2017–18 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

2017–18 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 6 Cincinnati †	16	–	2	.889	31	–	5	.861
No. 21 Houston	14	–	4	.778	27	–	8	.771
No. 16 Wichita State	14	–	4	.778	25	–	8	.758
Tulsa	12	–	6	.667	19	–	12	.613
Memphis	10	–	8	.556	21	–	13	.618
UCF	9	–	9	.500	19	–	13	.594
Temple	8	–	10	.444	17	–	16	.515
UConn	7	–	11	.389	14	–	18	.438
SMU	6	–	12	.333	17	–	16	.515
Tulane	5	–	13	.278	14	–	17	.452
East Carolina	4	–	14	.222	10	–	20	.333
South Florida	3	–	15	.167	10	–	22	.313

† 2018 AAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The 2017–18 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represents the University of Memphis in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the 97th season of Tiger basketball, the second under head coach Tubby Smith, and the fifth as members of the American Athletic Conference. They play their home games at the FedEx Forum.

Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2016–17 season 19–13, 9–9 in AAC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament to UCF.^[1] Despite having 19 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

Offseason

Departures

Following the 2016–17 season, Dedric Lawson, K.J. Lawson, and Markel Crawford, the Tigers' three leading scorers and rebounders, announced they would transfer from Memphis.^[2]

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
K.J. Lawson	0	G/F	6' 7"	210	RS Freshman	Memphis, TN	Transferred to Kansas
Dedric Lawson	1	G/F	6' 9"	236	Sophomore	Memphis, TN	Transferred to Kansas
Keon Clergeot	4	G	6' 1"	187	Freshman	Winter Haven, FL	Transferred to Massachusetts
Markel Crawford	5	G	6' 5"	208	RS Junior	Memphis, TN	Transferred to Ole Miss
Christian Keese	10	G	6' 1"	182	Senior	Las Vegas, NV	Graduated
Craig Randall II	12	G	6' 4"	184	Sophomore	Youngstown, OH	Transferred to Duquesne
Chad Rykhoek	15	F	6' 11"	236	RS Senior	Fort Worh, TX	Transferred
Jake McDowell	42	G/F	6' 5"	218	Senior	Memphis, TN	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Num	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Kyvon Davenport	0	PF	6'8"	185	Sophomore	Gainesville, GA	Junior college transfer from Georgia Highlands College.
Raynere Thornton	4	SF	6'7"	215	Sophomore	Marietta, GA	Junior college transfer from Gordon College.
Kareem Brewton	5	SG	6'3"	205	Sophomore	Snellville, GA	Junior college transfer from Eastern Florida State College.
Mike Parks Jr.	10	C	6'9"	270	Sophomore	Cleveland, OH	Junior college transfer from SW Mississippi CC.
Malik Rhodes	11	SG	6'2"	170	Sophomore	Cincinnati, OH	Junior college transfer from Barton CC.

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Victor Enoh PF	Decatur, Georgia	Greenforest Christian Academy	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Oct 7, 2016
Victor Enoh PF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
David Nickelberry SF	Orlando, Florida	Windermere Prep	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	Apr 6, 2017
David Nickelberry SF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jamal Johnson SG	Birmingham, Alabama	Spain Park HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Nov 9, 2016
Jamal Johnson SG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Connor Vanover C	Little Rock, Arkansas	Baptist Preparatory School	7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sep 20, 2017
Connor Vanover C	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2017–18 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	0	Kyvon Davenport	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jr	East Hall HS/Georgia Highlands	Gainesville, Georgia
G	1	Jamal Johnson	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	Spain Park HS	Birmingham, Alabama
G/F	2	Jimario Rivers	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	193 lb (88 kg)	Sr	Kenwood HS/SW Tennessee CC	Clarksville, Tennessee
G	3	Jeremiah Martin	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jr	Mitchell HS	Memphis, Tennessee
G/F	4	Raynere Thornton	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jr	Marietta HS/Gordon State	Marietta, Georgia
G	5	Kareem Brewton	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jr	Shiloh HS/Eastern Florida State	Claxton, Georgia
F	10	Mike Parks	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	270 lb (122 kg)	Jr	Richmond Heights HS/SW Mississippi CC	Cleveland, Ohio
G	11	Jonathan Bins	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	150 lb (68 kg)	So	Germantown HS	Memphis, Tennessee
F	12	Victor Enoh	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Fr	Greenforest Christian Academy	Decatur, Georgia
G	15	David Nickelberry	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	Fr	Windermere Prep	Orlando, Florida
F	23	Karim Sameh Azab	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	290 lb (132 kg)	So	Hales Franciscan HS	Giza, Egypt
G	30	Kytrel Williams	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	Sr	Harding Academy/Motlow State CC	Memphis, Tennessee
F	32	Alex Moffatt	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	223 lb (101 kg)	Sr	Fayette Academy/Shawnee State	Somerville, Tennessee

Head coach

Tubby Smith (High Point)

Assistant coach(es)

