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Memphis basketball knows it has its hands full with Colorado State in the first round of March Madness 2025.
"Arguably the hottest team on the West coast, over Arizona, over Gonzaga, the entire West coast," Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said. "They've been playing really good basketball. They kind of hit their stride of where they want to be going into March, and that's where you want to be."
Memphis (29-5) will face Colorado State (25-9) on Friday (1 p.m., TBS) in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Though the Tigers are a No. 5 seed and the Rams are a No. 12 seed, it's Colorado State that is favored on the betting line.
That's just more motivation for Memphis.
"Naturally, we want to go out there and prove them wrong," Memphis forward Nicholas Jourdain said. "But we've been doing that all season."
Here's a primer for Friday's matchup.
Colorado State has a star in Clifford, who leads the Rams in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Colorado State goes as he does, and he'll obviously be at the top of the Memphis scouting report.
"You've just got to make him take tough shots," Hardaway said. "When we're in the NBA or we were growing up, anybody that can really play you've just got to make everything tough on them and make them take tough shots. And he's still going to make those. Just nothing easy. And he's had that all season. To still average 19 (points) and nine (rebounds), pretty impressive. He's a really good player. I enjoy watching him play."
Though he's only 6-foot-6, Clifford is an elite rebounder. Shutting down that part of his game will be a major point of emphasis for whoever's guarding him, especially because Colorado State is not a great rebounding team outside of him.
Clifford was named to the All-Mountain West first team and has started to generate NBA Draft buzz, so there'll be plenty of eyeballs on him on Friday.
The Tigers could be without Tyrese Hunter and Dante Harris, meaning they'd be down their top two point guards in the biggest game of the season. That likely would mean another start for Baraka Okojie, who earned his first start as a Tiger in the AAC title game against UAB.
Hardaway had a quick answer on Tuesday when he was asked who needed to step up outside of stars PJ Haggerty and Dain Dainja.
"Colby Rogers," he said. "We need his scoring. We need him to be a guy. He's a scorer. Need him to be a scorer."
Rogers played well in the AAC tournament final, scoring 15 points and shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. His scoring — and especially his shooting — will be a critical ingredient in the Tigers' NCAA tournament recipe.
Memphis has won eight games in a row. Colorado State has won 10.
That means confidence won't be an issue for either team. The Tigers have known they were headed to the NCAA tournament for some time, but the Rams' March Madness hopes were in doubt until they won the Mountain West tournament title last weekend. They had entered last week on the bubble, only getting there because of their impressive late-season run.
The Tigers have had to spend the back half of the season thinking about advanced metrics and how margin of victory could affect their NCAA tournament seed. But that's over now.
"When you're expected to win, there's a ton of pressure," Hardaway said. "You're supposed to be winning by a certain amount, which is absurd to me because a win is a win, even if it's by one or by 20. Obviously we'd rather have it by 20, but some games are just tougher."
He paused for a second to take a breath.
"In the NCAA tournament, it's survive and advance," Hardaway said. "And that's all you're trying to do."
Memphis 78, Colorado State 75. It's Memphis, so it'll be a close game. The Tigers get star performances from Haggerty and Dainja to cancel out another big game by Clifford and keep dancing into the Round of 32.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis-Colorado State: Penny Hardaway, No. 5 seed Tigers are underdog
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"Arguably the hottest team on the West coast, over Arizona, over Gonzaga, the entire West coast," Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said. "They've been playing really good basketball. They kind of hit their stride of where they want to be going into March, and that's where you want to be."
Memphis (29-5) will face Colorado State (25-9) on Friday (1 p.m., TBS) in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Though the Tigers are a No. 5 seed and the Rams are a No. 12 seed, it's Colorado State that is favored on the betting line.
That's just more motivation for Memphis.
"Naturally, we want to go out there and prove them wrong," Memphis forward Nicholas Jourdain said. "But we've been doing that all season."
Here's a primer for Friday's matchup.
How Memphis basketball plans to limit Nique Clifford's impact
Colorado State has a star in Clifford, who leads the Rams in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Colorado State goes as he does, and he'll obviously be at the top of the Memphis scouting report.
"You've just got to make him take tough shots," Hardaway said. "When we're in the NBA or we were growing up, anybody that can really play you've just got to make everything tough on them and make them take tough shots. And he's still going to make those. Just nothing easy. And he's had that all season. To still average 19 (points) and nine (rebounds), pretty impressive. He's a really good player. I enjoy watching him play."
Though he's only 6-foot-6, Clifford is an elite rebounder. Shutting down that part of his game will be a major point of emphasis for whoever's guarding him, especially because Colorado State is not a great rebounding team outside of him.
Clifford was named to the All-Mountain West first team and has started to generate NBA Draft buzz, so there'll be plenty of eyeballs on him on Friday.
Tyrese Hunter, Dante Harris injuries: How will Memphis respond if they are out?
The Tigers could be without Tyrese Hunter and Dante Harris, meaning they'd be down their top two point guards in the biggest game of the season. That likely would mean another start for Baraka Okojie, who earned his first start as a Tiger in the AAC title game against UAB.
Hardaway had a quick answer on Tuesday when he was asked who needed to step up outside of stars PJ Haggerty and Dain Dainja.
"Colby Rogers," he said. "We need his scoring. We need him to be a guy. He's a scorer. Need him to be a scorer."
Rogers played well in the AAC tournament final, scoring 15 points and shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. His scoring — and especially his shooting — will be a critical ingredient in the Tigers' NCAA tournament recipe.
What Memphis, Colorado State have in common
Memphis has won eight games in a row. Colorado State has won 10.
That means confidence won't be an issue for either team. The Tigers have known they were headed to the NCAA tournament for some time, but the Rams' March Madness hopes were in doubt until they won the Mountain West tournament title last weekend. They had entered last week on the bubble, only getting there because of their impressive late-season run.
The Tigers have had to spend the back half of the season thinking about advanced metrics and how margin of victory could affect their NCAA tournament seed. But that's over now.
"When you're expected to win, there's a ton of pressure," Hardaway said. "You're supposed to be winning by a certain amount, which is absurd to me because a win is a win, even if it's by one or by 20. Obviously we'd rather have it by 20, but some games are just tougher."
He paused for a second to take a breath.
"In the NCAA tournament, it's survive and advance," Hardaway said. "And that's all you're trying to do."
Memphis vs Colorado State prediction: March Madness first round
Memphis 78, Colorado State 75. It's Memphis, so it'll be a close game. The Tigers get star performances from Haggerty and Dainja to cancel out another big game by Clifford and keep dancing into the Round of 32.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis-Colorado State: Penny Hardaway, No. 5 seed Tigers are underdog
Continue reading...
