After a stellar start last season, Penny Hardaway and Memphis faltered in the later half of the schedule and missed the NCAA men’s tournament. Nearly all of the roster departed, and Hardaway had to go into the portal with the pressure only intensifying.
The Tigers took the first step toward a turnaround season, taking down defending back-to-back national champion Connecticut 99-97 in an overtime thriller in the first round of the Maui Invitational.
The Huskies didn’t enter the season the same dominant team that cruised towards last season’s national title, but with Dan Hurley still at the helm along with some returners and new additions, remained one of the favorites to be the final team standing in April. One of the most prominent early season tournaments in college basketball, this season’s Maui Invitational again brought a stacked field with four teams in the top 13 of USA TODAY Sports coaches poll.
But not many expected to see Memphis play a complete game against the Huskies and cause more than the usual frustrations for Hurley’s sideline antics. Memphis’ win ended UConn’s 17-game win streak dating back to last season.
It was a close contest the entire first half, with the Tigers playing such a good first 20 minutes it would take another near-perfect effort in the second half to end the day with a win. It’s nearly what happened out of halftime.
Tyrese Hunter, a transfer from Texas, led the way on the offensive end with jumper after jumper going in and the Tigers having a 13-point lead with under five minutes to go. He finished the game with a game-high 26 points with seven 3-pointers.
However, UConn didn’t go easily. In the final three minutes, the Huskies starting making threes and forced Memphis into making mistakes to finish regulation on a 13-3 run, capped off with Solo Ball drilling a 3-pointer in the final second to send the game to overtime.
It appeared the Huskies carry the momentum early overtime and took a four-point lead after regulation. But Memphis didn’t falter. When UConn made a bucket, Memphis came right back.
The score was tied in the final minute when Hurley got in his own way. He objected to a foul call against Huskies forward Liam McNeeley and was called for a technical foul. Memphis guard PJ Carter sank the ensuing four free throws to give the Tigers a lead.
But they didn’t secure the win until a miss by Hassan Diara at the buzzer.
