonzaga, but rose to the occasion.
Tyler Harris, the 5'9" guard who transferred from perennial Tournament contender Iowa State to play for Hardaway, scored 13 points in the loss.
"The way we fought back through all the adversity we had, losing," Harris said. "All the media we had talking bad on our team. So when I look back at this season I can be proud but for sure when that buzzer rung I was heartbroken.”
That's Memphis.
Heartbroken, but proud.