"It was a no-nonsense locker room": Penny Hardaway explains how Memphis Tigers recovered from Mississippi State thumping to beat Ole Miss

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway explained how the Tigers recovered from the 13-point loss against Mississippi State to beat Ole Miss 87-70 on Saturday afternoon at the FedEx Forum.

Hardaway disclosed that the setback against the Bulldogs flipped a switch in his head. He realized that the team must prepare harder to reach its objectives in the 2024-25 college basketball season.

For the clash against the Rebels, he became a strict taskmaster who implemented old-school methods to make his group realize that it would be a tough climb.

"I was as hard on them that I've ever been all year, all week. It was a no nonsense locker room and in court all week," Hardaway said (1:19).

The former NBA player employed grit and grind practices and thoroughly viewed film in preparation for the Ole Miss game, and it worked out well.

Memphis ran away in the second half, scoring 49 points to beat No. 16-ranked Ole Miss to improve to 10-3. The win closes the Tigers' nonconference schedule and opens the door for a competitive AAC regular season ahead.

Aside from beating the Rebels, Memphis carved out victories against higher-ranked teams Clemson and defending champion UConn, moving up the AAC standings, ahead of North Texas and Wichita State.

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Memphis coach Penny Hardaway sheds light on significance of finishing nonconference slate on bright note

Memphis Tigers coach Penny Hardaway expounded on the importance of finishing its nonconference schedule on a positive note. During his postgame interview, Hardaway said that going 3-1 against quality teams in the last four nonconference games means that the team is performing well.

The seventh-year coach had his mind set on beating Ole Miss due to its caliber in the SEC. He didn't want the stigma of the loss against Mississippi State to affect his team going into conference play, so it played hard against the Rebels.

"You couldn't go in with the momentum of a bad loss last week with we didn't fight and there are no moral victories," Penny Hardaway said (2:50)

"If you come out today and don't win, then you got to go on the road to FAU which is going to be another t-shirt game where they're going to be in there packed and going crazy we just couldn't afford it," he added (2:56).

Penny Hardaway also praised Moussa Cisse, who put up a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double, for delivering an excellent game on the paint against his former team. He expects the 6-foot-11 center to have a bigger impact, especially in conference play.

The Memphis coach also hailed the efforts of Colby Rogers and PJ Haggerty in the win. Rogers finished with 28 points, while Haggerty added 17.

Memphis visits Florida Atlantic in its AAC regular-season opener on Jan. 2, while the Tigers will have their first home game against North Texas on Jan. 5.

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Will Memphis carry over their excellent nonconference run to the AAC regular season play? Let's know your insights in the comments section below: