Memphis coach Penny Hardaway reached a big milestone Thursday night — his 150th career win.
“What a great 6 1/2 years for me, as far as all the talent that I’ve had and the coaches I’ve had, to be at 150,” Hardaway said after his team’s 80-65 victory at South Florida. “Thank God for the opportunity. I’ve grown so much in the game. Just happy to be here, being able to help the school and the city, you know, just try to advance.”
Hardaway will aim for his next 150 wins Sunday when the 14th-ranked Tigers travel to Wichita, Kan., for an American Athletic Conference game against the Wichita State Shockers.
Memphis (21-4, 11-1) is on an eight-game winning streak and holds a two-game lead over North Texas in the conference standings. The Tigers can improve from their performance at South Florida, where they made only 40.3 percent of their shots and missed 13 out of 30 free throws.
Despite the shooting struggles, the Tigers still cruised to a win thanks to strong rebounding and solid defense. They out-rebounded South Florida 51-34, grabbing 16 offensive boards that led to 16 points, and held the Bulls to 38.3 percent shooting.
Even with the shooting issues, Memphis had four players in double figures, including 15 points from Tyrese Hunter in his first game back after missing a 90-82 win over Temple on Feb. 9 due to a knee injury. It was the first game Hunter has missed in his four seasons, spanning 131 games.
“I got emotional just thinking about it when I first figured out the news,” Hunter said. “But it was for the best of the team.”
Derik Queen (NCAAB)PJ Haggerty leads Memphis with 21.5 points per game, while Hunter adds 14.5 points and Dain Dainja chips in 12.8 points on 60 percent shooting. Dainja has been averaging just under 20 points per game over his last three games.
While Memphis is playing well, Wichita State (14-10, 4-7) has won three straight games, with their latest victory being a 69-64 win over Texas-San Antonio on Wednesday. The Shockers overcame 20 turnovers by dominating the boards 50-29, with Corey Washington recording a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double.
A key reason for Wichita State’s recent success is their defense. Opponents have made only 16 of 69 3-point attempts (23.2 percent) in the last three games, compared to 42.1 percent during the Shockers’ rough 1-7 start to AAC play.
“We’ve made a lot of adjustments but we’ve also grown a lot,” forward Harlond Beverly said. “We’re playing hard-nosed and being tough.”
Wichita State’s improved defense will face a tough challenge against Memphis, which ranks fourth in Division I for 3-point shooting accuracy at 40.1 percent. The Shockers also need to take better care of the ball. They committed 22 turnovers in their 61-53 loss to Memphis on Jan. 23.
Xavier Bell leads Wichita State with 14.6 points per game and makes 86.7 percent of his free throws. Washington adds 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds, while Justin Hill scores 13.3 points per game.
Memphis leads the all-time series 21-13, though Wichita State has a home court advantage with an 8-7 record at home.
