Memphis Head Coach Penny Hardaway Praises Clemson Tigers After Great Game

Penny Hardaway recently praised the Clemson Tigers after a great game.

Memphis' head coach Penny Hardaway shouts to his players during the game between Arkansas State University and the University of Memphis at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, December 8, 2024. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers suffered a tough overtime loss to the Memphis Tigers in what will be their penultimate out of conference game of the season. 

In what ended up being a great game between Clemson and Memphis, the Tigers of Clemson unfortunately came up short in an overtime thriller. 

To start the game, Memphis got off to a quick 8-0 run and controlled much of the first half. However, Clemson slowly but surely worked their way back into it, and it was a see-saw battle for most of the second half. 

This was just the second loss of the season for Clemson, and the first at home. However, this is a very talented Memphis team, who have already beaten some good competition this season during the Maui Invitational. 

Early season out of conference games are good for building a resume for March, and overall, Clemson has done well in them. Recently, Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway praised this Clemson team.

“Last year, playing against PJ [Hall] and Ian were the two hardest bigs we ever played against because they know how to duck in,” Hardaway said. “They turn and duck into a rebounding position. So we knew this, if we hadn’t played them last year, there’s no way you can just see it. But to be in that game last year and understand who it is, you go, hey man if you don’t match his energy he’s going to destroy you. Clemson does a great job of confusing you because they’re in the gaps and they rotate out to the three-point line really well, and when you beat that guy the next guy comes. They do a great job,” Hardaway said to Ashby Mixon of the Clemson Insider. 

The bigs of Clemson certainly played well in this one, as Viktor Lakhin led the way in the scoring department with 23 points. Ian Schieffelin also performed well with 17 points in the loss, but he shockingly only had six rebounds. 

As one of the best defenses in the country, Clemson did an excellent job on PJ Haggerty of Memphis, holding him to 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting from the field. Unfortunately, the other guards on Memphis stepped up, as Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers combined for 45 points. 

While it was a tough loss for Clemson, it was a great game against a very strong opponent. 

Next up for the Tigers will be a matchup on Tuesday night against their rival, the South Carolina Gamecocks. This will mark their final out of conference game of the season, as ACC play really gets going to start the new year.