Penny Hardaway and the Tigers knew Saturday's game against #13 Clemson was yet another bigtime non-conference matchup they needed to win. Not only was this the latest opportunity to move into the Top 25 early in the season, but also another ultra-important strength of schedule opportunity to improve "seeding" come NCAA tournament time.
Memphis was led once again by David Jones with 22 points and 6 rebounds. Jones is making a case for All-American status, if you look closely. Penny Hardaway's wise usage of a nine-man rotation also included 17 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals from star guard Jahvon Quinerly. Nick Jourdain and Jaykwon Walton added 11 and 10 points respectively.
This win, along with Texas A&M, Missouri, Arkansas and even the VCU win should hold up as "resume builders" come Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament considering Clemson could win the ACC. Clemson was led by Senior PJ Hall with 21 points and 3 blocks.
Meanwhile Memphis has another big-time resume building non-conference game this Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at FedExForum on ESPN 2. Full coverage this week leading up to the game on 92.9 FM ESPN, Memphis' Sports Station.
