close
close

Le-verdict

News with a Local Lens

    • Final score, exhibition highlights
    minsta

    Final score, exhibition highlights

    Pabio Posted on

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Memphis Basketball brought the fight to Alabama on Monday, but it wasn’t enough to win.

    The Tigers, despite a late charge, lost to Alabama 96-88 in the Rocket City Classic at a sold-out Propst Arena a little more than a week after falling to North Carolina.

    Memphis, playing without injuries Tyrek Smith (ankle), never led against the Crimson Tide, who will enter the season viewed by many as a potential national championship contender. Alabama led by 21 points. The Tigers fought back, cutting their deficit to six points with 1:06 remaining.

    But the Crimson Tide, which beat Wake Forest by 21 points in its other exhibition game and led Monday by 21 points, held off Memphis down the stretch.

    In an exhibition game where fouls were counted but fouls were not enforced and the two teams combined for more than 80 free throw attempts, Alabama’s preseason All-American point guard, Mark Sears, scored 20 points. The Crimson Tide was missing starters Chris Youngblood, Grant Nelson and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. due to injury.

    PJ Haggerty, who led Memphis with 24 points in the loss to North Carolina, led the Tigers again, this time with 32 points.

    But that wasn’t enough to overcome a dismal first half. Memphis shot just 27.8 percent from the field and missed all seven of its 3-point attempts. The Tigers only made one triple in the game.

    Memphis hosts Missouri at FedExForum in the regular season opener Monday (7 p.m. CT, ESPN+).

    Watch Memphis vs. Alabama Basketball Live on ESPN+ (Subscribe Today)

    Memphis Basketball vs. Alabama Score Updates

    It’s only two preseason games and both came against top competition (North Carolina and Alabama), but is it time to start worrying about the Tigers’ 3-point shooting?

    Memphis was 5 of 23 from beyond the arc against the Tar Heels. With 7:55 left in the game against Alabama, Hardaway’s team was just 1 of 12 from deep.

    Memphis true freshman Jared Harris, who started against Alabama, continues to impress the Tigers.

    In the second half, he showed his athletic qualities with this grand slam.

    Memphis big man Dain Dainja had a bad night in a loss to North Carolina on Oct. 15. The Illinois transfer showed improvement against Alabama. Dainja, one of the Tigers’ few bright spots in the first half, had 9 points and four rebounds in the first 25 minutes of play. That included a monster dunk in the first half.

    Mark Sears powered the Crimson Tide with 13 first-half points, as Alabama took a 49-29 halftime lead against Memphis.

    The Tigers got 7 points in the first half from Dain Dainja, but the rest of the team struggled. PJ Haggerty and Colby Rogers combined to connect on just two of their 15 combined field goal attempts. Memphis was also held without a 3-point field goal in the first half (on seven attempts), while Alabama made six triples.

    Memphis got off to a slow start on offense, making only one of its first nine attempts from the field. Since then, the Tigers are 7 of 19. Part of the problem, however, is that none of Memphis’ buckets have come from the 3-point line, while Alabama has made five triples so far. The Crimson Tide leads 35-25 with 3:48 left in the first half.

    Moussa Cissé, who was AAC Freshman of the Year at Memphis in 2021, is back with the Tigers. And back to the ground.

    After missing the game against North Carolina on October 15 with a groin injury, Cisse came off the bench early Monday. In his first five minutes, before returning to the bench, Cissé scored 2 points, two blocks and a rebound.

    Alabama’s preseason All-American point guard Mark Sears is off to a hot start. He had 6 points on a pair of 3-pointers, which helped the Crimson Tide take an early 11-4 lead.

    Alabama leads Memphis 5-4 at the first media timeout (with 15:47 left in the first half). Both teams play fast and show a lot of intensity. The Tigers had four steals in the first four-plus minutes. The Crimson Tide dominate the boards, outscoring Hardaway’s team 9-4 early. Four of those rebounds were offensive rebounds.

    Derrion Reid, Clifford Omoruyi, Mark Sears, Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway will trot out to start the match for Nate Oats.

    True freshman guard Jared Harris will be in the Tigers’ starting lineup against the Crimson Tide. He replaces senior Colby Rogers. Harris scored 4 points and made four steals against North Carolina on Oct. 15, while Rogers scored 11 on 3-of-13 shooting. Other Memphis starters are Tyrese Hunter, PJ Haggerty, Nicholas Jourdain and Dain Dainja.

    Memphis Basketball forward Tyreek Smith will miss Monday’s exhibition game against Alabama with an injury.

    During the pregame radio show at Propst Arena, Tigers play-by-player Dave Woloshin said Smith would not play after suffering an ankle injury during a recent practice . Smith has traveled with the Tigers to Huntsville and has been peddling a stationery bike since the media was allowed into Propst Arena.

    What time is Memphis Basketball vs. Alabama playing today?

    • Date: Monday October 28
    • Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
    • Location: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama

    What channel is the Memphis vs. Alabama basketball game on today?

    TV channel: N / A

    Streaming: ESPN+

    Radio: 98.9-FM The Roar (Dave Woloshin, play-by-play; Matt Dillon, color analyst)

    Memphis vs. Alabama will be streamed live on ESPN+.

    Memphis Basketball Injury Updates vs. Alabama

    Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said last week that center Moussa Cisse, who missed the team’s exhibition game against North Carolina with a groin injury, “will play ” against the Crimson Tide.

    Grant Nelson, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Chris Youngblood and Aiden Sherrell missed Alabama’s exhibition victory against Wake Forest on October 18. Nelson, Wrightsell and Sherrell have been ruled out of Monday’s game, according to Jon Rothstein. It is unknown whether Youngblood will play or not.

    Upcoming Memphis Basketball Schedule

    Every hour in the center

    • November 4: against Missouri (7 p.m., ESPN+, FedExForum)
    • November 9: at UNLV (5 p.m., Mountain West Network)
    • November 15: vs. Ohio (TBD, FedExForum)
    • November 21: against San Francisco (9 p.m. at Chase Center in San Francisco)
    • November 25: vs. UConn (1:30 p.m., Maui Invitational, ESPN2)

    Buy Memphis basketball tickets this season via StubHub

    Upcoming Alabama basketball schedule

    Every hour in the center

    • November 4: vs. UNC Asheville (8 p.m., ESPNU)
    • November 8: vs. Arkansas State (7 p.m., SEC Network+)
    • November 11: vs. McNeese State (6 p.m., SEC Network)
    • November 15: at Purdue (6 p.m., Peacock)
    • November 20: vs. Illinois (8 p.m., SEC Network)

    Memphis Basketball News

    Contact sports writer Jason Munz at [email protected] or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

    We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking on one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this does not influence our coverage.

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Pabio
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like