Memphis star PJ Haggerty squares off against his former team Wednesday night when the 17th-ranked Tigers host Tulsa in an American Athletic Conference contest.
Haggerty was tied for fourth in Division I in scoring entering Tuesday with 21.6 points per game. He scored 26 in an 86-83 victory Sunday at Rice, the fifth straight win for Memphis (18-4, 8-1 AAC).
Haggerty had been held to just eight points in the Tigers’ previous game, a 68-56 victory at Tulane last Thursday.
“That’s one guy I knew I didn’t have to worry about on this trip to be ready to play,” Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said after the win over the Owls. “When he got home, we knew he was going to be ready to go. I could tell he had a little bounce in his step.”
What might Haggerty do for an encore against Tulsa, the team he made 31 starts for as last season’s AAC Freshman of the Year?
If it’s like most of his games in the last two seasons, the electric guard will probably score a lot of points. Haggerty canned 11 of 18 shots at Rice and is shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and 41.5 percent from 3-point range this season. He is also averaging 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals through 22 games.
His ability to score almost at will has enabled the Tigers to arrive at the halfway point of league play with a narrow lead over UAB. Even when they haven’t played up to potential, they’ve normally found a way to win.
“Y’all know my faith, man. I believe we’re the best team in the country,” Hardaway said.
While Memphis tries to maintain its AAC lead, Tulsa (9-13, 3-6) continues its search for consistency and a few more wins. It came up short on Sunday in New Orleans, squandering a 28-26 halftime lead and falling to Tulane 59-56.
Third-year coach Eric Konkol hasn’t been able to find anyone to replace Haggerty’s volume scoring. The Golden Hurricane shot just 37.9 percent from the field Sunday, going 7 of 25 from the 3-point line. For the season, they are shooting 42.7 percent and 32.5 percent, respectively.
Guards Dwon Odom (13.8 points per game) and Keaston Willis (13.4) are the team’s leading scorers. The inside game has gotten some help with the recent return of 6-foot 9 Jared Garcia (11.8) after he missed 15 games with knee problems.
“(Garcia’s) a guy that can score around the basket,” said Konkol, who at times in the 2024 portion of the schedule was using 6-foot-5 Braeden Carrington as a small-ball power forward.
“We’re trying to get JG game-ready, to get him in better shape to see if he can play more extended minutes.”
Garcia netted 11 points Sunday in 18 minutes off the bench. But it wasn’t enough to prevent Tulsa’s fourth loss in five games.
–Field Level Media
