Penny Hardaway as a player was known as one of the most prolific scorers back in the 90s. Earning four All-Star selections during his days with the Orlando Magic, the 6-foot-7 guard was praised by many. However, now as the head coach for Memphis basketball, Hardaway is currently being put on blast.
The number 10 ranked Memphis Tigers just lost at home to the South Florida Bulls on Thursday, 74-73. To make matters worse, Memphis basketball held a 20-point lead at one point during the game. As expected, Tigers fans weren't happy seeing their team on the wrong end of a comeback against an unranked school.
And speaking of comebacks, Memphis' 20-point blown lead becomes the largest by a top-10 ranked team at home ever since the 2010-11 season, per ESPN.
USF DEFEATS NO. 10 MEMPHIS‼️
Memphis's 20-point blown lead is the largest by an AP Top-10 team at home since at least 2010-11 👀
(📸 @USFMBB) pic.twitter.com/C33wvTlaEr
— ESPN (@espn) January 19, 2024
Going back to the Memphis fans, much of their ire was targeted toward Hardaway.
Penny Hardaway should be embarrassed after that loss. Memphis are pretenders.
— bhthegreat (@bhthegreat) January 19, 2024
Penny Hardaway is a terrible coach
— Nate Oats Burner (@nate_oatsb) January 19, 2024
Penny Hardaway is a bad coach
— Eternal Star 2401 (@EternalStar2401) January 19, 2024
One fan even went as far as calling Hardaway an “overrated” coach.
I feel like Penny Hardaway is one of the most overrated coaches in college hoops
— Walter Darko (@_modernfootball) January 19, 2024
Others who witnessed the game spoke their minds and blasted the Memphis team as a whole.
Memphis overrated per usual
— . (@EliteBallIntel) January 19, 2024
Memphis may be most overrated team in college basketball right now. Only two spots separates Memphis and SMU in KenPom. The AAC still runs through Boca Raton.
— Walker Bailey (@WalkerBailey818) January 19, 2024
Memphis basketball was led by David Jones, who had 25 points, going 9-of-15 from the field. Jahvon Quinerly added 15 points in the loss.
The Tigers completely dominated the first half. However, South Florida was not fazed, mounting the miraculous second-half comeback that put the game down to the wire.
Tied at 73 apiece, South Florida forward Kasean Pryor was fouled with four seconds remaining. Making one out of his two shots at the charity stripe, the Bulls clung to a one-point lead.
Quinerly had one last chance for Memphis but missed the potential game-winning attempt.
For now, Penny Hardaway and the rest of the Tigers continue to endure the backlash. They look to bounce back against Tulane this coming Sunday.