Pooh Williamson (Tulsa)
Joe Esposito (Marist)
Saul Smith (Kentucky)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Nov 2, 2017* 7:00 pm	LeMoyne–Owen	W 101–78		FedEx Forum Memphis, TN
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017* 5:30 pm, CBSSN	vs. Alabama Veterans Classic	L 70–82	0–1	Alumni Hall (3,238) Annapolis, MD
Nov 14, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	Little Rock	W 70–62	1–1	FedEx Forum (7,224) Memphis, TN
Nov 21, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	New Orleans	W 62–53	2–1	FedEx Forum (7,224) Memphis, TN
Nov 25, 2017* TBA, ESPN3	Northern Kentucky	W 76–74	3–1	FedEx Forum (5,369) Memphis, TN
Nov 30, 2017* 7:00 pm	at UAB Bartow Classic	L 56–71	3–2	Bartow Arena (4,920) Birmingham, AL
Dec 2, 2017* 4:00 pm, ESPN3	Mercer	W 83–81 ^2OT	4–2	FedEx Forum (4,113) Memphis, TN
Dec 5, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	Samford	W 65–64	5–2	FedEx Forum (4,702) Memphis, TN
Dec 9, 2017* 12:00 pm, ESPN3	Bryant Gotham Classic	W 90–72	6–2	FedEx Forum (4,373) Memphis, TN
Dec 12, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPNU	Albany Gotham Classic	W 67–58	7–2	FedEx Forum (4,168) Memphis, TN
Dec 16, 2017* 11:00 am, ESPN2	vs. Louisville Gotham Classic/Rivalry	L 72–81	7–3	Madison Square Garden (6,525) New York, NY
Dec 20, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	Siena Gotham Classic	W 70–66	8–3	FedEx Forum (6,079) Memphis, TN
Dec 23, 2017* 11:00 am, ESPN3	Loyola (MD)	W 83–71	9–3	FedEx Forum (5,825) Memphis, TN
Dec 28, 2017* 8:00 pm, CBSSN	LSU	L 61–71	9–4	FedEx Forum (9,468) Memphis, TN
AAC regular season
Dec 31, 2017 3:00 pm, ESPNU	at No. 21 Cincinnati	L 48–82	9–5 (0–1)	BB&T Arena (8,143) Highland Heights, KY
Jan 3, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN3	at UCF	L 56–65	9–6 (0–2)	CFE Arena (4,298) Orlando, FL
Jan 6, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPNews	Tulsa	W 76–67	10–6 (1–2)	FedEx Forum (6,004) Memphis, TN
Jan 9, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNews	Tulane	W 96–89	11–6 (2–2)	FedEx Forum (4,825) Memphis, TN
Jan 13, 2018 1:00 pm, CBSSN	at Temple	W 75–72 ^OT	12–6 (3–2)	Liacouras Center (6,238) Philadelphia, PA
Jan 16, 2018 8:00 pm, CBSSN	Connecticut	W 73–49	13–6 (4–2)	FedEx Forum (2,417) Memphis, TN
Jan 20, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU	at Tulsa	L 51–64	13–7 (4–3)	Reynolds Center (5,189) Tulsa, OK
Jan 27, 2018 5:00 pm, CBSSN	No. 9 Cincinnati	L 48–62	13–8 (4–4)	FedEx Forum (12,223) Memphis, TN
Jan 31, 2018 7:30 pm, ESPNews	at South Florida	W 86–74	14–8 (5–4)	USF Sun Dome (2,754) Tampa, FL
Feb 3, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPNews	at East Carolina	L 85–88 ^OT	14–9 (5–5)	Williams Arena (3,338) Greenville, NC
Feb 6, 2018 8:00 pm, CBSSN	No. 22 Wichita State	L 65–85	14–10 (5–6)	FedEx Forum (7,257) Memphis, TN
Feb 11, 2018 3:00 pm, CBSSN	UCF	L 64–68	14–11 (5–7)	FedEx Forum (7,163) Memphis, TN
Feb 14, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU	at SMU	W 70–67	15–11 (6–7)	Moody Coliseum (6,539) Dallas, TX
Feb 17, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPNU	at Tulane	W 68–63	16–11 (7–7)	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,896) New Orleans, LA
Feb 22, 2018 8:00 pm, CBSSN	No. 23 Houston	W 91–85	17–11 (8–7)	FedEx Forum (6,536) Memphis, TN
Feb 25, 2018 1:00 pm/3:00 pm, ESPN/ESPNU	at Connecticut	W 83–79	18–11 (9–7)	Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT
Mar 1, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNews	South Florida			FedEx Forum Memphis, TN
Mar 4, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPNews	East Carolina			FedEx Forum Memphis, TN
AAC Tournament
Mar 8–11, 2018	vs.			Amway Center Orlando, FL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

References

^ Romero, Iliana Limón. "UCF throttles Memphis, advances to AAC Tournament semifinals". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
^ "How Tubby Smith made a gigantic mess of Memphis' program in just one year". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2017-04-26.

[1] Romero, Iliana Limón. "UCF throttles Memphis, advances to AAC Tournament semifinals". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2017-08-02.

[2] "How Tubby Smith made a gigantic mess of Memphis' program in just one year". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2017-04-26.

[1]

[2]

v t e Memphis Tigers men's basketball
Venues	Various locations (1920–1929) Memorial Fieldhouse (1929–1966) Mid-South Coliseum (1966–1991) Pyramid Arena (1991–2004) FedExForum (2004–present)
Rivalries	Cincinnati Louisville UAB
Culture & lore	Pouncer Newby's TOM (mascot) "Go Tigers Go" Mighty Sound of the South
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1942–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics