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The Memphis basketball program faced one of its toughest matchups of the 2024-25 season against the UConn Huskies at the Maui Invitational on Monday. Memphis pulled off a thrilling 99-97 overtime win to keep their undefeated streak alive. Head coach Penny Hardaway's immediate postgame reaction captured the toughness of the Tigers squad:
“We were very tough. I'm super proud of these guys. [Before the game] I told them also that God never fails. And he didn't fail us tonight. We are faithful to what we do, and we were the toughest team tonight,” Hardaway said, per Andy Katz of NCAA.com.
“The win does a lot for our program, our city, it means a lot to us,” Hardaway added.
Memphis impresses despite near collapse
Tim Hardaway's Memphis lineup had a sizeable lead toward the end of the fourth quarter, but the UConn basketball squad would not give up. The Huskies closed the gap and tied the game by the end of regulation. The game went back and forth in overtime, but in the end, Memphis kept the upper hand to win.
The Memphis basketball team showed they have some of the best depth in the country on Monday. The Tigers received double-digit scoring efforts from four different players, including Tyrese Hunter (26 points), PJ Haggerty (22), Colby Rogers (19), and Dain Dain Dainja (14).
The Tigers were on fire from beyond the arc, shooting an impressive 54.5 percent on their three-pointers as a team. In addition, Memphis' 54.7 overall field goal percentage beat UConn's 49.2 mark.
Memphis improved to 5-0 with their upset victory and will advance to the next stage of the Maui Invitational. Meanwhile, UConn fell to 4-1 and will play in the loser's bracket.
Penny Hardaway said Monday's win was the best of his coaching career, per UConn men's basketball beat writer David Borgues. Furthermore, UConn head coach Dan Hurley gave credit to Memphis, saying he respects Hardaway's team, Borgues added.
