CBB Rank 2026: No. 91, Memphis Basketball

It was a difficult 2025-26 season for Memphis basketball, and now Penny Hardaway deals with a deficiency of talent.

The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Memphis basketball.

In a nutshell, the Tigers have been able to tread above water in Hardaway’s eight-year tenure. They have appeared in three NCAA Tournaments, won 20+ games seven times, and have generally been a consistent contender in the American.

At the same time, a program with a strong winning tradition (No. 19 in our all-time rankings) has taken a clear step back, underperforming their talent level consistently. Last year, Memphis’ 13 total wins were their lowest in 28 years.

The fact that nearly the entire roster has been overhauled is evidently not a bad thing, but it still looks significantly bleaker than years past. The only redeeming quality is that the American is very winnable, with no standout favorite, and Memphis very much in the fold.

Head coach: Penny Hardaway (9th season overall, all at Memphis)

2025-26 record: 13-19 (8-10)

2026 postseason finish: Lost in first round of American Conference Tournament (81-69) to Tulane

Notable departures: 

• Dug McDaniel (13.9 PPG, 4.6 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.9 SPG)
• Sincere Parker (11.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.1 APG)

Notable non-conference games: 

• vs. Iowa State — Sioux Falls, S.D. (Nov. 2)
• vs. VCU (Nov. 7)
• at Vanderbilt (Nov. 10)
• vs. Louisville (Nov. 15)
• Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 25-27)
• vs. Dayton (Nov. 29)
• at Baylor (Dec. 5)
• at Texas (Dec. 16)
• vs. Utah State (Feb. 20)

Projected Rotation

PG: Jayden Reid (5-10, 161, Sr.)

2025-26 stats: 10.1 PPG, 5.0 APG, 1.4 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 82.0 FT% (Northwestern)

SG: Brandin Cummings (6-3, 170, Jr.)

2025-26 stats: 12.5 PPG, 2.1 APG, 1.5 RPG (Pitt)

SF: Tylik Weeks (6-7, 225, Sr.)

2025-26 stats: 19.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 82.3 FT% (Southern Miss)

PF: Jerry Deng (6-9, 220, Sr.)

2025-26 stats: 6.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.4 APG, 8 GP (NC State)

C: Corneilous Williams (6-9, 210, Sr.)

2025-26 stats: 12.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 0.8 APG, 55.1 FG% (North Alabama)

6: Rihards Vavers (6-7, 195, Sr.)

2025-26 stats: 11.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 0.4 APG (Washington State)

7: Julius Thedford (6-4, 190, Jr.)

2025-26 stats: 8.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 1.1 SPG

8: Josh Holloway (6-2, 160, Sr.)

2025-26 stats: 4.6 PPG, 1.8 APG, 1.7 RPG, 50.5 FG% (Texas A&M)

9: Fred Smith Jr (6-6, 210, Fr.)

247Sports Composite No. 101 ranked recruit

10: William Whorton (6-8, 205, Jr.)

2025-26 stats: 1.8 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.2 APG

Memphis basketball team MVP: Tylik Weeks

If Memphis basketball improves its offensive production this season, it is likely because of Tylik Weeks. The Brooklyn, New York native has dominated everywhere he has played, first at Southwest Mississippi CC and most recently at Southern Miss.

Now, taking another step up in competition, Weeks looks to put up offensive numbers the same way — through bully ball. He makes his living by driving straight to the rim, embracing any contact on the way, and is relentless on the offensive glass. Despite his seemingly one-dimensional playing style, Weeks’ output is consistent because he converts at the line at over 80% and is more than capable as a passer. On the defensive end, his physicality and high motor make him an asset, particularly when used at the four instead of the three (which is TBD given the dichotomy of this roster).

As long as there is some element of spacing around Weeks, he should undoubtedly be the engine of this Memphis basketball team.

Memphis basketball make-or-break player: Jerry Deng

Whether deliberate or not, Hardaway will be forced to play small ball with this roster, and Jerry Deng is a likely candidate to start at one of the forward spots alongside Weeks. While it is unrealistic that he can contribute the same way as a traditional big, he can potentially provide some valuable shooting in the frontcourt, complementary to Weeks’ physicality.

Deng has spent time at a few different stops prior to this offseason. He was productive as a freshman at Hampton, a relevant role player as a sophomore at Florida State, and had trouble finding the court last season at NC State. Once again, Hardaway has his “project guy” who has not quite been able to find his footing in college, despite a high ceiling of talent.

We can expect Deng to loom around the 36% to 38% three-point shooting percentage, similar to where he has sat in his career. The major question is whether he can provide enough in the rebounding and rim protection department, two areas he has not shown in his game to date.

Memphis’ frontcourt depth is thin, so Deng will need to be more than just a shooter for them to experience success.

Key statistic: Turnover rate

A lot went wrong with Memphis last season, and perhaps ball security on the offensive end stood out the most. The Tigers gave the ball up on 19.3% of possessions last year, which ranked 318th in Division 1.

Quite frankly, this has been a glaring issue throughout Hardaway’s tenure, with his fast and often out-of-control style. It does not feel like it will get better in due time, either.

Josh Holloway was the culprit of bad turnovers at Texas A&M, and Jayden Reid implements a high-variance playing style as well. Perhaps Brandin Cummings can be a steadying presence, having turned the ball over just 11.4% of the time as a scoring-focused guard at Pitt.

Memphis basketball has had success with high turnover rates before, but they have been able to overcome it with elite shot-making and/or defense. Since neither is likely to be the case this time around, competence in this area of the offense is vital for the Tigers to be competitive.

Memphis basketball 2026-27 projections

Projected conference finish: 3rd in the American Conference

Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament first round