Memphis Tigers Start 2026-27 Season With Two Wins

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway began his ninth season with a 2-0 record, a start that has lifted the Tigers to the No. 26 position in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 rankings. The team achieved this standing one week into the 2026-27 season, a rapid turnaround from last year's collapse. Hardaway, who is facing scrutiny after the program's worst season in 56 years, has used these early victories to counter concerns about his future at the alma mater.

The path to this start was not always clear. Last season, Memphis lost seven of its first 11 non-league games. That performance placed Hardaway on hot seat lists entering the fall. Despite the previous failure, Hardaway maintained his strategy of scheduling aggressively outside the league. He aimed to build an at-large resume for the NCAA Tournament, a plan that had previously fallen short.

This season, the Tigers outperformed projections that had them as underdogs in their first four games. On Monday, Memphis won 80-76 against No. 18 Iowa State on a neutral court. Three days later, the team secured an 89-88 victory over VCU at FedExForum. VCU was ranked 57th by KenPom and had been selected to win the Atlantic 10 conference.

Jayden Reid, a transfer from Northwestern, led the offensive effort in the win against VCU. He scored 32 points and made the free throws that decided the game in the final seconds. Reid is now averaging 29.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.5 steals for the undefeated team. After the game, Reid expressed gratitude for his position at Memphis following his move through the portal.

Reid stated, "I'm just so thankful for God. He put me in a great position, coming to Memphis out the portal. I'm so thankful for my coaches, my teammates. It's a big-time win at home." His performance has helped distinguish Memphis as the only Division I team with wins against both an AP-ranked opponent and a top-60 KenPom opponent.

Hardaway's record over his eight previous seasons includes one conference championship, four finishes of fifth place or lower in the American Athletic Conference, three NCAA Tournament appearances, and one tournament victory. His status as the program's most celebrated alum, a former player whose career was cut short by injuries, adds weight to the current season's performance.

The Tigers face their next challenge on Tuesday against Vanderbilt in Memorial Gym. The Commodores are also 2-0 and rank 24th in the rankings. Computer models favor Vanderbilt, but the Tigers have already moved past the projections that had them starting 0-4 just one week earlier.