Memphis Tigers Live Up to the Hype

However, the story of the night was #32 James Wiseman. Finally, Memphis fans got their first taste of the nation"s number one player after an ankle injury kept him from playing in the two exhibition games. Also, a shoulder injury seemed to bench him during the tournament in the Bahamas. Memphis fans packed the FedEx Forum 16,000+ deep and were not disappointed. The East High freshman lived up to all expectations within the first seconds of the game scoring the Tigers first 4 points. Wiseman ended the game with 28 points and 11 rebounds, having his first-ever double-double as a Tiger. In retrospective, since 2000, there has only been two freshmen at the University of Memphis to have double-doubles in their debut game; Sean Banks and Joey Dorsey.

"My main priority is to just trust my teammates", Wiseman said after the impressive career start, "Just running the floor. That"s one of my strengths. When I did that, the floor opened up tremendously."

Although Wiseman stole the show, he wasn’t alone. The Tigers had complete control of the entirety of the game. Forward Precious Achiuwa had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Guard Damian Baugh had 8 rebounds. In total, the Tigers had 10 blocks against the Bulldogs.

In short, Coach Penny Hardaway was impressed with the performance of his Tigers. “This was a great night for us, and I was proud of the guys tonight."

To be fair, this matchup isn’t exactly a good gauge as to where the Tigers are and who they will be this season, it gives Tiger fans a taste of the talent that this No. 1 ranked recruiting class contains. The Tigers are back in action Friday against the UIC Flames at the FedEx Forum.