With a dominant victory over the Florida Atlantic Owls at home, the Memphis Tigers continue their comeback led by senior forward David Jones.
In the upcoming years, Memphis-FAU will be a thrilling rivalry.
The Tigers won the inaugural regular-season game at FedExForum on Sunday afternoon by a score of 78-74. Given that the Owls won their final NCAA Tournament encounter a year prior, there was a hint of retaliation.
David Jones’ 25 points and 11 rebounds were a major contributing role in the crucial conference victory.
“David Jones was David Jones in the second half,” the speaker said.
The narrative of Erik Spoelstra, who began his career in a Miami Heat video room without a window and worked his way up to head coach, is probably familiar to you. In all four of the main American sports, he was the first Asian American coach. He made two finals appearances without any superstars and shared back-to-back rings with Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James. He is regarded as one of the top 15 coaches in NBA history, making him an exceptional figure. But hold on, let’s revisit the “back-to-back rings with superstars” statement, as it wasn’t always a plus for him. Though I’m sure he enjoyed it, being a celebrity coach can be challenging. Either you’re fortunate or incompetent.
In a contest that included two 20-point efforts from each side, Memphis’ offense triumphed thanks to his valiant late-game efforts. He only scored five points in the first half, but a 20-point second half signaled the beginning of a decisive Tiger run that would win the game. The forward is building a compelling case for American Conference Player of the Year after yet another spectacular effort.
huge Man’s next huge game Vlad Golden, a senior who shot 9 out of 9 from the field and finished with 22 points, kept the Owls in the game. He capitalized on Malcolm Dandridge’s absence for the Tigers.
After deterring the FAU big man in the post with three steals and 21 points, Nae’Qwon Tomlin, a senior at Memphis, stepped up. For the transfer from Kansas State, whose season ended in the Elite Eight against FAU the previous year, it was a breakthrough performance.
“Obviously, we want to win it back for Memphis, but last year, I also wanted to do it for K-State, my team,” Tomlin remarked. “The sensation is painful. Everyone in that locker room was sobbing, so I decided to do it for Memphis and my team from the previous season as well.
Both coaches were excited about the prospect of facing a fresh league opponent following their thrilling matchup in the NCAA Tournament’s opening round the previous season.
Coach Dusty May of FAU stated, “I see these games being extremely interesting going forward.” “Rivalries usually arise naturally and take time to develop. If you follow the Memphis Tigers’ long and illustrious legacy, hopefully that indicates we are playing at a high level.
“I find it enjoyable to have a rivalry,” Penny Hardaway, the head coach of Memphis, stated. “You could argue that Florida Atlantic is the “bar” in terms of what they’ve experienced, having made it to the Final Four the previous year. You thus want to compete against those teams each time you play against them.
Both teams are prepared for another matchup to create new memories in this recently established conference rivalry as the Tigers travel to Boca Raton to play the Owls in their final regular season game on March 9.