"All week long, I was an a**hole": Penny Hardaway gets real on Memphis amid Mississippi State upset

Penny Hardaway has had to combat a few bad habits during the Memphis Tigers' season. Following their loss to Mississippi State on Dec. 21, he was adamant about the team needing to correct itself to avoid making critical errors in important games in order to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

In an exclusive interview that Field of 68: After Dark uploaded to its YouTube channel on Saturday, Hardaway did not hold back on what he did following the loss.

"Mississippi State is coming in, like, all right, they took us out of the Top 25 for you guys, and they were, like, way, way more energy," Hardaway said. "So, in that game, it pissed me off because we just didn't fight. Even though we were tired, we didn't fight.

"So, all week long, I was an a**hole. It didn't matter who it was, if you weren't doing it at a certain level, then I was, you know, in your face, and it was ugly. And to ask your question about the conference, if it takes that again, it definitely will happen. The guys just have to understand that you just can't have a letdown."

What's next for Penny Hardaway, Memphis?

Penny Hardaway and No. 21 Memphis (10-3) returned to the win column with an 87-70 victory over the then-No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday.

Memphis had strong scoring performances from co-stars Colby Rogers and PJ Haggerty. Rogers finished with 28 points and four rebounds on 10-of-16 shooting, while Haggerty put up 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Memphis has key victories over Missouri, UConn, Michigan State, Clemson and Ole Miss, showcasing its ability to punch above its weight and compete with some of the country's best teams.

Penny Hardaway and the Tigers will look forward to their first matchup of 2025, playing Florida Atlantic (7-6) in Boca Raton, Florida, at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday.