Tigers Start Fast but Fall to No. 14 Arkansas in Exhibition
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis men’s basketball team fell to preseason No. 14 Arkansas, 99-75, Monday night in the second annual Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic, presented by Bad Boy Mowers at FedExForum.
Memphis, under head coach Penny Hardaway, came out firing in its preseason debut and led by as many as 15 points in the first half. The Tigers took a 45-42 advantage into the locker room, fueled from aggressive defense and hustle plays.
Point guard Dug McDaniel paced Memphis with 19 points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals while playing a team-high 33 minutes in his Tigers debut. Memphis native Curtis Givens III added 12 points, while athletic big man Aaron Bradshaw contributed eight points and four rebounds before fouling out in 18 minutes.
The Tigers struggled to find consistency from the field, shooting 32.4 percent (22-of-68) overall and 18.8 percent (6-of-32) from three-point range. Memphis held a 45-42 halftime edge before the Razorbacks opened the second half on a 22-10 run to seize control.
Despite a late push that cut the deficit to 10 points, Memphis was unable to convert down the stretch, missing its final nine field-goal attempts as Arkansas closed the game on a 20-6 run.
In the second half, Arkansas surged ahead behind the play of freshmen Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr., and senior Malique Ewin, who combined for 27 points in the second half. Thomas finished with a game-high 23 points to lead five Razorbacks in double figures.
Arkansas took control after halftime, shooting 64.5 percent from the field (20-of-31) and outscoring Memphis 36-18 in the paint. The Tigers struggled to find rhythm offensively, hitting just 24.3 percent (9-of-37) of their shots in the final 20 minutes.
Memphis will play its final exhibition game against Auburn on Thursday (7:30 p.m. CT) in Atlanta before officially opening the 2025-26 regular season Nov. 8 against San Francisco at 2 p.m. inside FedExForum.