NCAA committee does right by Tigers; Memphis earns 5 seed in the West region

Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway instructs his defense during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against UAB in the championship of the American Athletic Conference tournament, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

by: Mike Ceide

Posted: Mar 16, 2025 / 05:56 PM CDT

Updated: Mar 16, 2025 / 07:27 PM CDT

MEMPHIS — The best year of Penny Hardaway’s seven seasons as head coach of the Tigers, gets rewarded.

After winning both the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles, Memphis earns a five seed in the NCAA Tournament where the Tigers will take on Colorado State on Friday in Seattle. That game will be the first game of the day in the Pacific Northwest with the Tigers and Rams tipping off at 1 o’clock on TBS.

The Tigers closed the year by winning 16 of their last 17 games and cutting down the nets as AAC Tournament champs for the second time in three years.

If the 29 and 5 Tigers beat the Rams, they would likely face Maryland on Sunday in the Round of 32.