Memphis basketball took a Caribbean curtain call with another lopsided win
Jason MunzNASSAU, Bahamas — The Tigers enjoyed one final moment in the preseason spotlight Sunday.
And what a curtain call it was.
Memphis, for the third time in four exhibition games, was trailing when the second quarter began. For the third time in four exhibition games, Memphis ratcheted up the pressure on defense and turned in an award-worthy performance on offense.
And just like every other time out this week, there was no surprise ending. No Hitchcockian plot twist. Unless you count the New Providence Ballroom lights fading out while Tyler Harris was in the process of heaving up a 3-pointer in the second half. That was the only scene that mustered any sort of suspense.
"I ain't know what was happening," said freshman D.J. Jeffries, who collected his second straight double-double with 17 points and a dozen rebounds.
The ball did not go through the hoop, Penny Hardaway confirmed after the game. But that didn't stop the Tigers from mounting a spirited campaign for the shot to count. Instead, however, the officials ruled a jump ball, which did not sit well with Hardaway.
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"The lights were going down as he was shooting," he said. "So I thought it should've been played over. (But) he didn't make it. I thought it missed. And then the ref was like, 'I'm sure it missed.' That's what he told me."
Besides that, though, the most noticeable differences between Sunday's game and every other one this week were the score (107-77) and the opponent (Raw Talent Elite). And the anticipation for the sequel that will premiere when the regular season begins in a few months.
"There's still a whole lot more that I'm still very jittery about," said Lance Thomas, one of seven players to score in double-figures. "The first real game. The first (competition) that goes on the record. A lot of stuff. Memphis Madness. It was fun last year. It's gonna be even more fun this year."
The cast of characters was the same as it’s been all week. D.J. Jeffries had another double-double outing. So did Damion Baugh. And the much anticipated debut of 7-foot-1 freshman center James Wiseman did not happen (despite rumblings before Sunday’s game that seemed to hint toward the contrary).
Shortly before tip-off, a hopeful Tiger fan in search of a scoop asked Wiseman during warmups whether he would play against Raw Talent Elite.
"Probably so," he replied.
Following the game, Hardaway revealed the plan was to hold Wiseman back the entire trip. Hardaway is confident his prized big man will be ready when the team needs him.
"There was no need for him to play over here," Hardaway said. "We just needed him to be around the team and relax. He had a bunch of workouts outside the team, but we just let him relax."
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Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.