Recapping everything Penny Hardaway said after Memphis destroys FL Atlantic

The Memphis Tigers, under coach Penny Hardaway, rebounded from their shock midweek 84-79 loss to the Wichita State Shockers to beat the Florida Atlantic Owls 84-65 on Sunday evening. The win improved the Tigers' record to 23-5 ahead of a crucial closing stint of the season with March Madness looming.

During his postgame news conference, Hardaway was full of praise for his team for beating the Owls and recovering from the upset loss to the Shockers.

"After coming off a very tough loss at Wichita State, they had a full week off to think about what we went through in that game and didn't finish well," Penny Hardaway said.

"Florida Atlantic played well and have won eight of their last 11 and were beating people on the road by 20+ points. To come out here and hold them to 65 points even though they average 80 and get the win is great."

Penny Hardaway frustrated with Memphis' March Madness outlook

Last week's loss to the Wichita State Shockers dropped the Memphis Tigers from No. 14 in the AP Top 25 Polls to No. 22 this week, despite a generally impressive season.

The Tigers have a solid resume and have a 6-2 record in Quad 1 games, beating the reigning national champions, the UConn Huskies and top sides like the Michigan State Spartans.

Penny Hardaway's team has a 9-2 record in road games, which is the second-best record in the country. With only four games left in the regular season, the Tigers have a chance to win the conference championship.

While speaking to the media, Penny Hardaway revealed his frustration at his side's prospects for March Madness with a top-four seeding looking highly unlikely.

“It’s expected,” said Penny Hardaway. “I think that (they’re penalizing) someone for their conference losses and not (giving enough credit for) what you’ve done. I think that’s really weird. A win just isn’t a win anymore.

"You’re getting penalized for wins by 10 and under in this league. You can be 6-6 in the Big 12 or the SEC, and you’ll be good to go. That’s they respect (those) conferences, and that’s unfortunate for us."

He continued:

“It just gets weirder every time you watch it,” he said. “Teams that have no Quad 1 wins are ahead of us in the NET. (And) you’re putting the teams we’ve beaten in positions to be great.

"They have handled business by beating the teams they’re supposed to beat, but when you beat those guys and you have the amount of Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins that we have, that’s supposed to mean something."

The three Quad 3 losses are projected to hurt Memphis, who are still atop the AAC conference standings with bracketologists predicting that the Tigers will be sixth or seventh seeds during March Madness.