Purdue Looks For 5th Straight Vs. Memphis

Hardaway’s crew travels to the Caribbean with a disappointing 1-2 record thus far. After defeating the San Francisco Dons in their opening game, the Tigers have dropped two straight to the Mississippi Rebels and the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels.

Three different players lead Memphis in the three main offensive categories. Setting the pace in scoring is senior guard Sincere Parker, who has tallied 11.3 points per contest. He is also hauling down 3.7 rebounds each game. Senior point guard Dug McDaniel and sophomore guard Curtis Givens III come next on the scoring list, both averaging 10.7 points per game. McDaniel leads his team in assists, dishing out 5.7 dimes each game.

Swiping the glass for the Tigers is sophomore Julius Thedford, who is hauling down 5.7 boards each game.

Memphis’ first road game, an 83-77 loss at Ole Miss, saw the Tigers fall behind by nine at the break. They made a game of it late, cutting the Rebels’ lead to four with just under eight minutes left, but they never got closer than that for the remainder of the game.

In their most recent game against UNLV, Memphis started slowly again, falling behind by 13 at halftime, and never recovered, losing 92-78 at home.

These two disappointments have left Hardaway at a loss to describe his team’s character and toughness, and he sounds like he is at his wits’ end to find guys to compete.

“You know, this is very tough for me, obviously, because we haven’t been in this position this early in the season before,” he said after the UNLV game. “It’s the byproduct of having a new team, and I’m trying, along with the staff, to just go to war everyday and find five guys, find seven guys, find eight guys that can just run through a wall. Not even just shoot well, shoot well, just fight, and we’re still trying to figure that out right now.”

This is not the way he wants to enter a game against the top-ranked team in the nation, but he can draw on recent history as motivation for his team as they prepare for Purdue. The last time Hardaway’s Tigers faced a #1 team was a success; they defeated the Houston Cougars in the 2023 American Athletic Championship game, 75-65.

End Of My Purdue Rant: Boilers Need To Stay The Course

As the top-ranked team in all the land, the Purdue Boilermakers have had and will have a target on their backs for the entire season. That is not news to them, but the way they handle that pressure will dictate how their season will fare.

If last week’s games are any indication, the Boilers have things sorted out. They addressed their rebounding woes from their first two games and handled #8 Alabama Crimson Tide, then backed that up with no letdown against a scrappy Akron team. For their fortunes to continue, Purdue needs to avoid a sunburn and keep their recent efforts consistent.