Much-Improved Tulsa a Challenge for No. 15 Memphis

Memphis vs Austin Peay Post Game Penny Hardaway Press Conference

As Memphis continues to rise in the rankings, coach Penny Hardaway expects more and more from his talented, veteran team.

That’s why minutes after the now-No. 15 Tigers stopped Austin Peay 81-70 Saturday for their sixth straight win, Hardaway wasn’t in much of a mood to dispense platitudes.

“My statement is I’m glad we won the game,” he said. “That’s it.”

Hardaway hopes the Tigers put him in a better postgame mood Thursday night when they open American Athletic Conference play in Tulsa, Okla., against the much-improved Golden Hurricane.

The Tigers (11-2) got 19 points from David Jones in their latest win, plus 15 points and 15 rebounds from Nae’Qwan Tomlin in just his second game of the season. And while they weren’t seriously challenged at the end, the Tigers never really put away a 7-8 team, either.

That’s why Hardaway, and to a lesser extent, Jones, voiced concern about the team’s drive.

“Let’s say we play Virginia tomorrow —we’re all hyped up, because we want to beat them,” said Jones, referring to a rout of the Cavaliers last month when both were ranked in the top 25. “Then, we say we’re gonna play Austin Peay, and it’s like, ‘Oh, we’re playing Austin Peay. We’re gonna beat them regardless.’

“These days, in college, anybody can beat anybody. So I think we just got to work on getting prepared and getting locked in for every single team, no matter who it is.”

Jones has been locked in all season, averaging 21.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Point guard Jahvon Quinerly is chipping in 13.1 points and 4.8 assists.

Per kenpom.com, Memphis has paired one of college basketball’s fastest tempos (17th in Division I) with the 52nd-most-efficient offense and the 29th-most-efficient defense.

Meanwhile, Tulsa (9-3) earned its fourth straight win Friday night by walloping Division II Southwestern Oklahoma State 95-54. PJ Haggerty scored 21 points as the Golden Hurricane improved to 9-0 on their home floor.

“We did some things nicely tonight, and it was good to get a lot of guys into the game and get more experience for the younger guys,” Tulsa coach Eric Konkol said. “Any time you take an extended break, you’re always curious, especially when you have a really young team and new team, how they’ll respond.”

Tyshawn Archie tied his career high with 17 points as the Golden Hurricane put last season’s 5-25 mark further back in the rear-view mirror. Jesaiah McWright added 16 points, all in the second half, to establish a career-high.

The base of Tulsa’s improvement has been defensive. It ranks 45th in Kenpom in effective field-goal-percentage defense (45.1) and 21st in defensive turnover percentage, forcing 22.1 per 100 possessions. Its adjusted offensive efficiency is just 281st nationally.

Haggerty is leading the team in scoring at 17.2 points per game, while Louisiana Tech transfer Cobe Williams chips in 12.0 points and a team-high 3.5 assists. Jared Garcia adds 10.1 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds.

  1. College Sports News

    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

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  2. College Sports News

    Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

    Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.

    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

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  3. College Sports News

    Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.

    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

    Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.

    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

    “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

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