Memphis Tigers Basketball: Ranked High, Going Higher?

what is memphis tigers basketball ranked

The Memphis Tigers are a successful college basketball team, having recently won the AAC Championship. The Tigers broke the 'No. 16 curse' by winning a pair of games to secure the championship, despite being ranked 16th in the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Coaches Poll. The Tigers' highest ranking of the season was 14th, and they have consistently appeared in the coaches' rankings for 11 consecutive weeks. With their recent success, the Memphis Tigers have proven their prowess on the basketball court and will look to continue their winning streak in future tournaments.

Characteristics Values
Memphis Tigers Basketball Ranking in AP Poll #16
Memphis Tigers Basketball Ranking in USA TODAY Coaches Poll #16
Memphis Tigers Basketball Ranking in Coaches Poll #17
Memphis Tigers Basketball Ranking in Coaches Poll Before #16
Memphis Tigers Basketball Highest Ranking of the Season #14
Memphis Tigers Basketball AAC Tournament Seed #1
Memphis Tigers Basketball AAC Championship Wins 2

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Memphis Tigers' rankings in 2025

As of March 2025, the Memphis Tigers are ranked 5th in the NCAA Tournament. Kyan Evans led 12th-seed Colorado State to a 78-70 victory over the Tigers in the first round of the tournament.

The Tigers have a 6-1 Quad I record, a 5-2 Quad II record, an 11-2 Quad III record, and a 7-0 Quad IV record. These rankings are determined by the quadrant system, which identifies the number of quality wins by considering the difficulty of beating teams within certain rankings, whether at home, neutral, or away. For example, beating a Top-30 team at home is considered as difficult as beating a Top-75 team away.

In the 2024 final AP Poll rankings, the Memphis Tigers were ranked 24th, with signature victories including a 20-12 road win at Florida State and a 34-24 upset at then-No. 18 Tulane on Thanksgiving.

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Associated Press Top 25 rankings

The Memphis Tigers broke the No. 16 curse in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings by winning a pair of games to secure the AAC championship. The Tigers, ranked No. 16 in both the AP poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, defeated UTSA on the road and South Florida at home to finish the week with a 2-0 record. This was a notable achievement, as seven of the previous eight weeks had seen teams ranked 16th in the Associated Press Top 25 suffer at least one loss during that week.

Despite this success, the Tigers still experienced a setback in the rankings. In the coaches' poll released the following Monday, Penny Hardaway's team dropped to No. 17, marking the 11th straight week they had appeared in the coaches' rankings. Their highest ranking of the season was 14th, and they were leapfrogged in the latest poll by No. 15 Saint Mary's and No. 16 Texas A&M.

The Tigers' performance in the AAC tournament, where they earned a double-bye as the No. 1 seed, showcased their resilience and determination. Their first game was scheduled for Friday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, with their opponent to be determined between Wichita State and South Florida.

The Associated Press Top 25 rankings are a highly respected and influential ranking system in college basketball. The rankings are based on the votes of a panel of sports journalists and media members, who consider various factors such as team performance, strength of schedule, and individual player performances. The rankings are released weekly during the college basketball season and play a significant role in shaping the perception of teams and influencing tournament selections and seedings.

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USA TODAY Coaches Poll rankings

The Memphis Tigers basketball team has had several rankings in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll over the past few seasons. In the 2023-24 season, the Tigers climbed in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, reaching #18 after wins against Virginia and Vanderbilt. This was an improvement from their ranking of #23 the week before.

In the 2024-25 season, the Tigers entered the USA TODAY Coaches Poll at #15 after a 3-1 week, including wins over San Francisco, UConn, and Michigan State. The team's performance in the 2024-25 season allowed them to move into the top 25, a significant improvement from the previous season.

The Tigers' success in the 2024-25 season continued, and they remained in the national rankings for five consecutive weeks. With a record of 16-4 and 6-1 in the AAC, the team moved up to #16 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, leapfrogging several other teams. This ranking was an improvement of six spots from the previous week, showcasing the team's consistent improvement.

The Memphis Tigers' rankings in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll have fluctuated over the past few seasons, but they have consistently remained in the top 25 or close to it. The team's performance in the 2024-25 season, in particular, stood out, with a strong start and consistent wins that helped them climb the rankings.

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AAC tournament seeding

The Memphis Tigers are currently ranked 3-0 in the AAC MBB Tournament seeding, alongside UAB and Tulane, who are both ranked 3-1. The ranking system used for the AAC tournament seeding is based on Torvik rankings and Sagarin ratings.

The AAC tournament seeding is a ranking system used to determine the conference tournament seeds for the American Athletic Conference (AAC) basketball tournament. The AAC is a college athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I, which is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics in the United States. The AAC was officially established in 2013 and currently consists of 11 member institutions across the eastern and southern United States.

The AAC tournament seeding is based on a combination of factors, including the team's performance during the regular season, their conference record, and their ranking in various basketball rating systems. The specific criteria used to determine the seeding may vary slightly from year to year, but the overall goal is to create a seeding system that reflects the strength and performance of each team within the conference.

The AAC tournament seeding is important because it determines the bracket and match-ups for the AAC basketball tournament. The tournament is a single-elimination format, with the teams seeded according to their regular-season performance and conference record. The higher-seeded teams typically have home-court advantage and are more likely to advance further in the tournament. The eventual winner of the AAC tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, also known as March Madness, which determines the national champion for men's college basketball.

While the Memphis Tigers have a strong start with their current undefeated record, the AAC tournament seeding will continue to evolve as the season progresses and more games are played. The final seeding will be crucial in determining the Tigers' path and potential match-ups in the AAC tournament, as they compete for the conference championship and a chance to represent the AAC in the NCAA Tournament.

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Penny Hardaway's coaching

Penny Hardaway was hired as the head coach of his alma mater, the Memphis Tigers, on March 19, 2018. Hardaway had no college coaching background prior to this appointment, although he had previously found success as a high school and AAU coach. In his first year as head coach, Hardaway led the Tigers to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and secured the number one recruiting class in the country.

Hardaway's impact was immediate, as he brought in top-rated high school player James Wiseman, D. J. Jeffries (formerly committed to Kentucky), and Boogie Ellis (formerly committed to Duke), among others. This trend continued in 2019 when Precious Achiuwa, a top-20 five-star recruit, signed with Memphis. In 2023, Hardaway led Memphis to an American Athletic Conference championship and a place in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where they were eliminated in a controversial game against FAU.

Hardaway's tenure at Memphis has seen its share of challenges as well. In 2022, he had to rebuild his staff just eight weeks before the Tigers' first game, after four assistants were dismissed in September due to an anonymous letter alleging major violations. Despite this setback, Hardaway led the Tigers to 29 wins in the 2024-2025 season, the most during his time as head coach, and an outright American Athletic Conference regular-season championship with a conference record of 16-2.

Overall, Hardaway has a 162-68 record in six seasons with the Memphis Tigers. While his teams have shown promise, they have also faced criticism for their lack of NCAA Tournament success. Despite this, Hardaway remains dedicated to the program and the basketball-loving community in Memphis, expressing his desire to lead the Tigers to deeper runs in the tournament.

Frequently asked questions

As of March 12, 2025, the Memphis Tigers were ranked 16th in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. They went on to win the AAC Championship, breaking the "No. 16 curse".

After winning the AAC Championship, the Memphis Tigers dropped to 17th in the coaches' poll.

As of March 12, 2025, the Memphis Tigers Basketball team had been ranked in the coaches' poll for 11 consecutive weeks.

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